Late last night, the health care bill was posted online for "mark-up" today by committees.  So much for the 72 hours.  Here's what "The Hill" had to say about it:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/86681-house-democrats-release-reconciliation-healthcare-bill

House Democrats release bill for Budget markup Monday

By Michael O'Brien - 03/14/10 10:35 PM ET

House Democrats on Sunday night set into motion what they hope will be the final steps on healthcare reform. 

The House Budget Committee on Sunday evening released text that will serve as the base legislation for the changes the House will seek to the Senate bill this week. 

Specifically, the Budget committee released a 2,309-page effort that had been previously recommended to the Education and Labor Committee and Ways and Means Committee last year. 

The measure posted online does not include the substantive changes to the Senate healthcare bill that House Democrats will seek. Those changes will be offered during the markups in the Budget and Rules committees, which the budget panel hopes to begin on Monday afternoon.

The House is expected to approve the Senate's healthcare bill along with the package of changes. The Senate would then be expected to approve the package of changes under budget reconciliation rules. 

Because the bill will be considered under budget reconciliation rules in the Senate, GOP senators will not be able to filibuster the package and Democrats will not need 60 votes to move the legislation through the Seante. 

The House has demanded the Senate approve changes to its healthcare bill in exchange for the House voting for the Senate bill.

House Democrats hope to complete their work by this weekend, before President Barack Obama begins an overseas trip he delayed for several days to focus on healthcare. 

The markup by the Budget Committee is the first step toward bringing the measure to the House floor. 

And Here is the link to the entire bill for your perusal:

http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF

Will There Be a Milton County?

My friend, Rep. Ed Lindsay of Atlanta, was slammed last week in The Beacon regarding Milton County.  They sent this email out to their subscribers:

With Friends Like Rep. Ed Lindsey, Who Needs Enemies?
The Buckhead Republican and Majority Whip is poised to
singularly sink the hopes for Milton County -- at least
in the 2010 General Assembly.
For the story on today's Milton County Suprise
Hearing,go to:

http://www.beaconcastmedia.com/politics/Majority-Whip-Ed-Lindsey-Poised-To-Sink-Milton-County-in-2010-1717

Here's Rep. Lindsay's response:

Dear Editor:

Let me respond to your article of March 11, 2010.  You will recall that my district lies primarily inside the City of Atlanta.

Under the present Georgia Constitution, if a county splits, all the residents of the county being split are allowed to vote on themeasure.  HR 21 would remove that right for the citizens of Atlanta and South Fulton.  I cannot support this kind of disenfranchisement of my constituents.

I share my friends in North Fulton's frustrations over Fulton County Government.  It is bloated and blind to the need for reform.  That is why I have proposed a separate constitutional amendment (HR 1589) which would limit a county that is over 80 percent municipalized to those duties which are either mandated by the state or permitted by agreements with local cities.  This would seriously reduce thefoot print of the Fulton County government in all of our lives.

I hope my friends in North Fulton recognize that I must protect my citizens as their representative but will continue to work with them for solutions which will benefit all the people of Fulton County.

We disagree today in this battle but agree in regards to the need for smaller and more responsive  government.

Sincerely,

Rep. Edward Lindsey (R-Atlanta)

We'll talk to Ed today, on The Martha Zoller Show...

Finally, We'll talk to Sen. Judson Hill about Health Care across state lines. Sen. Hill has never sat back and waited for the Feds and he's not doing that this time with health care. The Georgia Public Policy Foundation characterized it this way:

Georgia Taking the Lead in Cross-State Insurance Legislation

By Ronald E. Bachman 

A multi-state market attractive to insurers selling new, lower-cost comprehensive products
is a market-based tool that states can embrace without the heavy hand of federal intervention.
In Georgia, Governor Sonny Perdue is showing the way on how to implement such cross-state sales
through individual health insurance. States can voluntarily enter into reciprocity agreements
with like-minded states.  

The cross-state concept has been accepted by Republicans and Democrats as a good starting point
for national bipartisan reform. Studies have shown that up to 12 million Americans would become
insured with effective national legislation for cross-state selling. While Congress debates, however,
Governor Perdue innovates.  His push for free-market insurance reform is embodied in bills making
their way through Georgia s House and Senate. The slight differences will likely be ironed out when
the two bills are merged.    

Georgia s legislation has two major components. First, it promotes a unilateral acceptance of
comprehensive individual health policies from other states. As a show of good faith, Georgia would
accept individual health policies approved in other selected states without the requirement that they
accept policies approved here. There are, of course, minimum standards and consumer protections
governing the acceptance of such policies. 

Second, the real power and value of the cross-state selling concept is to establish a coalition of
states with a combined large consumer base that will encourage insurers to develop and bring new, low-cost
and affordable plans to Georgia. Currently, the 50 state-specific state filing processes take insurers
years and millions of dollars in development costs, administrative mandates, filing requirements and fees.  

Georgia is not usually in the top tier of states for early release of newly developed products. States
with larger populations get priority. Being part of an expanded, multi-state market covering a population
of 30 million to 40 million will enhance the state s ranking and attraction as a key market for existing
and new insurers. Georgia s proposed cross-state legislation directs the state Insurance Commissioner
to take the lead in creating a multi-state coalition with reciprocal health insurance policy approvals.
  
There may be concern that the legislation would circumvent existing coverage mandates. Both proposals
would require that policies provide comprehensive medical and surgical coverage; both specifically
exclude limited-benefit plans and restrictive policies. Advocates for cancer screenings, for example,
would see policies with the Georgia-required cancer benefits sold in coalition states, and those buyers
would get cancer screenings provided by all policies sold under Georgia law.   
Of course, arguments on mandated benefits go both ways: The National Business Group on Health believes
that the Georgia mandate for colorectal cancer screenings is a cost-effective mandate; the Council for
Affordable Health Insurance cited 41 state-mandated benefits in Georgia in 2008, some of which can
increase costs.

There is no doubt, however, that free and open markets always benefit the consumer by offering more
choice and lower costs. The competition also inspires insurers to improve their product and services.
However well-intentioned and unintended, a few carriers dominate the individual insurance market
in Georgia. 

Governor Perdue s efforts will produce a win-win-win. Insurers win by lowering their overhead expenses
for product development and gaining access to more customers. Employer plans benefit when cost-shifting
is lowered because more of the previously uninsured will have access to affordable coverage. Hospitals
and doctors will have fewer bad debts and less uncompensated care. Most of all, Georgians win by being
able to choose from among more options of affordable, comprehensive and portable individual insurance.

This is the year that Georgia can blaze a trail in the Southeast and across the nation and Georgians
can get a head start in consumer choice, through the cross-state/multi-state concepts with full and
adequate consumer protections and broad-based comprehensive coverage.  
A strong free-market approach will help those Georgians currently insured and lower the number of
uninsureds. This will not cost the state treasury a dime but will save Georgians millions in lower
premiums. The alternative is Obamacare, unfortunately, an alternative that some objectors may
really want.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ronald E. Bachman FSA, MAAA, is a Senior Fellow at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an independent
think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented approaches to public policy to improve the lives of
Georgians. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for Health Transformation, an organization founded
by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and a Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy
Analysis (NCPA). Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the
Foundation, the Center for Health Transformation or the NCPA, or as an attempt to aid or hinder
the passage of any bill before the U.S. Congress or the Georgia Legislature.

© Georgia Public Policy Foundation (March 12, 2010). Permission to reprint in whole or in part is
hereby granted, provided the author and his affiliations are cited.