Senate panel expresses concern with impact of national health care plan on Arizona

State Capitol, Phoenix Worried about the costs and consequences of President Obamas recently-passed national health care plan, State Senators Sylvia Allen and John Nelson heard testimony Wednesday from a series of health care experts. This was the first meeting of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Impacts of Federal Health Care Reform Implementation. Allen and Nelson, along with a panel of health care experts and economists, posed tough questions to representatives of the states AHCCCS program and health care industry. The panel probed how Arizona will be affected by the controversial national health care plan. The Presidents plan expands Medicaid eligibility without any corresponding revenue from the federal government, said Sen. Nelson, who chairs the Senates Health Committee. Instead of having a $2 billion budget deficit [in fiscal year 2012], the state may face a $4 billion deficit. This is unacceptable. I dont see how a dramatic increase in costs to the state and a mandate to purchase insurance is going to drive down costs. Sen. Allen agreed. This is a huge issue in my district. People are very concerned. Appointed by President Burns, Allen and Nelson serve as co-chairs of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee, charged with investigating the impact of federal health care reform on Arizona. Panel member and Goldwater Institute economist Byron Schlomach advised committee members that the best way to reform the nations health care system is to get government out of it. Schlomach said Supporters of a national health care plan complain that the high costs of health care are a result of technology. That makes no sense. Name one other industry where advances in technology have led to higher coststhere isnt one. Joe Kanefield, General Counsel to Gov. Jan Brewer, updated committee members on Arizonas lawsuit against the federal health care law. Arizona is one of 20 states suing to stop the health care plan from going into effect. In spite of Obama Administration efforts to dismiss the lawsuits, a recent hearing concluded with the judge indicating he was inclined to allow the lawsuit to move forward. The committee also heard testimony from representatives of two large health insurance companies, Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare. Both representatives pointed out flaws in the national health care law. We are losing our ability to live as ordinary citizens, and becoming pawns of the government, said a frustrated Sen. Nelson, regarding a federal mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance. Sen. Allen vowed to continue her efforts to educate policymakers and the public about the consequences of the federal law. This is about more than health care, this is about personal freedom. When the federal government can require you to purchase something, are we really free?