The Bradley Amendment

Not wasting any time, State Senator Jeb Bradley has already released an amendment for SB 505 to protect the people of New Hampshire from the overreach of the federal government on the matter of Health Insurance.

Without further delay...

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Floor Amendment to SB 505-FN-A 

Amend the title of the bill by replacing it with the following:

AN ACT                relative to health insurance coverage.

Amend the bill by replacing all after the enacting clause with the following:

      ­1  New Section; Insurance Department; Health Insurance Coverage.  Amend RSA 400-A by inserting after section 14 the following new section:

      400-A:14-a  Health Insurance Coverage.  No resident of this state, regardless of whether he or she has or is eligible for health insurance coverage under any policy or program provided by or through his or her employer, or a plan sponsored by the state or the federal government, shall be required to obtain or maintain a policy of individual insurance coverage except as required by a court or the department of health and human services where an individual is named a party in a judicial or administrative proceeding.  No provision of this title shall render a resident of this state liable for any penalty, assessment, fee, or fine as a result of his or her failure to procure or obtain health insurance coverage.  This section shall not apply to individuals voluntarily applying for coverage under a state-administered program pursuant to Title XIX or Title XXI of the Social Security Act. This section shall not apply to students being required by an institution of higher education to obtain and maintain health insurance as a condition of enrollment.  Nothing in this section shall impair the rights of persons to privately contract for health insurance for family members or former family members.

      ­2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.

2010-1069s

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill provides that a resident of New Hampshire shall not be required to obtain, or be assessed a fee or fine for failure to obtain, health insurance coverage. 

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I'd like to encourage our state legislature to support this amendment.  It is imperative that we protect the sovereign state of New Hampshire from the usurpers of States Rights in D.C.  And it is important that we join the majority of states in drawing a line in the sand to secure some semblance of self rule and local control before the feds take it all away.

We may not all agree on matters of policy. And we surely do not agree on this one. But one thing is true.  Eventually there will a different administration, supporting polices that insurance reform lovers hate.  You cannot with any integrity embrace such an abuse of rights as Obama's insurance reform package and then whine when it's something else later on you do not yourselves support.

Or maybe you can.  But that's your choice, and we'll be watching.

Comments

[Warren Smith]

What I am planning on writing to the senators:

Dear Senator ______;

I am writing to you to urge you to support Jeb Bradley's amendment to SB505, to protect New Hampshire citizens from being forced to purchase government-approved health insurance.

Clearly, forcing a citizen to purchase a product -- any product -- under penalty of fines or imprisonment, is 100% contrary to the "American way," and contrary to the "Live free or die" philosophy that defines the great state we live in.

Some members of Congress may believe that we need heavy-handed government mandates because our citizens are too irresponsible to make their own decisions about health care. However, opting out of state-mandated/state-approved insurance is not necessarily irresponsible. I know of several very responsible individuals who are protecting their families through medical savings accounts, through group cost-sharing plans, etc., who have opted out of traditional "insurance plans," while still providing full health security to their families. Their careful and prudent planning for their medical needs allows them to care for themselves and their families' needs in a much more thorough and careful way than the one-size-fits-all plans available on the market. These responsible people are choosing to opt out of mainstream insurance packages for very legitimate and rational reasons (such as, in one example, joining cost-sharing groups with only fellow non-smokers), while still providing full health care coverage for their families.

By my understanding, the recently passed health care bill would CRIMINALIZE these responsible individuals for providing for their families' needs in the ways they see fit, unless they purchase a less-suitable government-tailored healthcare package.

The Washington bill, by criminalizing responsible behavior by citizens who want to take care of their families without government involvement, is fundamentally contrary to the freedoms for which so many American soldiers have fought and died. Jeb Bradley's amendment to SB505 is a step towards preserving our fundamental freedoms in New Hampshire, by allowing us the liberty to take care of ourselves.

I urge you to support it.

Dr. Warren Smith
Durham, NH

[Jim Splaine]

Dr. they won't be criminals -- they will be expected to pay an additional tax, because we're all in this together. As it is, we're all paying for health care in one way or another. We all pay for Medicare as well.

And Steve, yes -- let's make sure our State Senators stand up for the insurance company lobby, which "invests" heavily in Concord as well as in Washington. They'll continue their effort to get that mighty dollar and skim off the top of our health care as long as possible. Those CEOs and stockholders don't want to lose their gravy train.

Fortunately, we're at a point that Americans will have freedom from the insurance companies and will have a choice. Dying because of no insurance and not being able to pay bills is no choice at all, and up until now that's been the case. But American patriots like President Obama and Democrats in Congress are working to protect the American Way.

[Steve Mac Donald]

No gravy train= No gravey Jim. That''s the problem with central planning. It sucks up all the gravey, leaving everyone else with nothing. And thanks to health care reform we get 144,000 or so more IRS employees sucking up a dwindling pool of gravey just to make sure we get fined if we don't buy insurance your leftist pals mandated. Insurance I don't even need.

Insurance that will be providing me with maternity care and abortion services. And Breast exams but not until I'm at least 40 or is it 50 now. I suppose gender bender surgery will be covered as well? And assisted suicide can't be far behind because who will want to live in America after the liberals have F'd it all up?

You must be very busy running everyone elses life. Where ever do you find time to read blogs?

[Steve Mac Donald]

And how about this universal voerage Mr. Splaine?

Obama and congress are not included n the universe. And now it appears that committee staffers are also excluded from what the regular folk must endure.

""One such surprise is found on page 158 of the legislation, which appears to create a carve out for senior staff members in the leadership offices and on congressional committees, essentially exempting those senior Democrat staffers who wrote the bill from being forced to purchase health care plans in the same way as other Americans.""

Gee Jim this isn't even as insulting as "seperate but equal." It seperate and unequal. That makes your boys and girls in DC and some select group of chosen ones big fat elitest snobs.