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Health Care Freedom Act Introduced in the PA Legislature

By on February 5, 2013 in Health Care 5

TAC_HealthCareFreedomThe Tenth Amendment Center’s four step road map to nullification of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) includes 1.) Refuse to implement the state-run health care exchange; 2.) Reject the Medicaid expansion; 3.) Pass Health Care Freedom Legislation; and 4.) Full nullification of the PPACA inside the state’s borders. Here in Pennsylvania, step 1 has been accomplished and a coalition of activists are currently working to accomplish step 2.

Representative Matt Baker has now continued progress on step 3 with the introduction of HB273, the Health Care Freedom Act. This act provides for the right of the individual to purchase private health insurance and prohibits any law from compelling an individual, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care plan or system. It currently has 42 co-sponsors and it is assigned to the House Committee on Health, of which Rep. Baker is the chair. Continue Reading →

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Rand Paul Reads TenthAmendmentCenter.com

By on May 16, 2011 in Big Government, Commentary, Constitution, Health Care, Tenthers 0

Or, at least, we think alike.

The junior Senator from Kentucky recently said that to believe in a ”right” to health care one must support slavery:

I’m a physician. That means you have a right to come to my house and conscript me. It means you believe in slavery.

He’s right of course. As I pointed out nearly two years ago, it is impossible for government to grant a positive right, like health care, to anyone without first taking the good or service it is granting away from someone else, like a doctor.

As I said then

Whether by forcibly appropriating and redistributing the money to purchase care for those who lack it, or by arbitrarily devaluing the time and effort of those who provide it, once a government mandate supplants voluntary exchange, coercion must be used to exercise that “right” to health care.

But how can taking what belongs to another person (their money, time, or effort) through legislative force be a right?

Is that not the very essence of slavery?

It is, and it’s nice to see someone as prominent and influential as Rand Paul has the guts to say it.

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Oklahoma Voters Reject Health Care Mandates

By on November 2, 2010 in Health Care, State Sovereignty 5

Voters in Oklahoma today decided that they don’t want a law to require them to buy health insurance, as they voted to approve State Question 756 by a wide margin (64% in favor at the time of this writing). The question was the result of the Oklahoma legislature passing Senate Joint Resolution 59 (SJR59) this year.

The legislation states that “A law or rule shall not compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care system” – in an attempt to nullify health insurance mandates within the state. It previously passed the State Senate by a vote of 30-13 and the State House by a vote of 88-9. Continue Reading →

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Nullify the Mandate: Arizona Voters Look to Push Back

By on September 17, 2010 in Health Care, State Sovereignty 0

November 2nd is set to be an important day for the future of Arizona and America.  Not only will we vote for fresh faces who will vow to “get tough” in Washington, D.C., but states across the country are considering ballot measures that will pull the Tenth Amendment out of the closet for some serious stretching such as Arizona’s own Proposition 106, The Health Care Freedom Act.

Prop 106 will amend the Arizona Constitution to protect the right of Arizonans not to participate in any health care system or plan. It will also protect our right to spend our own money for health care services in Arizona.

For more information, please visit:  http://www.azhealthcarefreedom.com/

*********EDITOR’S NOTE*********

CLICK HERE to view the Tenth Amendment Center’s Health Care Freedom Act legislative tracking page

The Tenth Amendment Center has released the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, which directly nullifies the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” on a state level. Click here to learn more.

cross-posted from the Arizona Tenth Amendment Center

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Louisiana Passes Health Care Freedom Act

By on June 22, 2010 in Health Care, Sovereignty Movement, State Sovereignty 5

WASHINGTON, June 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire — Last Friday, June 18, 2010, Louisiana became the first state with a Democrat-controlled legislature to oppose a requirement to purchase health insurance—the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s health reform agenda. Louisiana House Bill 1474 (HB1474), which passed the Louisiana Senate with strong bipartisan support, will soon head to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s desk. The measure is modeled after the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act now introduced or announced in 42 states.

House Bill 1474, which was supported by 14 House Democrats and 12 Senate Democrats, states that “No resident of this state, regardless of whether he has or is eligible for health insurance coverage under any policy or program provided by or through his employer, or a plan sponsored by the state or the federal government, shall be required to obtain or maintain a policy of individual health insurance coverage.”

The measure faced a tough battle in the Senate, where sponsors conceded to an amendment that may hamper Louisiana’s ability to file an additional 10th Amendment-based lawsuit against the federal health reform law.

“Today, Louisiana sends a clear message to the President and Congress that there is broad, bipartisan opposition to the centerpiece of their health reform agenda,” said ALEC Health Task Force Director Christie Herrera, who is coordinating the nationwide effort.

“ALEC congratulates Representative Kirk Talbot, free-market think tank The Pelican Institute, and the Louisiana Grassroots Network for their work in rejecting an unconstitutional overreach into the health care decisions of Louisianans,” Herrera added.

Health Care Freedom Acts have already been enacted in statute form by the Virginia, Idaho, and Utah legislatures, and constitutional amendments or referenda will appear on the ballot in Oklahoma, Arizona, Florida, and Missouri. Active citizen initiatives are also underway in Colorado, Michigan, and Mississippi.

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CLICK HERE to view the Tenth Amendment Center’s Health Care Freedom Act legislative tracking page

The Tenth Amendment Center has released the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, which directly nullifies the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” on a state level. Click here to learn more.

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Health Care Freedom Act Goes to Voters in Oklahoma

By on May 26, 2010 in Sovereignty Movement, State Sovereignty 2

This fall, Oklahoma voters will decide if they want federal law to force them to buy health insurance, as Senate Joint Resolution 59 (SJR59) was passed by both State houses and enrolled today.

The legislation states that “A law or rule shall not compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care system” – effectively nullifying federal mandates within the state. It passed the Senate by a vote of 30-13 and the House this Tuesday by a vote of 88-9.

The House had waited to act on this resolution as the legislature attempted to override a recent veto of similar legislation that would’ve enacted the Health Care Freedom Act via statute. But, after the veto override failed, the House took action on SJR59. Because it is a referendum question, the decision bypasses the Governor Henry and goes directly to the people on the November 2nd state ballot.

State Senator Randy Brogdon, in a recent statement about the Oklahoma Health Care Freedom Act, said:

“This legislation does three things. It would prevent the federal government from forcing any Oklahoman to participate in any health care system. It would also prohibit the federal government from dictating how doctors choose to care for their patients. Finally, the measure authorizes the leaders of the Legislature to hire outside council to represent Oklahoma in a lawsuit to prevent Obamacare from being forced on our state.”

Similar legislation has already passed as law in Virginia, Utah and Idaho. Voters in Arizona, Florida and Missouri will be deciding on health care freedom acts in their states this fall as well.

The principle behind such legislation is nullification, which has a long history in the American tradition. When a state ‘nullifies’ a federal law, it is proclaiming that the law in question is void and inoperative, or ‘non-effective,’ within the boundaries of that state; or, in other words, not a law as far as the state is concerned. Implied in such legislation is that the state apparatus will enforce the act against all violations – in order to protect the liberty of the state’s citizens.

Already 25 states have passed laws and resolutions to effectively nullify the 2005 Real ID act, and 14 states are actively nullifying federal laws on medical marijuana.

CLICK HERE to view the Tenth Amendment Center’s Health Care Freedom Act legislative tracking page

The Tenth Amendment Center has released the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, which directly nullifies the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” on a state level. Click here to learn more.

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Louisiana House Passes Health Care Freedom Act

By on May 13, 2010 in Health Care, Sovereignty Movement, State Sovereignty 4

With a 59-15 vote Thursday, the Louisiana State House approved a bill that declares no one in Louisiana can be mandated to pay a penalty if they don’t have insurance – or be required to participate in a health system.

House Bill 1474 states that every Louisiana resident “is and shall be free from governmental intrusion in choosing or declining to choose any mode of securing health insurance coverage without penalty or threat of penalty.”

Sponsor Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, said he wants to challenge a Congress that he believes has exceeded its authority under the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. “Congress does not have the right to mandate that private citizens enter into a contract with private business,” he said. The commerce clause, he said, allows federal regulation of economic activity but “not inactivity.”

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution codifies in law that the federal government is one of limited, delegated powers – and that all powers not enumerated in the Constitution are reserve “to the States, respectively, or to the People.”

The founders, during the time of the Constitution’s ratification, made clear that a vast majority of regulatory powers would be left in the states – including social services, agriculture, mining, and more. Click here to read more.

Virginia, Utah, and Idaho have already passed a Health Care Freedom Act, and the Governors of each state have already signed the act into law. More than two dozen other states are considering similar legislation or state constitutional amendments, including Arizona, Missouri, and Florida, where in November, voters will have the opportunity to approve or deny a similar proposal as a state Constitutional amendment which has already passed both state houses.

CLICK HERE to view the Tenth Amendment Center’s Health Care Freedom Act legislative tracking page

The Tenth Amendment Center has released the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, which directly nullifies the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” on a state level. Click here to learn more.

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Health Care Freedom Act Goes To Voters in Missouri

By on May 12, 2010 in Health Care, Sovereignty Movement, State Sovereignty 4

JEFFERSON CITY—Missouri voters will decide if they want federal law to force them to buy health insurance, as Sen. Jane Cunningham’s (R-Chesterfield) “Health Care Freedom Act” has now passed the House and goes to the Secretary of State to be placed on the August ballot.

The act was attached to a comprehensive insurance bill, House Bill 1764. The Health Care Freedom Act will appear before voters on the August 2010 ballot, and if approved, no federal law could force a patient, employer, or health care provider to participate in any government or privately run health care system designed by the state or federal government.

“This is a great day for democracy because this issue will now be put before the voters. This legislation simply protects the rights of Missourians to choose their own health care products and services without fear of facing fines or imprisonment,” Sen. Cunningham said. “It doesn’t reject any federal health care option, nor take away an individual’s choice to participate in the federal health care plan. The measure expands options, not limits them. I’m proud to lead Missouri’s push-back on this intrusive, costly mandate from Washington, D.C. A democracy is founded upon the will of the people, so unlike what occurred in DC we’re going to let the people decide this issue.”

Senator Cunningham also says that the bill will protect small businesses from job killing taxes at a time when they need help the most.

“In this economy, we cannot push ineffective, wildly exorbitantly mandates on our businesses and then expect economic growth,” Sen. Cunningham said. “This unprecedented order from the government placed upon individuals and businesses to buy certain products and services must be stopped.”

The Health Care Freedom Act had 20 Senate co-sponsors.

CLICK HERE to view the Tenth Amendment Center’s Health Care Freedom Act legislative tracking page

The Tenth Amendment Center has released the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, which directly nullifies the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” on a state level. Click here to learn more.

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Missouri Joins Health Care Battle

By on May 7, 2010 in Health Care, Sovereignty Movement 1

Senator Jane Cunningham’s Health Care Freedom Act (SJR25), nearly identical to Virginia’s, passed the Missouri Senate as a ballot referendum Tues. by a 26-8 vote. Three Dems., two up for reelection in conservative districts, crossed over to vote in favor.

The legislation provides:

“that no federal law shall compel a patient, employer, or health care provider to participate in any government or privately run health care system, nor prohibit a patient or employer from paying directly for legal health care services.”

Cunningham’s bill started out as a Constitutional Amendment but hit hard resistance from not only Democrats, who threatened a filibuster, but a number of Republicans as well. What the conservatives did not want is to have any measure pass across Governor Nixon’s desk; he’s a Democrat and had already indicated he’d snap a veto on it post haste. So it had to be a referendum or an amendment.

The House passed their version of the bill in early March by a wide margin, so the referendum is set to appear before the voters in the August primary. Better then than in the November general according to many conservatives, including Jaci Winship, Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Missouri Director. “There are many many contentious conservative races throughout the state,” she indicated. “And conservatives will be out in droves to vote.”

The Missouri Sovereignty Project and numerous Tea Party groups, including I Heard the People Say, Franklin County Patriots, K&N Patriots, and Show Me Patriots, were instrumental in keeping pressure on Jefferson City legislators to bring Cunningham’s bill to the voters.

Aside from numerous 400/500-people rallies in the rotunda of JC on three different occasions since early February, on the day of the Senate vote on Tues. over 400 Tea Partiers from around the state circled the capital building in a rolling tea party. For 20 minutes they circled and honked, circled and honked, circled and…well you get the picture.

It was a stunning (and LOUD) demonstration, with many legislators watching from their windows. Four hours later, and after an hour of debate where conservatives made a collective eloquent case for the bill, Cunningham got her wish.

Missourians will now have their say. We have joined the battle.

EDITOR’S NOTE:
CLICK HERE to view the Tenth Amendment Center’s Health Care Freedom Act legislative tracking page

The Tenth Amendment Center has released the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, which directly nullifies the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” on a state level. Click here to learn more.

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