Isakson Votes Against Democrats' Trillion-Dollar, Government-Run Health Care Plan

Cosponsors Alternative Plan to Provide Affordable Health Care Through Choice, Private-market Competition

Jul 15, 2009

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator and Senate candidate Johnny Isakson today voted against the Democrats’ health care reform, calling it a flawed plan that would cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion, place the government in unfair competition with the private market and force Georgia and other states to pay billions for an expanded Medicaid program.

“We must look for solutions to enable access to affordable health care for Americans who lack insurance, but this bill is not the way to accomplish that,” Isakson said. “This bill will only drive up the cost of health care and decrease patient choice. I cannot support legislation that will put a government bureaucrat between a patient and his doctor.”

The Democrats’ health care bill, which passed a Senate committee by a 13-10 vote today, will cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion, and will put the federal government in direct competition with private health insurers and managed care providers.

“When the government that taxes and regulates businesses then seeks to compete with those same businesses, that is unfair competition,” Isakson said.

The legislation also would require employers with more than 25 workers to provide insurance or pay a penalty.

“I believe this requirement will force many small businesses to eliminate jobs, and I cannot support it. At a time when money is being pumped into the economy to create new jobs, it is foolish to create government rules that will take jobs away,” Isakson said.

Furthermore, the proposed expansion of Medicaid in the Democrats’ bill would allow individuals who earn up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level to be eligible for full Medicaid benefits. Currently, Medicaid is available only to those who earn up to 100 percent of the poverty level, meaning that the Democrats’ plan represents a 50 percent increase in Medicaid.

When Medicaid was originally created in 1968, Georgia’s total Medicaid spending was just 1 percent of all state spending. In 2008, Georgia’s total Medicaid spending was 12 percent of all state spending. This proposal would cost Georgia and other states billions of additional dollars to meet the 50 percent increase for their required share of Medicaid costs.

Isakson is a cosponsor of an alternative health care reform, S.1099, Patients’ Choice Act of 2009, which seeks to strengthen the relationship between the patient and the doctor by using choice and competition, rather than rationing and restrictions, to contain costs and ensure affordable health care for all Americans.