the arizona strategy
East Valley Tribune
Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
Saying they are working to prevent socialism, members of the state House voted 34-19 Thursday to ask voters to block the federal government from forcing Arizonans to enroll in any universal health care program.
"We are a front-line battle state to stop the momentum of this powerful government takeover of your health care decisions,'' argued Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, the sponsor of the measure. "Health care by lobbyists thwarts your rights and can be stopped here.''
Backers of HCR 2014, all Republicans, were not dissuaded by arguments by Rep. Matt Heinz, D-Tucson, that the move is premature because there is no specific plan for national health care on the table. Rep. David Bradley, D-Tucson, was no more successful with his claims that the current health care system is broken and needs to be fixed.
"I am concerned with the continuing tendency to move further and further toward the socialistic state,'' said Rep. Cecil Ash, R-Mesa. He said he wants to ensure United States does not "create a nanny state where every need in life is taken care of by the government.''
The proposal, which now goes to the Senate, would insert language in the Arizona Constitution disallowing any law or rule that compels any person or individual to participate in any health care system. It also would guarantee the right of individuals to pay directly for health care and for doctors and others to treat people who want to pay cash and don't want to enroll in a government-provided program.
It is aimed at proposals being weighed in Washington which would require all employers to purchase coverage for their workers and all individuals to have health insurance. There also is discussion of creating a government-run insurance company which would compete with private insurers.
A nearly identical measure was narrowly defeated by voters in November.
Barto said she fears creation of "a federal health care rationing board'' which she said "will head us down the path to a one-size-fits-all system where a government bureaucrat will have ultimate authority to decide what care any one of us can receive.''
Heinz, who is a doctor, said Barto's measure is based on a mistaken impression that everyone has access to everything they need.
"Unfortunately, health care is already rationed,'' he said.
"We do it all the time,'' Heinz continued. "There may not be a formal way that it happens. But trust me, it does.''
Some question remains whether a state constitutional amendment, which would have to be approved next year by voters, would trump any federal law. But Rep. Phil Lopes, D-Tucson, a long-time supporter of universal health care, said lawmakers should not take that risk.
"To remove our citizens from participating in the benefits of what will surely be an improved system is an irresponsible act,'' he said.
But Rep. Frank Antenori, R-Tucson, said opponents were throwing up smoke screens by saying adoption of the constitutional amendment barring imposition of federal universal health care in Arizona would prevent some residents from getting care .
"That is just a total load of crap,'' he said.
"If they want a universal health care plan that the federal government provides ... they can still get it,'' Antenori said.
"All this does is prevent the government from penalizing, whether it be physicians or someone of their own who desires not to participate in those plans,'' he continued. In his own case, Antenori said if the amendment is adopted, he would retain the choice of staying with his current health care plan or participating in what the federal government offers.
"All this is protecting is the individual rights of the people of this state to choose their own course when it comes to health care,'' he said.
Bradley, however, said the efforts to make health care more available and affordable at the state level by "tinkering with the system'' have failed.
"We need to look at this from a national perspective,'' he said. "That's the reality of health care today.''
Heinz and Barto also traded barbs over whether health care in the this country is better than elsewhere.
Heinz cited figures from the World Health Organization which say that 28 other countries, many with national health care systems, have lower rates of infant mortality than the United States. "Whatever it is they're doing ... they're doing something right,'' he said.
Barto, however, said the WHO statistics are meaningless because medical advances in this country allow more women to give birth to low birth-weight babies, many of whom do not survive.
