Rep. Doug Collins Introduces Health Care Compact Approval

Press Release

Congressman Doug Collins (GA09) today introduced a House Joint Resolution that would permit states to form a Health Care Compact (HCC). Nine states, including Rep. Collins' Georgia, have signed on to the agreement to re-take control of health care decision-making from the federal government.

"Obamacare has been an economic and legal disaster," said Rep. Collins, "destroying jobs and economic growth, also the underpinnings of our system of limited government. I'm introducing this conservative bill to restore states' power over policy decisions that Washington bureaucrats have claimed for themselves." He said the HCC would improve patient choice, affordability and outcomes.

The House Judiciary Committee member represented parts of his current congressional district when he occupied Georgia's state house -- and voted to make his state the first in the country to adopt the Health Care Compact. In total, nine state legislatures have adopted it, and more are considering joining the HCC.

Under Article I of the Constitution, Congress must approve any such interstate agreement. "I'm proud to offer this common-sense solution to increase efficiency and effectiveness of health care services, 96 percent of which Americans consume within state borders. It's natural that home-grown solutions would be more efficient and effective," said Rep. Collins.

He explained that widespread Obamacare trouble -- from insurance cancelations and a crashing website to higher premiums and federal taxes -- underscore the need for state authority over health care systems. "Federal agencies have long assumed states would be lost without reams of regulations and interfered with innovation," said Rep. Collins."This Administration's incompetence has only hastened the need for a Health Care Compact."

States that join the compact could institute reforms to suit their specific needs, be they market-based reforms, single-payer plans or any variation. States would take advantage of existing federal funds to implement their unique programs, while the federal government would continue to run programs for military members, veterans and Native Americans.

In the past, states have entered into compacts to better manage energy and agriculture projects, for instance. "What we're saying in Georgia, Oklahoma, Indiana and elsewhere is that compacts work. And in the event the Supreme Court strikes down key parts of Obamacare, Congress and states have a ready solution."

Once Congress approves the Heath Care Compact, it would shield states against future regulatory encroachment, and only Congress could invalidate the compact. "Returning health care spending and policy details to the states addresses the bigger problem that has bedeviled our system -- centralization of decision-making in Washington, D.C.," said Collins. "This resolution is about more than health care then. It's about a core American value: The government that governs closest to the people governs best.

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