GOP pushes health-care legislation
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Virginia House Republicans propose health care...
Republican bills aim to lower costs to small business owners, change requirements for new health facilities, and standardize medical software.Three House of Delegates Republicans have proposed legislation that they say will improve health care for Virginians.
Del. Daniel W. Marshall III, R-Danville, wants to give employers with 50 or fewer workers health-insurance coverage that does not include some or all of the mandates required by the state in health insurance.
Marshall said the measure would allow employers to tailor a plan that best fits their pocketbooks. He said the mandates increase the cost of health insurance by as much as 45 percent in some markets.
His proposal was endorsed by the small-business advocate National Federation of Independent Business, which said health-insurance costs have risen 84 percent since 2001. Julia Hammond of the federation said some employers have terminated plans, while others have not started one.
Del. Samuel A. Nixon Jr., R-Chesterfield, is proposing a bill that would create a study to develop computer standards for health-care providers. His bill directs the state's Information Technology Investment Board to develop standards for health information technology systems and software.
A third measure, proposed by Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, already has passed the House on an 88-0 vote. It would reduce from 21 to eight the number of criteria used by the state's health commissioner when determining whether to allow new or expanded health-care facilities. Hamilton said a less cumbersome application would save time and money.
The Hamilton and Nixon bills were drafted with the cooperation of the Kaine administration.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or
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Reader Reactions
ok folks its real simple,,our elected repr,,in congress,,pay 50.00 $$,, A MONTH FOR 99.9% NATIONWIDE COVERAGE,,thats all their medical incl heart transplants,,and all meds,,incl most expensive cancer drugs,,so since they WORK for us,,THEN they need to get us this same GREAT,UNLIMITED,,medical coverage for ALL !!after we do that,, then we can work on getting the same kind of retirment benefits and pensions,,gaurantee even if we are criminal ,,CRIMINAL STEVENS of alaska ,,gets a retirement check from us the taxpayers at 112,000 $$ a yr !..i cant beleive how stupid we r !!we the people we the voters !!
Marshall’s bill will hurt people who work for small businesses, not help them. You are better off with no health insurance than with bad health insurance because if you have no health insurance and work you are eligible to go to a free clinic, if you have bad health insurance you are not. Also if you have no health insurance you can work out reduced payments with some non-profit hospitals, with poor coverage, you won’t be eligible for that. This is not a health care bill, this is a reduce health care for employeees bill and leave them with enormous medical debts if they or someone in their family gets seriously ill. Medical care is not optional, not something people choose to buy, you can’t say people should just buy what they can afford, because they will end up paying the rest either way. This is like those fake prescription “policies” sold on TV, a waste of desparate or unknowing customers’ money.
Exactly who is going to pay for this? And will Marshall want to expand the homophobic health laws against gays and lesbians in Va. which currently exist with it, by excluding their life partners? There are two agendas: one the proposal itself and the other entrenching Va.‘s massive resistance to equal rights.
On putting medical records on computers to be shared - there is no computer security. Even the Commonwealth’s system, is attacked daily and has been hacked into more than once according to a presentation I attended which was conducted by VITA. Even the FBI Director’s email was hacked into in 2006.
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