Weekly Publication
Legislature Talks Disabilities, Tax A Post-Obamacare Health Care Cuts, and Marijuana in New Session System
at the capitol
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CONTRIBUTED BY U.S. SENATOR DR. JOHN BOOZMAN
u rrently there are 3,0 0 0 Ark ansans with intellec tu al or developmental disab ilities waiting for c ommu nity-b ased or in-home servic es. T he needs rang e from adaptive eq u ipment at home to day treatment prog rams. This week the House took the first step in an effort to eliminate this waiting list. I n a vote of 9 3-0 , we approved H B 1 0 33. T his leg islation c alls for the diversion of $ 8 . 5 million from the tob ac c o settlement fu nd to fu nd the needs of the waiting list. T his money is c u rrently not b eing u sed on any other prog ram. T he state fu nds wou ld then b e matc hed b y $ 2 0 million in federal fu nds. I t is expec ted the fu nds will assist 5 0 0 -9 0 0 of those on the list. T his b ill is now heading to the Senate. Meanwhile, heading to the Governor’ s desk is a b ill that allows the Medic al Marij u ana C ommission more time to implement ru les for g rowers and dispensaries. T he Medic al Marij u ana Amendment, passed b y voters in N ovemb er, g ave the c ommission 1 2 0 days to b e appointed and c reate all ru les and reg u lations reg arding g rowing and dispensing . T he sponsor of the b ill said while ru les c an b e passed q u ic k ly, 1 2 0 days did not allow enou g h time for pu b lic inpu t and partic ipation in the proc ess. H B 1 0 2 6 g ives the c ommission 1 8 0 days and it req u ires the c ommission to b eg in ac c epting applications by July 1, which aligns with the start of the fiscal year.The date in the amendment approved b y voters in N ovemb er was J u ne 1 . I t has passed b oth the H ou se and the Senate and is now waiting on the Governor’ s sig natu re. T he H ou se R evenu e and T axation C ommittee has advanc ed two tax c u t proposals. H B 1 1 5 9 targ ets tax c u ts to those mak ing u nder $ 2 1 ,0 0 0 a year. H B 1 1 6 1 provides an earned inc ome tax c redit for those who already q u alify for the federal c redit. T he fu ll H ou se will b e c onsidering these proposals in the third week of the session. W e will c ontinu e to k eep you u pdated. R ememb er you c an watc h all H ou se proc eeding s and c ommittee meeting s held inside the C apitol on ou r web site, www. ark ansashou se. org .
hen the Senate voted to pass the b u dg et resolu tion, it b eg an the proc ess of repealing and replac ing O b amac are. U nderstandab ly, the Americ an people want to k now what’ s next, what to expec t and if they will have health c are c overag e. The budget resolution was the first of several steps that Congress will take to keep ou r promise to repeal and replac e this failed law. O b amac are has driven u p c osts, busted our budget, stifled job growth and raised taxes on hardworking Arkansans. It has c reated more prob lems than it solves and it has to g o. I n doing so, I am c ommitted to work ing with my c olleag u es to estab lish a c arefu l and orderly transition to a patient-c entered health c are system that tru ly is affordab le, not j u st in name b u t in prac tic e, and ac tu ally work s for the Americ an people. I understand the problems with our health care system firsthand. For 2 years, I prac tic ed optometry and operated a c linic with my b rother in Ark ansas. My experienc es, as b oth a health c are prac titioner and c linic owner, led me to u nderstand that there is a rig ht way and a wrong way to address the systemic issu es that plag u e ou r healthc are system. O b amac are is the wrong way. T here are piec es of the P resident’ s law that I su pport, su c h as c overing pre-exist2 ing c onditions and allowing parents the option to c over an older c hild u ntil they are ab le to afford their own health c are insu ranc e. H owever, the b ad January far ou tweig 6, hs2016 the g ood. T here are many ways to address these prob lems that don’ t req u ire trillions in deficit spending. You can be assured that our replacement will strive to meet those g oals. T hose c onc erns are among the most freq u ent voic ed b y Americ ans nervou s ab ou t what the fu tu re holds for their health c are, b u t they also, u nderstandab ly, want to k now what new polic y direc tives an O b amac are replac ement will inc lu de. I will b e work ing with my c olleag u es to fashion a replac ement that transitions the employer-based private insurance market towards one that allows for flexibility, c hoic e, portab ility and fairness for all. P atients shou ld b e in c ontrol of their health care decisions and have the flexibility to determine what coverage best fits their needs and those of their family memb ers. At the same time, ou r replac ement mu st drive down health c are c osts. bamacare’s fatal flaw is that there is absolutely nothing in the law to control costs. As a resu lt, c osts c ontinu e to rise u nsu stainab ly, erasing any promises of affordab le c overag e that O b amac are su pporters made. We must embrace market-based reforms that lower healthcare costs. From crossstate insu ranc e pu rc hases and healthc are c o-operatives to medic al malprac tic e reform and medic al rec ord moderniz ation initiatives, it is c ritic al that we implement responsib le reforms. Moreover, we mu st preserve and protec t the role of patients, providers and physic ians as the princ iple healthc are dec ision-mak ers, not the federal g overnment. Americ ans are rig htfu lly c onc erned ab ou t what c omes next. I c an’ t stress enou g h that we won’ t leave people in the lu rc h. W e won’ t pu ll the ru g ou t from u nder them. I nstead, we will empower Americ ans with this type of free-mark et approac h so that we c an b ring real reform to ou r health c are system. It is time for us to come together and find commonsense solutions to our challeng es. Americ a fu nc tions b est when we work throu g h ou r differenc es and tac k le ou r c ou ntry’ s prob lems. Moving forward, I am c ommitted to work ing with c olleag u es on b oth sides of the aisle to reform ou r healthc are system so it mak es sense for all Americ ans.
C
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CONTRIBUTED BY STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOHN MADDOX