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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 14 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USSkepticism on New Hospital Fees
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue’s proposal to fund Medicaid and trauma care with a combination of fees on hospitals and health insurance plans, as well as fines on “super-speeder” motorists, met with skepticism from several legislators.
Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs), chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, took aim at Perdue’s plan. “I’m unequivocally opposed to that new tax,” Ehrhart said. “That’s not a tax on hospitals. It’s a tax on individual consumers.” Ehrhart, as chairman of Rules, has great power to decide what legislation reaches the House floor.
Perdue first broached the possibility of the hospital fee at a meeting in December with hospital industry executives, many of whom opposed the idea.
Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) said she’s a strong backer of a statewide trauma network and is still trying to figure out how much money will come from fining “super-speeders,” as the governor suggested. “What does that mean, really?” Oliver asked. “We’re going to have a real split in the health care community about who gets taxed extra,” Oliver said.
Perdue has proposed a 1.6 percent fee on hospital revenues and health insurance plans to fill the state’s $208 million hole in Medicaid this year, and to provide $60 million towards a statewide trauma network.
Senate minority leader Robert Brown (D-Macon) disagreed with most of what Perdue said. “I’m just disappointed overall with the governor and his lack of leadership,” Brown said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to tax hospitals to fund trauma care,” Brown said.
Perdue told legislators he knew his plan would “not be universally acclaimed.”
— Mary Lou Pickel and Aaron Gould Sheinin
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By Smell the baloney
January 14, 2009 1:18 PM | Link to this
The sick are already going to be financially stressed, and insurance companies will pass on their taxes to consumers and employers. The governor is just a another bunko artist.
And while we’re at it, the Teacher Retirement System of Georgia is one of the best run and most stable in the nation. The Governor and Legislature need to leave well enough alone and get the idea of changing it from a defined benefit system to a defined contribution system out of their heads. They’re considering breaking what’s already fixed.
By Lynn43
January 14, 2009 1:42 PM | Link to this
Perdue doesn’t need to do anything which will give the health community an excuse for charging patients more. I recently had to have 3 stitches in my hand. The hospital and emergency room doctor’s bill was amost $2000.00, and they didn’t even remove the stitches when necessary.