Health Care Mandate To Take Center Stage

The House Public Health Committee may resemble Barnum and Bailey’s three-ring circus on Tuesday.

An expected packed and contentious committee meeting will pit advocates for and against HB 1053, a bill by freshman Rep. David Meeks (R-Conway) to strike down the federal mandate to buy health insurance.

Meeks will be seated front-and-center in the debate, but he won’t be alone. He’ll have former Republican State Rep. Dan Greenberg, an attorney who has researched the constitutionality of the federal law, at his side. Another attorney is expected to add to the testimony. 

Of course, public comments are typically accepted in these special order of business meetings, so one can expect a number of "pro" and "con" visitors to register their thoughts with the committee.

Gov. Mike Beebe, who has cautioned that the bill could cost the state money unnecessarily, says that the federal courts – ultimately the Supreme Court – will decide federal health care’s fate.  His office is not expected to speak on the bill, but several administration hands are expected to be on standby.

Notably, Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Joe Thompson will speak to perceived problems with Meeks’ bill. Thompson has been a key administrator in implementing health care reforms at the state level.

So has Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford. The former State Senator has said he hopes to see the 88th General Assembly pass a number of initiatives to "let Arkansans take care of Arkansans."

"During this session, we’ll be approaching the legislature to give us flexibility on a statewide level to address the federal rules and regs so we can respond to the federal legislation," Bradford said in a recent Talk Business interview.  Whether or not he will testify could not be confirmed as of this posting.

And state Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s office will be represented on Tuesday. A spokesman for the AG tells Talk Business that an attorney from the office will deliver prepared remarks "on the legal impact of the bill."

Rep. Meeks offered a short interview on Friday to discuss his expectations for the bill in committee on Tuesday. You can view his comments below. Talk Business will be on-location on Tuesday morning to report from the committee meeting.