Day 28 - 3/19/2007

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The Legislature re-convened today. Both the House and Senate considered a long list of bills after the two-week recess.  The House debated and ultimately passed HB 147, which states that if an abortion provider administers an ultrasound, the patient must be offered the opportunity to view the image.  The House passed HB 429 which requires HIV testing for all pregnant women.  Among the bills passed by the Senate was SB 153 which allows the Insurance Commissioner to develop consumer driven health insurance plans.

Voices for Georgia’s Children and our coalition partners are deeply concerned about HB 340 which was passed by the House Health and Human Services Committee this morning. Most committee members and those who appeared to speak on the bill were blindsided. Debate on this new version was limited to one question per committee member. Those who testified on the bill received one minute apiece to voice their concerns.

The new version of HB 340 will:

• Reduce the PeachCare eligibility threshold to 200% of the federal poverty limit,
• Allow the DCH Board to drop the eligibility threshold as low as 185% of the federal poverty level or raise it to 225% of the federal poverty level despite indications that Congress may raise the income limit
• Reduce benefits to “substantially the same benefits” dependents of state employees receive through their plan
• Allow DCH to eliminate vision and dental options or charge additional premiums for these services under the theory that benefits are “too rich” and
• Erect new layers of bureaucracy for all potential enrollees based on an erroneous assumption that rampant fraud exists regarding income and citizenship.