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Adamczyk, MattFrom:Sent:

Vukmir, LeahMonday, July 06, 2009 5:07 PM

Subject: FW: Sign-On to ALEC's Health Reform LetterAttachments: image001 ,gif; ALEC Letter on Federal Health Reform .pdf, Resolution on Preserving States' Rights RegardingFederal Health Insurance Exchanges and a Public Plan.pdf

From: Ellen Chambers [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Man 7/6/20094:30 PMTo: Dave MyslinskiSubject: Sign-On to ALEC's Health Reform Letter

Join ALEC's Initiative Against Federal HealthReform Efforts That Trample States' Rights

Dear ALEC LegiSlator:As you may be aware, on June 24, ALEC National Chairman, Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell, and ALEC HHS Task ForceChairman, Iowa Representative Linda Upmeyer, sent this letter to Congressional leadership detai ling ALEC's concerns withthe Medicare-modeled "public plan" and national health insurance exchange.The letter highlights ALEC's Resolution on Preserving States' Rights Regarding Federal Health Insurance Exchanges and aPublic Plan, passed at the 2009 Spring Task Force Summit, which deems the public plan anti-competitive and invokes theTenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in calling the national health insurance exchange a "federal takeover" of the states'role in regulating health insurance.We invite you to join ALEC's efforts by learning more about federal health reform-and most importantly, by adding yourname to this letter. We'll add all of the signatories and then resend the letter to Congressionai leadership in the comingweeks.If you are an ALEC legislator and would like to sign on to this letter, contact Dave Myslinski at (202) 742-8531 [email protected]. For more information about ALEC's federal health reform initiative, contact me at the phone number ore-mall listed below.Cordially,Christie HerreraDirector, Health and Human Services Task ForceAmerican LegiSlative Exchange Council1101 Vermont Avenue, N.W., 11th FloorWashington, D.C. [email protected]: 202-742-8505Fax: 202-466-3801

June 24, 2009The Honorable Robert C. ByrdPresident Pro TemporeUnited States Senate311 Hart Senate BuildingWashington, DC 20510


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The Honorable Nancy PelosiSpeakerUnited States House of Representatives235 Cannon House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515Dear Senator Byrd and Speaker Pelosi:We are writing to express our concern with recent federal health reform efforts-particularly, the Medicare-modeled "public plan" and a national health insurance exchange-which we believe would trample states' rightsand lead Americans down the road to single-payer health care.The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) represents more than 1,800 state legislative members. ALECis the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership association of state legislators. Approximately one-thirdof all state legislators belong to ALEC, in addition to 78 ALEC "alumni" in Congress and more than 300 private-sector companies, national trade associations, and non-profit organizations.ALEC's lawmakers recently approved the Resolution on Preserving States' Rights Regarding Federal HealthInsurance Exchanges and a Public Plan,which deems the public plan anti-competitive and invokes the TenthAmendment to the U.S. Constitution in calling the national health insurance exchange a "federal takeover" of thestates' role in regulating health insurance.As a representative to such a broad coalition of state interests, ALEC questions the wisdom and practicality of thepublic plan and the national health insurance exchange. Our concerns include:* Thepublic plan will not be competitive. It's an unlevel playing field when the public plan can shift costs to ourstates' private insurers because oflow doctor and hospital reimbursement rates, and then raid the federal treasuryfor unlimited subsidies. Government will only compete when it can change the rules to win. To have governmentserve simultaneously as a regulator and a competitor defies common sense.* The national health insurance exchange represents afederal takeover of the states' role in regulating healthinsurance. States are the primary regulators of the health insurance market today. They provide aggressive oversightof all aspects of the market and ensure a local, responsive presence for consumers. A national health insuranceexchange would undermine states' oversight role in health insurance and shift decision-making from states toWashington.* The national health insurance exchange would lead to a "Robin Hood in reverse" funding scheme in which stateswith lower health care costs subsidize states with higher costs.Health care costs vary considerably among states. Ifthe national health insurance exchange leads to creating a regional or national pool, low-cost states would subsidizehigh-cost states. While this may be a good deal for a high-cost state, low-cost states would end up paying more forhealth insurance premiums.* Thepublic plan and national health insurance exchange will lead to single-payer health care.Political pressure to keep public plan premiums low and benefits high will result in the "crowding out" of privatesector insurance alternatives. The Lewin Group estimates that as many as 119 million Americans will drop privatecoverage and enroll in the government plan. This represents a 60 percent reduction in the number of Americanswith private health insurance-not to mention a significant drop in much-needed state premium tax revenue.We all share the goal that patients deserve to choose their own quality, affordable, private health coverage. Buthealth reform shouldn't just be the job of the federal government. These goals are being advanced-and achieved-by state legislators nationwide. ALEC is a national leader in promoting many patient-centered health reforms at thestate level, including:* The Freedom o(Choice in Health Care Act, introduced by seven states this session, which preserves patient rightsto make health coverage decisions in the state constitution.* The Health Care Choice Act fo r Siates, introduced by 10 states this session, which allows patients to purchase


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quality, affordable health coverage across state lines.* The A(fordable Health Insurance Act, enacted in Georgia last session, which provides state tax:breaks toindividuals, businesses, and insurers who buy and sell high-deductible health plans.* The Mandated Benefits Review Act, enacted in 29 states, which provides an institutional check on costly healthinsurance mandates that keep people uninsured.We wanted to thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Again, ALEC is troubled by the public plan andnational health insurance exchange, which we believe will trample states' rights and lead Americans down the roadto single-payer health care. Our health policy staff welcomes the chance to work with you on developing patient-centered, free-market reforms-and we look forward to sharing with you the stories of ALEC's state legislatorswho are advancing and achieving these goals every day.

L-- -----"-'lrordially,

William J. HowellSpeaker of the House, VirginiaNational Chairman, ALECLinda UpmeyerMinority Whip, Iowa HouseChair, ALEC HHS Task ForceAlan B. SmithExecutive DirectorALECcc: Sen. Harry Reid, Majority LeaderSen. Mitch McConnell, Minority LeaderSen. Jon Kyl, Minority WhipRep. Steny Hoyer, Majority LeaderRep. James E. Clyburn, Majority WhipRep. John Boehner, Minority LeaderRep. Eric 1.Cantor, Minority Whip


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Adamczyk, MattFrom: Vukmir, Leah

Tuesday, October 06,200912:10 PMSent:To:Subject: FW: Health Care Freedom Act Conference Call -- Friday, October 9

From: Dave Myslinski [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Monday, October 05,20098:56 AMTo: Dave MyslinskiSubject: Health Care Freedom Act Conference Call -- Friday, October 9Friends,

There has been a flurry of activity since Tuesday's front-page New York Times article featuring ALEC's Freedomof Choice in Health Care Act: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/us/29states.html?hR. Our legislators and staffhave been burning up the airwaves on Fox News Channel, XM Satellite Radio, and local and regional talk radioIn the past week, legislators in Missouri, Alaska, and Mississippi have publicly announced their intention to file thebill. They join legislators in the 10 states that have already filed or pre-filed legislation (AZ, FL, IN, MN, ND, NM,MI, OH, WV, WY) and the four states (GA, KS, LA, and UT) that have already publicly announced their intentionto file the legislation. That's 17 states total, and we're making contact with more states and more legislators everyday.We invite you to participate in an invitation-only conference call for legislators and legislative staff to discuss theALEC constitutional amendment with noted legal expert Clint Bolick. The call will take place on Friday, October 9,at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

To RSVP and get call-in information, please contact Dave Myslinski at [email protected] hope you will join us.

* * * *Christie HerreraDirector, Health and Human Services Task ForceAmerican Legislative Exchange Council1101 Vermont Avenue, N.W., 11th FloorWaShington, D.C. 20005Direct: 202-742-8505Fax: 202-466-3801


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Adamczyk, MattFrom: Dave Myslinski [[email protected]]Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 11:24 AMTo: Dave MyslinskiCc: Christie Raniszewski HerreraSubject: ALEC Conference Call - Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act

Dear ALEC Legislator:ALEC's Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act-a state consti tutional amendment that protects the rights ofpatients to pay directly for medical care, and prohibits penalties for failing to purchase government-definedinsurance-continues to garner renewed legislative interest and influence the national debate. To date, 24 stateshave either filed, prefiled, or announced their intentions to file this legislation. And of course, for better or worse,our efforts have propelled U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid to include a smoke-and-mirrors "opt out" of hisown in the Senate bill.With federal health reform moving quickly in the Senate, and with states in the drafting and prefil ing stage for nextsession, now is the time for us to strategize and discuss next steps. The call will be led by the GoldwaterInstitute's Clint Bolick, who will provide an overview of legal strategy in the wake of the Senate's actions, as wellas discuss a few common drafting and legal messaging questions. Next, Starlee Rhoades of the GoldwaterInstitute and Dr. Eric Novack of Arizonans for Healthcare Freedom will discuss how you can leverage on-the-ground, third-party support in your state. Finally, we'll hear from several legislative sponsors who will give us"lessons learned" from their individual efforts. We'll wrap up the call with a question and answer session.WHO: Legislative sponsors (and staff) of ALEC's Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act and other invitedlawmakersWHAT: December Coalition Conference CallTOPICS: Legal overview and update; leveraging third-party support; do's and don'ts from fellow legislativesponsorsDATE: Monday, December 7, 2009TIME: 3:00 p.m. eastern standard timeA call-in number as well as the passcode will be provided shortly. If you have any questions, please feel free tocall me at (202) 725-7127 or at [email protected]. I hope you'll join us on the call.Thank you,Christie' * ' * * *Christie HerreraDirector, Health and Human Services Task ForceAmerican Legislative Exchange Council1101 Vermont Avenue, N.W., 11th FloorWaShington, D.C. 20005Direct: 202-742-8505Fax: 202-466-3801

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Adamczyk, MattFrom: Dave Myslinski [[email protected]]Sent: Monday, November 30.20093:45 PMTo: Dave MyslinskiCc: Christie Raniszewski HerreraSubject: ALEC Conference Call - Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act

Dear HHS Task Force Member:ALEC's Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act-a state constitutional amendment that protects the rights ofpatients to pay directly for medical care, and prohibits penalties for fail ing to purchase government-definedinsurance-continues to garner renewed legislative interest and influence the national debate. To date, 24 stateshave either filed, prefiled, or announced their intentions to file this legislation. And of course, for better or worse,our efforts have propelled U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid to include a smoke-and-mirrors "opt out" of hisown in the Senate bill.With federal health reform moving quickly in the Senate, and with states in the drafting and prefiling stage for nextsession, now is the time for us to strategize and discuss next steps. The call will be led by the GoldwaterInstitute's Clint Bolick, who will provide an overview of legal strategy in the wake of the Senate's actions, as wellas discuss a few common drafting and legal messaging questions. Next, Starlee Rhoades of the GoldwaterInstitute and Dr. Eric Novack of Arizonans for Healthcare Freedom will discuss how you can leverage on-the-ground, third-party support in your state. Finally, we'll hear from several legislative sponsors who will give us"lessons learned" from their individual efforts. We'll wrap up the call with a question and answer session.WHO: Legislative sponsors (and staff) of ALEC's Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act and other invitedlawmakersWHAT: December Coalition Conference CallTOPICS: Legal overview and update; leveraging third-party support; do's and don'ts from fellow legislativesponsorsDATE: Monday, December 7,2009TIME: 3:00 p.m. eastern standard timePlease RSVP if you would like to join this call, and I will supply you with the call-in information.If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (202) 725-7127 or at [email protected]. I hope you'll joinus on the call.Thank you,Christie* * * *Christie HerreraDirector, Health and Human Services Task ForceAmerican Legislative Exchange Council1101 Vermont Avenue, N.W., 11th FloorWaShington, D.C. 20005Direct: 202-742-8505Fax: 202-466-3801

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