Freedom of Choice in Health Care Defended in Historic Election
Washington, D.C.—The American Legislative Exchange Council released the following statement following last night’s approval of two “health care freedom” ballot measures:
Among the many historic election results on Nov. 2, two of three Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act ballot measures — in Oklahoma and Arizona — were resoundingly approved by the American people.
“The support shown in this election for freedom of health care choice is a clear, strong representation of the American people’s frustration with federally-mandated health insurance,” said Iowa State Representative Linda Upmeyer. “I am proud of the work that’s been done so far. I hope Washington will listen to these results and that more states will vote to retain their Constitutional right to freedom of choice in health care.”
In Oklahoma, ALEC legislators brought ALEC’s Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act (State Question 756) to a decisive 65-35 victory. And in Arizona, ALEC Senator-Elect Nancy Barto, Eric Novack, the Goldwater Institute, and other ALEC supporters brought Proposition 106 to a 55-45 win.
Colorado’s Independence Institute fought hard for Amendment 63. Currently, with 88 percent of precincts reporting, the vote for Amendment 63 is 53 percent no; 47 percent yes. This outcome is impressive considering that the “Yes on 63” campaign was vastly outspent by labor unions and other left-leaning groups.
In a huge push for health care freedom, this year 42 states have either introduced or announced ALEC’s Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act. Six states (Virginia, Idaho, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, and Missouri) passed the ALEC model as a statute, and two states (Arizona and Oklahoma) passed the model as a constitutional amendment. An active citizen initiative is also underway in Mississippi.
As the federal individual mandate doesn’t take effect until 2014, we expect that ALEC’s Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act will continue to be an essential state legislative tool in 2011 and beyond.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators. www.alec.org