Sparring Sides on Health Reform Stage Events at Capitol

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Today both sides in the national debate over health care reform staged back-to-back events at Georgia's state capitol. More than one thousand rallied outside in favor of the so-called public option. But it was just an hour earlier that state lawmakers inside announced legislation to block access to the same provision.

WABE's Odette Yousef reports.

CHANT: "Public option yes! Public option yes!"

The rally was organized by left-leaning advocacy groups, like MoveOn.org, Health Care for America NOW! and Organizing for America. Community organizers and one Atlanta mayoral candidate were among the speakers, but it was capped by Congressman John Lewis:

LEWIS: We need a health care bill with a public option, and that's what I voted for on the Ways and Means Committee, and that's I will vote for on the House floor.

Speakers urged Georgians to call Senator Johnny Isaakson to demand that he change his mind, and support the public option. Isaakson sits on the Senate Committee on Health.

But just hours before, state legislators articulated a different intent inside the capitol. Republican caucus leaders announced a constitutional amendment to "protect Georgia's citizens from being forced into government-run health care."

Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers:

ROGERS: This today is about one thing and one thing only, and that is the freedom of Georgians to purchase private health care.

Senator Judson Hill of Marietta claims there's a catch to the choice that the health reform bill offers between private insurance and the public option:

HILL: The kicker is that the bill also provides that private health insurance essentially expires, so any of the health insurance companies, big and small, would not be able to renew health insurance, would not be able to offer a different health insurance plan, nor change your current plan.
WABE: Where does it say that in the bill?
HILL: You take a look at it, I'll take a look at it, I t's over a 900-page bill I don't know frankly where it starts discussing the public option, which page. But we could get that for you. It's in the bill. It's in the bill.

But Hill's contention has been refuted by nonpartisan groups like Factcheck.org and Politifact.com. The rumor is that page 16 of the bill, called H.R. 3200, essentially makes private insurance illegal.

In fact, it says that people who already have private coverage may continue under their current plans for up to 5 years. After that, those plans have to meet new federal standards.

Odette Yousef, WABE News.