LANSING – The contentious debate in 2009 over the federal health care law was revisited Thursday morning at the Capitol as residents from around the state argued over the constitutionality of “Obamacare” and the implications of creating a mandated health exchange in Michigan.

The House Health Policy Committee took three hours of testimony on creation of the exchange from members of the public, after spending months hearing from the major stakeholders in the health and insurance sectors.

During the hearing, 31 people testified, the majority of whom opposed the federal law and the state creating an exchange. Several of those opposed to the law received applause after they testified.

Waterford resident Stan Broyles, who is one of those critics, was interrupted for applause three times during his six minutes of testimony.

“This thing is dishonest from the get-go. It was not read by the people that passed it,” he said. “We found out what’s in it, and it stinks.”

He said the bill was passed after members of Congress took bribes and millions of dollars were given to unions and businesses as part of the law, rather than going to help provide coverage for people in need.

“Am I opposed to this bill? Was Ronald Reagan opposed to the Berlin Wall?” Broyles said. “The answer is yes and for the same reason, where that wall starts and where this bill starts, is where liberty ends.”

Broyles was one of more than 130 that filled the House Appropriations Room, which was standing room only. About a half-dozen others watched the proceedings from an overflow room on the fourth floor of the Capitol.

Rep. Gail Haines (R-Lake Angelus), committee chair, called the meeting because she wanted to hear from the public before the House acts on the exchange.

“This is part of the process,” she said.

Governor Rick Snyder wants the state to move faster to create the exchange, called the MIHealth Marketplace. He has said it would act as a clearinghouse for insurance plans, and allow residents to shop for individual health insurance plans online or over the phone.

In November, the Senate approved SB 693 , which would create the state’s health exchange, but Ms. Haines has said her committee will not vote on the exchange until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the individual mandate component of the federal health care reform law later this year. News reports suggest a decision would come sometime before late June.

She has guaranteed that the House will not leave the state open to a federally designed insurance exchange if the court finds the law constitutional.

Haines said she was taken aback that the Senate didn’t take time for public testimony on such an important bill.

She said the hearing Thursday was invaluable to the legislative process and that the depth of knowledge the people testifying displayed was impressive.

Tea party activist Joan Fabiano said the federal law is a way for the government to collect information about people and gain access to proprietary information from businesses.

“It’s not about health care, it’s about control,” she said.

Sarah Poole with the American Heart Association said she supports the creation of an exchange.

“We believe it will make coverage more affordable,” she said.

Lansing resident Kenneth Ashley also testified in support of the exchange. He said he suffered a brain aneurysm after declining to go to the doctor because he was unemployed and without insurance and thought he was just having a headache.

He said he has been a lifelong Republican, and isn’t looking for a handout, just the ability to purchase affordable insurance.

“Don’t leave people like me out in the cold,” he said.

John Barker, supervisor of Union Charter Township, urged the committee to move forward with the exchange, because otherwise the federal government will step in and do it.

“We need a Michigan health exchange, not one born in Washington,” Barker said.

But Tina Dupont, founder of a tea party group in Rockford, said she doesn’t buy the argument that if the state creates its own exchange that it will have control over what is in it.

“The federal government is definitely going to control what is in our exchange,” she said. “They are controls freaks, as we know, and they are going to control this all the way along.”

She said creating the exchange could destroy the state’s insurance marketplace. Dupont said she thinks the federal law is unconstitutional, because the Constitution does not give the government the authority to have this much control over the lives of the citizens.

“It also will open us up to so much more control,” she said. “They will be all powerful once this happens. I beg you not to write this, ever.”

Kay Edmonds, a member of a tea party group in Lenawee County, asked the committee not to cooperate in any way with Obamacare, or accept any federal funds to help set up the state exchange.

“Every federal dollar we spend takes this nation one step closer to bankruptcy and we have few such steps left,” she said.

Haines said she is more committed than ever to researching and learning everything she can about the federal law, and will talk with her committee members about any further meetings on the exchange prior to the high court’s ruling.

She said she appreciates House Speaker Jase Bolger’s (R-Marshall) support of the committee taking its time.

“I think this is far too important an issue to rush through,” she said.

This story was provided by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on Gongwer.Com

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