The AARP announced this week it will oppose proposed legislation in Idaho that would lay the groundwork for the state to opt out of federal health reform law.
James Wordelman, senior state director of AARP Idaho, said the Idaho Health Freedom Act seeks to oppose a non-existent federal law.
"If successful, it's a move that could prove detrimental to our state's healthcare system and take years to undo," he said. "why take the gamble?"
If the bill passed, Wordelman said, it would draw Idaho into very costly litigation and threaten the loss of Medicare and $1.6 billion in Medicaid federal matching funds.
It would also contradict existing state policy to maintain health insurance for college students and could tie the hands of state legislators from participating in all available state options, he added.
The Idaho AARP plans to launch a first-ever "accountability vote" effort on the issue. Wordelman said AARP officials will inform the association's 180,000 members in Idaho how their legislator voted on the bill and explain the association's concerns with the bill.
"AARP members are looking to us to keep them informed about what issues are being debated in the Idaho capital, and where their elected officials stand and vote on these critical issues," Wordelman wrote in a letter to Idaho lawmakers.
The Idaho legislation is based on model language issued by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an organization that promotes limited government, free markets and federalism. ALEC leaders said the law would protect the rights of patients to pay directly for medical services and prohibit penalties levied on patients for declining participation in a particular healthcare plan.
According to ALEC officials, similar legislation has been introduced in 30 states, and lawmakers in five more states have announced their intention to file legislation.