Okla., Tenn. pursue ‘compact’ to circumvent federal reform

Oklahoma and Tennessee officials joined Georgia as the first three states sigh sign onto a mutistate compact designed to challenge the federal health reform law (Source: “Healthcare ‘compact’ advances in two states,” The Hill, May 18, 2011).

Legislation to sign onto the compact has been introduced in 14 states and passed by at least one chamber in nine. The compact aims to restore “authority and responsibility) for health care to state governments. In order for the compact to take effect, however, Congress would have to vote to turn over all federal healthcare programs to the states that sign, and relinquish all of the federal dollars that would have been spent on those programs in the state.