New Year's Resolutions: - Michigan Optometric Association ...

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The Michigan Optometrist GCSI Article A Look at Key Events from the Past Year by Erik Hingst and Steve Young Governmental Consultant Services, Inc. The 2011 portion of the current legislative session is winding down. The nine session days scheduled for December will have been completed when this article appears. But it is worth noting some key events that took place during 2011. RECALLS After a flurry of activity early in the year involving education reform, local government reform and tax reform, some were happy, others were not. Most notably the public sector unions (read: Michigan Education Association) were very upset with the significant reforms pushed through in the education and local government area. This resulted in a bevy of recall efforts across the state aimed primarily at Republicans in the House and Senate who supported Gov. Rick Snyder’s agenda in these areas. Over 50 recall efforts were started in Republican House and Senate districts across the state. This is an unprecedented number of recalls. Republicans, not to be outdone, started some recall efforts of their own in a handfull of Democratic districts across the state as well. Bottom line: mass confusion as legislators waited to see if signature gathering efforts in their respective districts would be successful. Ultimately, the only recall effort that was actually on the ballot involved Rep. Paul Scott (R-51, Grand Blanc), the Chair of the House Education committee, through which many of the education reform measures passed. He was obviously a prime target for the MEA. His recall was scheduled for the Nov. 8 ballot. A vigorous campaign ensued, some say over a million dollars was spent, and the recall was billed as a referendum on the Governors (and hence the Republican House and Senate) reform agenda. Others dismissed the recall as public sector unions trying to protect their turf. On Nov. 8, the deeply divided voters of the 51st House district recalled Rep. Scott by a vote of 12,284 to 12,087. In other words, out of close to 25,000 votes cast, he was recalled by a mere 197 votes. At this point an uneasy truce has settled over the Capitol. It is still unclear what the successful recall means or the impact it will have. But a couple observations are in order. First, the recall did not change the balance of power in the House. Republicans remain very much in control by a margin of 66-42 (two vacancies now exist). Second, Republicans seem more committed than ever to pushing a tough reform agenda that includes significant struc- More than 50 recall efforts were started in Republican House and Senate districts across the state this year; an unprecedented number. Stay tuned. tural changes to state government. Was this a tempest in a teapot? Time will tell as we move forward into the 2012 part of this two year session. HEALTH EXCHANGES As expected, the Senate passed their version of the Health Care exchange (SB 693) required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the federal health care legislation. SB 693 is called the MiHealth Marketplace Act. Chairman of the Senate Health Policy Committee, Jim Marleau (R-12, Lake Orion) has admonished us many times to forever ban health exchange from our lexicon! In any event, SB 693 provides for the establishment of the MiHealth Marketplace, a nonexclusive clearinghouse for health benefit plans. Specifically, the bill would do the following: • Require the Marketplace to foster a competitive market for health insurance in Michigan, and serve as a market facilitator to promote the purchase and sale of qualified health plans and to disseminate information regard-
GCSI Article ing those plans to consumers. • Create the MiHealth Marketplace Board to organize and govern the Marketplace, and require a majority of the Board members to represent the interests of health care consumers. • Require the Board to establish the Marketplace as a nonprofit corporation. • Require the Board to appoint an executive director to manage the Marketplace. • Require the Marketplace to make “qualified health plans” available for purchase and enrollment by qualified individuals and employers by January 1, 2014. • Require the Marketplace to establish a small business health options program (SHOP) through which qualified employers could provide coverage for their employees and federally recognized Indian tribes could provide coverage for their tribal members. • Prescribe financial integrity requirements for the Marketplace. • Require the Marketplace to contract with the Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) to certify health benefit plans as qualified health plans that could be offered through the Marketplace. • Specify that the Act would not authorize the Marketplace to spend State funds. • Authorize the Marketplace to charge assessments or user fees to participating health carriers to support its operations. • Require the Marketplace to submit to the OFIR Commissioner and the Legislature a proposed rate increase and its justification for the proposal, and allow the Commissioner to reject it as unnecessary within 60 days. Continued on page 26... Steve Young is a GCSI director with extensive experience in the lobbying and political realms. Erik Hingst is a GCSI lobbyist and expert on tax policy. Local action. Statewide Impact. GO! is a network of volunteer optometrists that strengthens our profession’s relationship with Michigan legislators through interaction and financial support at the community level. Volunteer for GO! and you will support prooptometric legislators and candidates in your district when called upon by your GO! Team Leader. The MOA is counting on you! Please have the Team Leader from my district contact me about how I can help. I will make a pledge of $________ to support pro-optometric legislators and candidates for 2012. Name: ___________________________________ Signature: ________________________________ Home Address: ____________________________ _________________________________________ Home Phone: _____________________________ Email: ___________________________________ Business Address: _________________________ _________________________________________ Business Phone: ___________________________ Your Senator’s Name (if known): _________________________________________ Your Representative’s Name (if known): _________________________________________ Thank you for your commitment! PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN TO THE GO! OFFICE: FAX 517-371-1170. 23
Page 1 and 2: November/December, 2011 • Volume
Page 3 and 4: THANK YOU! The MOA board of trustee
Page 5 and 6: MOA News In Memorium Dr. Douglas Ba
Page 7 and 8: Charmi Shiyarwala (‘13), Dr. Carl
Page 9 and 10: COPE # 31894-PD - Optical Coherence
Page 12 and 13: The Michigan Optometrist Legal Arti
Page 14 and 15: The Michigan Optometrist Historical
Page 16 and 17: The Michigan Optometrist Will We Re
Page 18 and 19: The Michigan Optometrist MOA News O
Page 20 and 21: The Michigan Optometrist New Year
Page 24 and 25: The Michigan Optometrist 24 Novembe
Page 26 and 27: The Michigan Optometrist Classified
Page 28 and 29: The Michigan Optometrist Advocacy P
Page 30 and 31: Dr. Robert Reed, Jr. Continued Next

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