Friday, February 1, 2008

Georgia Moves Forward with Free Market Health Care Reforms

Deregulation and Tax Reductions for HSA-eligible policies

By Kelly McCutchen

Categories: Georgia

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, along with Sen. Judson Hill and Rep. Mickey Channell, announced a free market health care reform package this week targeting Georgians without health insurance. A combination of tax reductions and removal of regulatory barriers are designed to reduce the uninsured in Georgia by 500,000, or almost one-third.

A key component of the plan is financial incentives, currently illegal in Georgia, for prevention and compliance with disease management plans. The bill would eliminate state income tax (6%) and state and local premium taxes (up to 7%) on high-deductible health insurance premiums paid by individuals.