Michael Burgess: “That's correct. Thirty-four States do have the high-risk pools. Nathan Deal, the ranking member on our Health…”

“That's correct. Thirty-four States do have the high-risk pools. Nathan Deal, the ranking member on our Health Subcommittee, and I tried to put some further refinements out there this year during the health care debate. I don't like mandates. I know we had that discussion in committee today. I don't like mandates. So what if we allowed States either a high-risk pool or an option for reinsurance, provided some Federal subsidy to the State. They don't have to take it, but if they do take it, then whatever they decide they want to do, they need to then set up that high-risk pool or that reinsurance for that set of business that is otherwise likely to go without insurance coverage. Because we all know, folks our age, employer-sponsored insurance, we're in a recession. You lose your job, you have the heart attack, you didn't keep up with the COBRA payments, boom, you're in that category and now there's nothing you can do to extract yourself. And the only option we were given was an individual mandate, or let the government take everything under their control.”