The Coming Republican Debate Over Replacing ‘Obamacare’ (AJC)

Republicans are making preparations as they wait for a decision from the Supreme Court on the health care reform law. U.S. Rep. Paul Broun of Athens, Ga., a physician, views the federal law that allows no patient requiring urgent care to be turned away from a hospital as an expectation of guaranteed health care. Broun has a bill that would allow a nurse or medical technician to determine which conditions pose “immediate risk to life or long-term health.” State Sen. Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton, Ga., sponsored SB 288 that would allow pharmacists to give approved vaccines to their customers without a prescription from a physician. Critics contend vaccines need an in-depth health history, and that patient histories would be spotty if a patient goes to different pharmacies.