House Republican Leader’s office put out this list of special interest giveaways identified in reading the H.R. 3200
Page 95; Section 205 – The bill directs the “Health Choices Commissioner” to conduct outreach activities, including through the use of outside organizations such as ACORN and others, to reach out and enroll exchange-eligible individuals and employers.
Page 31-32; Section 123(a)(5) – The bill requires that the Health Benefits Advisory Committee include labor unions. This advisory committee would be charged with recommending covered benefits for essential, enhanced, and premium plans. Although the reference to ‘labor’ does not necessarily require a union representative or a unionized employee on the committee, the choice of that word as opposed to ‘employees’ suggests that organized labor would likely be assured a position on the advisory committee.
Page 53; Section 154 – The bill ensures that the new federal health care program will set a floor (but not a ceiling) for health care negotiations for unionized employers. The legislation cannot be construed to excuse them from good-faith bargaining over health care benefits. Furthermore, it will not permit unionized employers to unilaterally drop health coverage of its employees in favor of shunting them into the government-run plan or simply paying the penalty associated with not offering health care benefits to workers.
Pages 533-551; Section 1412 – The bill requires the Comptroller General of the U.S. to conduct a study examining: “(A) the extent to which corporations that own or operate large numbers of nursing facilities … are undercapitalizing such facilities; (B) the effects of such undercapitalization on quality of care, including staffing and food costs, at such facilities; (C) options to address such undercapitalization, such as requirements relating to surety bonds, liability insurance, or minimum capitalization.” This provision primarily benefits trial lawyers who sue nursing homes.
Pages 551-569; Section 1413 – The bill requires HHS to include certain kinds of information about nursing home facilities and skilled nursing facilities on its website, including staffing, turnover, and tenure data for each facility. It also requires the HHS Secretary to consult with labor unions representing workers at the facility in reviewing the information. By giving labor unions a voice in deciding what information will appear on the website, the bill creates an opportunity for the unions to drive their staffing or other agendas.
Pages 1007-1017; Sec. 2531 – The bill establishes labor union grants for the training of nurses through a partnership grant program that would award grants for collaborative programs between staff nurse organizations, health care providers, and accredited schools of nursing. Except for nursing schools, entities must work with labor unions in order to meet the eligibility requirements for receiving grant funds. Not only do these grants have to go to joint union-run programs (unless they go directly to nursing schools), but the bill further restricts eligibility for the grants to health care employers, which pay prevailing wages and subsidize the costs of their employees’ participating in these training programs. To the extent the grant program is effective, nursing shortages will become worse in non-unionized hospitals than in unionized hospitals. These training programs will also provide unions with access to future nurses before they even complete their training, which could make it easier for the unions to organize those nurses in the future—either because of gratitude for the union’s involvement in providing their training, or else simply due to their early access to the employees.
A recent analysis released by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found what many policy-makers have long believed—that House Democrats’ government takeover of health care (H.R. 3200) will raise Medicare prescription drug premiums for seniors “by about 5 percent in 2011, rising to about 20 percent in 2019:”
The CBO estimated that provisions in the bill to gradually eliminate the Part D “doughnut hole” would raise Part D premiums. The analysis confirms a previous CBO report estimating that immediate elimination of the “doughnut hole” would cause Medicare premiums to rise by 50 percent.
CBO also found that providing discounts for brand-name drugs within the Part D “doughnut hole” would “increase federal spending” and thus premiums for seniors. While the discount provision is at the heart of an agreement reached between Democrats and the pharmaceutical industry to provide $80 billion in “savings” to fund health “reform,” the CBO analysis confirms that seniors will be paying more as a result of these “discounts.”
Even though the agreement he negotiated would raise Medicare premiums for seniors, the head of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) publicly bragged that drug manufacturers had negotiated a “rock-solid deal” with the Administration.
As the New York Times has noted, big drug companies have embraced Democrats’ government takeover of health care: “Foreseeing new profits from the expansion of health coverage, they are spending as much as $150 million on advertisements to support the President’s plan,” hiring AKPD to generate publicity in support of Democrats’ health “reform.” AKPD owes its former founder—White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod—$2 million in compensation, and employs David Axelrod’s son.
Thus the past several weeks have revealed two inconvenient truths about Democrats’ government takeover of health care—seniors’ Medicare premiums will rise 20 percent, while Big Pharma companies are so certain of higher profits that they are willing to spend up to $150 million in support of the Democrat agenda. The juxtaposition of higher premiums for seniors and higher profits for drug companies has raised concerns even among proponents of government-run health care like Robert Reich. Is this the kind of change we can believe in?
Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming delivered this week’s Republican Weekly Address and discusses Republican concerns about the health care bills introduced by congressional Democrats as well as commonsense reforms thus far ignored in the “go-it-alone” approach they’re taking.Among the concerns detailed by Senator Enzi are:
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis shows that the current bills will raise costs, not lower them
The bills expand comparative effectiveness research which many fear would lead to rationing of care
Senator Enzi also highlights reforms supported by Jack in the current debate including:
Promoting more and better choices when it comes to health care and giving individuals the right to chose the best plan for them
Giving small businesses the ability to form Association Health Plans which would give them the same purchasing and negotiating power as large corporations
Reforms to the current tax code with respect to health care which would give everyone an equal footing
Greater incentives for and education about preventive medicine which would bring about a healthier America
For more from Senator Enzi’s office, click here. To learn more about where Jack stands on the health care debate, click here.
Ashleigh Kenny on Fox and Friends discussing a controversy which started when she presented Jack with a t-shirt that sparked fury among liberal bloggers. Rather than debate the merits of her argument, many chose to attack her personally.
At 17 percent of our economy - $2.4 trillion - America’s health care system is larger than the gross domestic product of 200 countries including the United Kingdom, Canada and Russia. Changing our delivery system is an enormous task.
The debate did not start with President Obama. Twelve years ago, Republicans in Congress and President Clinton enacted sweeping reforms that created Medicare Advantage and a new children’s health insurance program, SCHIP, was started.
In 2004, President Bush created Medicare Part D to help seniors get life-saving medicine. In the last session of Congress, 2,000 bills were introduced to deal with health care. While we may disagree on the route, everyone wants to make health care more affordable and accessible.
In response to this article in Saturday’s USA Today, Jack penned this letter:
“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Timid or arrogant Democrats who conveniently use the wrath of a few protestors to cancel town meetings should be reminded that these words came from one of their own: Harry Truman.
As a veteran legislator, I’ve hosted countless town meetings including 11 recently on health care. I was expecting 50-60 people but was astounded that 300-500 showed up and some had to be turned away because of seating capacity and the local fire marshal.
I’m a conservative Republican. Why are they worried about my vote? It’s clear people don’t want to take any chances on this one. Democrats should take note.
It’s been six months since President Obama launched a $787 billion plan to right the nation’s economy. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows that the majority of Americans think his plan of new federal aid has cost too much and done too little to end the recession.
• 57% of adults say the stimulus package is having no impact on the economy or making it worse
• 60% doubt that the stimulus plan will help the economy in the years ahead
• 18% say it has done anything to help improve their personal situation
Today, Ashleigh hit the airwaves and was featured on 105.9’s The Morning Drive with Frank Barnas. The folks at 105.9 have posted the interview in two parts online. To view part one, click here. For part two, click here.
Earlier this week, the Vancouver Sun reported that the Canadian province’s socialized medical authority is considering cutting 6,250 surgeries currently planned - that includes 10% of all medically necessary surgeries this year!
Flashback to a recent letter to the editor by Tom Sawyer in Savannah who’s seen first hand Canadians fleeing to America to seek medical care.
CLAIM: “I have not said that I was a single-payer supporter because, frankly, we historically have had an employer-based system in this country with private insurers, and for us to transition to a system like that I believe would be too disruptive.”
FACT: Obama did advocate a single-payer system back in 2003…
CLAIM: “If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.”
FACT:[T]here is nothing in any bill moving through Congress that would enforce that. (In fact, it’s surprising the White House continues to push this line — there is NO way the government can guarantee that a business won’t change health care providers. They just can’t.)
CLAIM: “We have the AARP on board because they know this is a good deal for our seniors.”
FACT:But AARP put out a statement yesterday saying that it hasn’t officially endorsed any of the bills moving through Congress…
In case you missed it, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey penned this excellent opinion piece in today’s Wall Street Journal.
The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare Eight things we can do to improve health care without adding to the deficit.
BY JOHN MACKEY
“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out
of other people’s money.”
—Margaret Thatcher
With a projected $1.8 trillion deficit for 2009, several trillions more in deficits projected over the next decade, and with both Medicare and Social Security entitlement spending about to ratchet up several notches over the next 15 years as Baby Boomers become eligible for both, we are rapidly running out of other people’s money. These deficits are simply not sustainable. They are either going to result in unprecedented new taxes and inflation, or they will bankrupt us.
While we clearly need health-care reform, the last thing our country needs is a massive new health-care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health-care system. Instead, we should be trying to achieve reforms by moving in the opposite direction—toward less government control and more individual empowerment. Here are eight reforms that would greatly lower the cost of health care for everyone:
Just moments ago, responding to a questioner in Portsmouth, New Hampshire who expressed concern about the health care plan destroying the private insurance market, leading to only a government option, President Obama said, “I have not said that I was a single payer supporter.”
Not said that, like, today? In the last week?
The President expressed quite a different point of view just a few years back when he said “I happen to be a proponent of a single payer universal health care plan.”
Rasmussen Reports is out with a new survey today showing support for Obamacare has fallen to a new low.
Despite claims that opposition at town hall meetings is “un-American” and manufactured by the right, the survey shows that a 62% of independents oppose the plan, with 51% of indepdendents strongly opposing the plan.
Further, 51% of Americans believe the quality of health care will get worse under Obamacare and costs will go up.
New Website Recycles Democrats’ Debunked Claims on Health Care, Dismisses Americans’ Concerns About Health Care as ‘Laughable’
Facing mounting criticism from the American people over President Obama’s proposed trillion-dollar government takeover of health care, the White House has responded this morning by launching a “reality check” website, featuring videos and preloaded messages that purportedly debunk “health care myths.” In reality, the website simply recycles the same false claims that the Administration and its allies in Congress have been pedaling for weeks.
After no fewer than five polls released at the end of July showed increasing, if not outright, opposition to government-run health care, and with Members of Congress taking heat from constituents during the August district work period, it’s understandable that the White House is getting nervous about the prospects for its health care experiment.
The following are some of the discredited claims the Administration’s new website repeats: