In his speech today at a big union Labor Day picnic, President Obama claims that those who oppose ObamaCare are in favor of the status quo and "want to do nothing." In truth, it is President Obama who has opposed cost-neutral, market-based reforms to our health care system. While in the Senate he chose the status quo over voting for health care reform. For example, then-Senator Obama voted against allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines(110th Congress, 1st Session, Roll Call 305). Later, then-Senator Obama voted against expanding access to small business health plans which would put small businesses on the same footing as large corporations(110th Congress, Session 2, Roll Call 119).
After a controversy which included prepared lesson plans asking school children what they will do to help President Obama, the White House just released the President's now toned-down remarks. To read them click here.
Jack will appear on FOX News’ Your World with Neil Cavuto TODAY at 4:00 p.m. (eastern) to discuss the resignation of Van Jones, President Obama’s Green Jobs Czar. In addition, he will talk about his ongoing efforts to bring more transparency and accountability to President Obama’s specially-appointed czars. For more information, check your local listings. Earlier this year, Jackintroduced legislation which would withhold any funding from President Obama’s czars unless they are confirmed by the United States Senate. With Mr. Jones the second czar to resign amid scandal, shouldn’t those given unprecedented power undergo the same scrutiny as more than 1,000 presidential appointees granted much less power? For more information on the issue, floor statements by Congressman Kingston, and clips of previous media appearances, please visit http://kingston.house.gov/czar.
Jack today released this web video highlighting today’s unemployment numbers which showed that nearly one in ten Americans are out of work. “Enough is enough,” said Congressman Kingston. “More than 2.4 million people have lost their job since the Obama Administration passed its so-called economic ‘stimulus.’ It’s obvious that their plan has failed and it’s time to change course instead of piling more debt on future generations for failed policies.” ?
Today's announcement that unemployment has reached a 26-year high is another sign that President Obama's failed "stimulus" has got to go. Click above to see a chart to show just how much his Administration "misread" the economy.
The House Democrats’ bill creates a massive new federal bureaucracy littered with new federal agencies, new programs, and new bureaucrats. Here they are, as identified by the House Republican Conference, chaired by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN):
Health Benefits Advisory Committee (Section 123, p. 30)
Health Choices Administration (Section 141, p. 41)
Qualified Health Benefits Plan Ombudsman (Section 144, p. 47)
Program of administrative simplification (Section 163, p. 57)
Retiree Reserve Trust Fund (Section 164(d), p. 70)
Health Insurance Exchange (Section 201, p. 72)
Mechanism for insurance risk pooling to be established by Health Choices Administration Commissioner (Section 206(b), p. 106)
Special Inspector General for the Health Insurance Exchange (Section 206(c), p. 107)
Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund (Section 207, p. 109)
State-based Health Insurance Exchanges (Section 208, p. 111)
“Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 221, p. 116)
Ombudsman for “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 221(d), p. 117)
Account for receipts and disbursements for “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 222(b), p. 119)
Telehealth Advisory Committee (Section 1191, p. 380)
Demonstration program providing reimbursement for “culturally and linguistically appropriate services” (Section 1222, p. 405)
Demonstration program for shared decision making using patient decision aids (Section 1236, p. 438)
Accountable Care Organization pilot program (Section 1301, p. 443)
Independent patient-centered medical home pilot program under Medicare (Section 1302, p. 462)
Community-based medical home pilot program under Medicare (Section 1302(d), p. 468)
Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research (Section 1401(a), p. 502)
Comparative Effectiveness Research Commission (Section 1401(a), p. 505)
Patient ombudsman for comparative effectiveness research (Section 1401(a), p. 519)
Quality assurance and performance improvement program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1412(b)(1), p. 546)
Quality assurance and performance improvement program for nursing facilities (Section 1412 (b)(2), p. 548)
Special focus facility program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1413(a)(3), p. 559)
Special focus facility program for nursing facilities (Section 1413(b)(3), p. 565)
National independent monitor pilot program for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities (Section 1422, p. 607)
Demonstration program for approved teaching health centers with respect to Medicare GME (Section 1502(d), p. 674)
Pilot program to develop anti-fraud compliance systems for Medicare providers (Section 1635, p. 716)
Medical home pilot program under Medicaid (Section 1722, p. 780)
Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund (Section 1802, p. 824)
“Identifiable office or program” within CMS to “provide for improved coordination between Medicare and Medicaid in the case of dual eligibles” (Section 1905, p. 852)
Scholarships for service in health professional needs areas (Section 2211, p. 870)
Loan repayment program for service in health professional needs areas Section 2211, p. 873)
Program for training medical residents in community-based settings (Section 2214, p. 882)
Grant program for training in dentistry programs (Section 2215, p. 887)
Public Health Workforce Corps (Section 2231, p. 898)
Public health workforce scholarship program (Section 2231, p. 900)
Public health workforce loan forgiveness program (Section 2231, p. 904)
Grant program for innovations in interdisciplinary care (Section 2252, p. 917)
Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Evaluation and Assessment (Section 2261, p. 920)
Prevention and Wellness Trust (Section 2301, p. 932)
Clinical Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 941)
Community Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 947)
Grant program for community prevention and wellness research (Section 2301, p. 950)
Grant program for community prevention and wellness services (Section 2301, p. 951)
Grant program for public health infrastructure (Section 2301, p. 955)
Center for Quality Improvement (Section 2401, p. 965)
Assistant Secretary for Health Information (Section 2402, p. 972)
Grant program to support the operation of school-based health clinics (Section 2511, p. 993)
National Medical Device Registry (Section 2521, p. 1001)
Grants for labor-management programs for nursing training (Section 2531, p. 1008)
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.
Courtesy House Republican Conference 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.
St. Simons Island
Valdosta State University
Broxton Rocks
Jekyll Island
