Tag Archives: Health Care

June 13, 2010

By Executive Order We Have the Health Police

By The Move Right

Ready or Not here they come it’s the Health Police.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release June 10, 2010
Executive Order– Establishing the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council

EXECUTIVE ORDER

ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL PREVENTION, HEALTH PROMOTION, AND PUBLIC HEALTH COUNCIL

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 4001 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Establishment. There is established within the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (Council).

Sec. 2. Membership.

(a) The Surgeon General shall serve as the Chair of the Council, which shall be composed of:

(1) the Secretary of Agriculture;
(2) the Secretary of Labor;
(3) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(4) the Secretary of Transportation;
(5) the Secretary of Education;
(6) the Secretary of Homeland Security;
(7) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;
(8) the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission;
(9) the Director of National Drug Control Policy;
(10) the Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council;
(11) the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs;
(12) the Chairman of the Corporation for National and Community Service; and
(13) the head of any other executive department or agency that the Chair may, from time to time, determine is appropriate.

(b) The Council shall meet at the call of the Chair.

Sec. 3. Purposes and Duties. The Council shall:

(a) provide coordination and leadership at the Federal level, and among all executive departments and agencies, with respect to prevention, wellness, and health promotion practices, the public health system, and integrative health care in the United States;

(b) develop, after obtaining input from relevant stakeholders, a national prevention, health promotion, public health, and integrative health-care strategy that incorporates the most effective and achievable means of improving the health status of Americans and reducing the incidence of preventable illness and disability in the United States, as further described in section 5 of this order;

(c) provide recommendations to the President and the Congress concerning the most pressing health issues confronting the United States and changes in Federal policy to achieve national wellness, health promotion, and public health goals, including the reduction of tobacco use, sedentary behavior, and poor nutrition;

(d) consider and propose evidence-based models, policies, and innovative approaches for the promotion of transformative models of prevention, integrative health, and public health on individual and community levels across the United States;

(e) establish processes for continual public input, including input from State, regional, and local leadership communities and other relevant stakeholders, including Indian tribes and tribal organizations;

(f) submit the reports required by section 6 of this order; and

(g) carry out such other activities as are determined appropriate by the President.

Sec. 4. Advisory Group.

(a) There is established within the Department of Health and Human Services an Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health (Advisory Group), which shall report to the Chair of the Council.

(b) The Advisory Group shall be composed of not more than 25 members or representatives from outside the Federal Government appointed by the President and shall include a diverse group of licensed health professionals, including integrative health practitioners who are representative of or have expertise in:

(1) worksite health promotion;
(2) community services, including community health centers;
(3) preventive medicine;
(4) health coaching;
(5) public health education;
(6) geriatrics; and
(7) rehabilitation medicine.

(c) The Advisory Group shall develop policy and program recommendations and advise the Council on lifestyle-based chronic disease prevention and management, integrative health care practices, and health promotion.

Sec. 5. National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy. Not later than March 23, 2011, the Chair, in consultation with the Council, shall develop and make public a national prevention, health promotion, and public health strategy (national strategy), and shall review and revise it periodically. The national strategy shall:

(a) set specific goals and objectives for improving the health of the United States through federally supported prevention, health promotion, and public health programs, consistent with ongoing goal setting efforts conducted by specific agencies;

(b) establish specific and measurable actions and timelines to carry out the strategy, and determine accountability for meeting those timelines, within and across Federal departments and agencies; and

(c) make recommendations to improve Federal efforts relating to prevention, health promotion, public health, and integrative health-care practices to ensure that Federal efforts are consistent with available standards and evidence.

Sec. 6. Reports. Not later than July 1, 2010, and annually thereafter until January 1, 2015, the Council shall submit to the President and the relevant committees of the Congress, a report that:

(a) describes the activities and efforts on prevention, health promotion, and public health and activities to develop the national strategy conducted by the Council during the period for which the report is prepared;

(b) describes the national progress in meeting specific prevention, health promotion, and public health goals defined in the national strategy and further describes corrective actions recommended by the Council and actions taken by relevant agencies and organizations to meet these goals;

(c) contains a list of national priorities on health promotion and disease prevention to address lifestyle behavior modification (including smoking cessation, proper nutrition, appropriate exercise, mental health, behavioral health, substance-use disorder, and domestic violence screenings) and the prevention measures for the five leading disease killers in the United States;

(d) contains specific science-based initiatives to achieve the measurable goals of the Healthy People 2020 program of the Department of Health and Human Services regarding nutrition, exercise, and smoking cessation, and targeting the five leading disease killers in the United States;

(e) contains specific plans for consolidating Federal health programs and centers that exist to promote healthy behavior and reduce disease risk (including eliminating programs and offices determined to be ineffective in meeting the priority goals of the Healthy People 2020 program of the Department of Health and Human Services);

(f) contains specific plans to ensure that all Federal health-care programs are fully coordinated with science-based prevention recommendations by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and

(g) contains specific plans to ensure that all prevention programs outside the Department of Health and Human Services are based on the science-based guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under subsection (d) of this section.

Sec. 7. Administration.

(a) The Department of Health and Human Services shall provide funding and administrative support for the Council and the Advisory Group to the extent permitted by law and within existing appropriations.

(b) All executive departments and agencies shall provide information and assistance to the Council as the Chair may request for purposes of carrying out the Council’s functions, to the extent permitted by law.

(c) Members of the Advisory Group shall serve without compensation, but shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707), consistent with the availability of funds.

Sec. 8. General Provisions.

(a) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C App.) may apply to the Advisory Group, any functions of the President under that Act, except that of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in accordance with the guidelines that have been issued by the Administrator of General Services.

(b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(1) authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or
(2) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
June 10, 2010

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June 2, 2010

CBO says, $400B increase in Federal deficit with New Health Care

By The Move Right

Health Care Costs and The Federal Budget

In CBO’s judgment, the health legislation enacted earlier this year does not substantially diminish that pressure. In fact, CBOestimated that the health legislation will increase the federal budgetary commitment to health care (which CBO defines as the sum of net federal outlays for health programs and tax preferences for health care) by nearly $400 billion during the 2010-2019 period. Looking further ahead, CBO estimated that the legislation would reduce the federal budgetary commitment to health care in the following decade—if the provisions of the legislation remain unchanged throughout that entire period. CBO also estimated that the legislation will reduce budget deficits by about $140 billion during the 2010-2019 period and by an amount in a broad range around one-half percent of gross domestic product (GDP) during the following decade—again, under the assumption that the legislation remains in force as enacted

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April 6, 2010

Garbage In, Garbage Out — The Real Cost of Health Reform

By The Move Right

Garbage In, Garbage Out — The Real Cost of Health Reform
April 6, 2010 by The Americas Right Editors

By REP. MIKE COFFMAN (R-CO)
Guest Contributor

In the final days leading up to passage of the health care bill, and in the days since, Democrats have touted claims that the legislation will reduce the deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next two decades. These claims are utterly false, and it doesn’t take someone with green eye shades to figure that out.

Let me explain. The evidence lies in the assumptions that the official scorekeepers of legislation, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), used in arriving at their conclusion that the legislation would save money.

Unlike the fiscal notes that are done by the Legislative Council experts in the Colorado General Assembly, the number-crunchers in Congress are not allowed to challenge the plausibility of key assumptions in proposed legislation. They must accept the accounting premises given to them by those writing the legislation.

So when Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserts she can pay for much of the bill by finding and stripping hundreds of billion from waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, the CBO is not allowed to challenge that assumption.

When Democrats assume future Congresses will enact significant spending cuts and arrive at cost conclusions by presuming that a future Congress will not cancel Medicare cost-containment measures, scale back tax increases, or disregard the payment policy findings of a new independent Medicare commission for example, CBO is not allowed to challenge that assumption.

How about when Democrats choose to disingenuously exclude an additional $208 billion that they plan to spend in coming months to prevent a 21% cut in physician payment rates, hiding the true cost of the main health care bill? You guessed, CBO is not allowed to challenge that assumption.

When Democrats staggered the onset of the bill so they can calculate the “cost” by comparing 10 years of revenues, tax increases (about a half trillion dollars) and Medicare cuts (transfers to fund the new program) to only 6 years of spending, CBO is not allowed to challenge that assumption either.

Read Entire Article here…

Congressman Mike Coffman, a U.S. Army and Marine Corps veteran and former Colorado Secretary of State, has been serving the 6th District of Colorado since being elected in 2008 to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he also serves on the House Armed Services Committee, House Natural Resources Committee, and House Small Business Committee.

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March 25, 2010

Max Baucus on Obamacare’s hidden agenda – redistribution of wealth

By The Move Right

There is no hidden agenda here people they’re coming after you and me.

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March 24, 2010

Mother furious after in-school clinic sets up teen’s abortion

By The Move Right

KOMO News in Seattle reports:

SEATTLE — The mother of a Ballard High School student is fuming after the health center on campus helped facilitate her daughter’s abortion during school hours.

The mother, whom KOMO News has chosen to identify only as “Jill,” says the clinic kept the information “confidential.”

When she signed a consent form, Jill figured it meant her 15 year old could go to the Ballard Teen Health Center located inside the high school for an earache, a sports physical, even birth control, but not for help terminating a pregnancy.

“She took a pregnancy test at school at the teen health center,” she said. “Nowhere in this paperwork does it mention abortion or facilitating abortion.”

Jill says her daughter, a pro-life advocate, was given a pass, put in a taxi and sent off to have an abortion during school hours all without her family knowing.

“We had no idea this was being facilitated on campus,” said Jill. “They just told her that if she concealed it from her family, that it would be free of charge and no financial responsibility.”

The Seattle School District says it doesn’t run the health clinics at high schools. Swedish Medical Center runs the clinic at Ballard High and protects the students’ privacy.

T.J. Cosgrove of the King County Health Department, which administers the school-based programs for the health department, says it’s always best if parents are involved in their children’s health care, but don’t always have a say.

“At any age in the state of Washington, an individual can consent to a termination of pregnancy,” he said.

But Jill says she not only didn’t have a say in her daughter’s abortion, but also didn’t know about it.

“Makes me feel like my rights were completely stripped away.”

1 comment   |  tags: , | posted in abortion

March 23, 2010

Legalized and Federally Funded Abortions Are Worth $729,209 To Stupak

By The Move Right

We knew that Stupak’s vote was bought and paid for. I just never thought the price would be so small. I’m sure there’s more to this story, but if this is all it took, I’m saddened to see that it only took a few hundred thousand for Bart to bend. Did Obama channel Hoover and have dirt on Stupak? Was he caught on film with a fuzzy? Is it possible for Stupak to bend so easily, the supposed man of integrity? What is the rest of the story here?

Obama Administration Awarded Hundreds of Thousands in Airport Grants to Stupak’s District Two Days Before Vote

Was this Yet Another Backroom Deal to Force Obama’s Bill Down the American People’s Throats?

Three airports in the district of infamous fence-sitting and ultimately kowtowing Democrat Bart Stupak were awarded $726,409 in grants by the Obama Administration just two days before a vote on Obama and Pelosi’s government takeover of healthcare.

Did Stupak compromise his supposed principled stand against taxpayer funding of abortion in exchange for taxpayer dollars for pet projects?

Read Article from the Deal Watch Blog at NRCC.com

Update, This article from Red State has a great viewpoint on this topic

http://www.redstate.com/haystack/2010/03/24/how-much-would-you-pay-per-dead-baby-to-get-healthcare-passed/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

2 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in abortion, Health Care

March 21, 2010

Kansas makes it’s move against the Health Care Bill

By The Move Right

http://www.kansashealthcarefreedom.com/

Facts to know about the Health Care Freedom Amendment

What is the Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment and what will it do?

  • The Health Care Freedom Amendment is a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would preserve certain existing rights that individuals have regarding health care.
  • Two key provisions – 1) protects a person’s right to participate or not participate in any health care system, and prohibits the government from imposing fines or penalties on that person’s decision. 2) it protects the right of individuals to purchase—and the right of doctors to provide—lawful medical services without government fine or penalty.
  • The state constitution reflects the most fundamental values shared by the citizens of the state, and may provide protections greater than the U.S. Constitution. (Some states provide greater protection for freedom of speech or due process rights.)
  • The federal government will have to demonstrate its legislation is legitimately derived from congressional authority to regulate interstate commerce and it will also have to show how the legislation does not violate the 10th Amendment, which reserves to the states all government power not expressly delegated to the national government; and the 11th Amendment, which protects states from being used as mere instruments of the federal government. This U.S. Supreme Court is the most pro-federalism Court in decades.
  • Unlike state law, when the state constitution protects the freedom of the people of the state, the Supremacy Clause is not automatic. It establishes the people’s will at a higher level, so a constitutional amendment is preferable to a state law. A state constitutional amendment will ensure the state legislature can never infringe upon the protected rights of citizens’ health care.
  • The Health Care Freedom Amendment would allow anyone to participate in a health care system they want, but it would also protect Kansas citizens from being forced into a health care system they do not like. It is not an attempt to block federal health-care reform as long as the federal law does not require an individual/employer mandate, or forbid patients from paying directly for medical services.
  • This is not an attempt to “opt-out of” or “nullify” federal health insurance legislation. It is an attempt to protect the liberty of Kansas citizens to control their own medical affairs.
  • The Health Care Freedom Amendment does not affect any rules and regulations in place as of August 1, 2009, so it does not affect Veterans’ Administration programs, worker’s compensation, Medicare, Medicaid or state health-care systems.
  • The Health Care Freedom Amendment does not affect abortion. States may regulate abortion under applicable constitutional doctrine and state or federal law. However, the Health Care Freedom Amendment does prevent government from forcing individuals into health care systems against their will, and matters of conscience may influence such individual decisions.

Our country was founded on principles of liberty and freedom – not command and control government. It is economic freedom that helped us reduce poverty. We can develop policy that builds proper incentives on a base of liberty. Shaping command-and-control policies encourage destructive behavior.People of good will can differ on a wide range of policy details, but when the economic freedom of Kansas citizens is at stake, Kansas Legislators need to take action to protect their liberty.

News Coverage

Health care freedom jumps hurdle in Senate — Proposed constitutional amendment has more obstacles than most bills

Supporters and opponents of ‘Health Care Freedom Amendment’ plan rival rallies — Saturday morning in the city of Shawnee the two sides face off, while in Washington, the House votes on the Democrats’ health care plan.

State leaders push to maintain state sovereignty — Democrats continue to disregard 10th Amendment rights as they promote health care bill

State lawmakers push to preserve Kansans’ right to decide on health care — Amendment would protect state residents from federal penalties and allow doctor-patient choice.

‘Joe the Plumber’ tells Kansas citizens about the importance of learning and speaking out – Tiahrt: “I always thought that fighting for freedom was something that happened overseas, but today…we are having to fight for our freedom in our own country.”

Both sides turn out for protests surrounding healthcare debate — Shawnee Dispatch

Legislators seek state amendment to trump health reform legislation – Sun Publications

U.S. Supreme Court might decide — Sun Publications


Federal Officials & Candidates in Support of the Health Care Freedom Amendment

U.S. Senator Sam Brownback
Candidate for GovernorCongressman Jerry Moran
1st District — Kansas / Candidate for U.S. Senate

Congressman Todd Tiahrt
4th District — Kansas / Candidate for U.S. Senate

 Tim Huelskamp
1st District — KansasPatricia Lightner
3rd District — Kansas

Senate Sponsors of the Health Care Freedom Amendment

Mary Pilcher Cook, R-10th
Steve Abrams, R-32nd
Jim Barnett, R-17th
Karin Brownlee, R-23rd
Terry Bruce, R-34th
Jeff Colyer, R-37th
Les Donovan, R-27th
Tim Huelskamp, R-38th

 Dick Kelsey, R-26th
Julia Lynn, R-9th
Bob Marshall, R-13th
Ty Masterson, R-16th
Ralph Ostmeyer, R-40th
Mike Petersen, R-28th
Dennis Pyle, R-1st
Mark Taddiken, R-21st

House Sponsors of the Health Care Freedom Amendment

Brenda K. Landwehr, R-91st
Anthony R. Brown, R-38th
Steven R. Brunk, R-85th
Richard Carlson, R-61st
David Crum, R-77th
Peter DeGraaf, R-81st
John Faber, R-120th
Rocky Fund, R-50th
Pat George, R-119th
Mario Goico, R-100th
Lana Gordon, R-52nd
John C. Grange, R-75th
Phil Hermanson, R-96th
Mitch Holmes, R-114th
Deena Horst, R-69th
Steve Huebert, R-90th
Aaron Jack, R-99th

 Kasha Kelley, R-79th
Dan Kerschen, R-93rd
Mike Kiegerl, R-43rd
Lance Kinzer, R-14th
Forrest Knox, R-13th
Peggy Mast, R-76th
Joe McLeland, R-94th
Ray Merrick, R-27th
Jim Morrison, R-121st
Melvin Neufeld, R-115th
Connie O’Brien, R-42nd
Mike O’Neal, R-104th
Robert S. (Rob) Olson, R-26th
Joe Patton, R-54th
Virgil Peck Jr., R-11th

Organizations in Support of the Health Care Freedom Amendment

Concerned Women of America
Americans for Prosperity
Kansas Chamber of Commerce
Kansas Family Policy Council
November Patriots
Southeast Kansas Conservative Group

 Kansas Sovereignty Coalition
Northwest Johnson County Republicans
Kansas Campaign for Liberty
Politcal Chips
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons

See the rest of the petition at http://www.kansashealthcarefreedom.com/

1 comment   |  tags: , , | posted in 10th Amendment, Health Care

March 21, 2010

House GOP members react to Pres. Obama’s executive order on abortion.

By The Move Right

House GOP members react to Pres. Obama’s executive order on abortion.

see the video at CSPAN.ORG

1 comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Health Care

March 21, 2010

Paul Krugman thinks Obama will sign bill tonight!

By The Move Right

From Krugman of the NYT:

Paul Krugman - New York Times Blog

And the Senate version of health care reform has passed. I assume President Obama will sign it tonight.

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March 21, 2010

Breaking: “Fix” Bill May Not Advance In Senate

By The Move Right

Breaking: “Fix” Bill May Not Advance In Senate

Senate Democrats Refuse Bi-partisan Meeting With Parliamentarian Until After House Votes

WASHINGTON DC – Senate Democrats have balked at a bi-partisan meeting with the Senate Parliamentarian to discuss a rule violation that could doom the entire House reconciliation proposal.

DON STEWART, McCONNELL SPOKESMAN: “Republicans have been trying to set up a meeting with Senate Democrats since yesterday to discuss this fatal point of order but have been met with nothing but silence. We suspect Democrats are slow walking us so as to have the House vote first. Since Senate Democrats refuse to meet with us and the Parliamentarian, we’ve informed our colleagues in the House that we believe the bill they’re now considering violates the clear language of Section 310g of the Congressional Budget Act, and the entire reconciliation bill is subject to a point of order and rejection in the Senate should it pass the House.”

BACKGROUND

DEMOCRAT LEADERSHIP RELEASE: “The Congressional Budget Office estimate of the health care legislation shows an increase in Social Security revenues… CBO projects that the resulting increase in wages will generate $29 billion in additional FICA contributions to the Social Security Trust Fund.”(“Health Care Reform Update,” Office of Rep. Steny Hoyer, 3/21/10)

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT: “LIMITATION ON CHANGES TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any reconciliation bill or reconciliation resolution reported pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget agreed to under section 301 or 304, or a joint resolution pursuant to section 258C of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, or any amendment thereto or conference report thereon, that contains recommendations with respect to the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program established under title II of the Social Security Act.” (Congressional Budget Act Of 1974, Sec. 310g, P. 31)

###
SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

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March 21, 2010

Politco: White House, Bart Stupak reach abortion agreement

By The Move Right

By DAVID ROGERS & PATRICK O’CONNOR & JONATHAN ALLEN | 3/21/10 3:10 PM

he White House and anti-abortion Democrats have reached an agreement to defusethe controversy over abortion in the health reform bill – planning a series of steps that will secure the support of Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and other Democrats to give party leaders the votes they need to pass reform, sources tell POLITICO.

Under the agreement, President Barack Obama would sign an executive order ensuring that no federal funding will go to pay for abortion under the health reform plans. In addition, Stupak will get to state his concerns about abortion funding in the bill during a colloquy on the House floor during the debate.

And then, Stupak and several other Democratic hold-outs over abortion will sign on to the bill, the sources said. The agreement would almost certainly give House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the 216 votes she needs to secure an historic health reform vote by day’s end – capping a year-long drive to achieve Obama’s signature legislative goal.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34767.html#ixzz0iqIGhIYy

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March 21, 2010

Loretta Sanchez: Present but unaccounted for (May not vote – Undecided???)

By The Move Right

Loretta Sanchez: Present but unaccounted for (May not vote – Undecided???)
Washington Post ^ | 03.21.10

Posted on Sun Mar 21 2010 13:28:49 GMT-0600 (Mountain Daylight Time) by Perdogg

A small mystery surrounding the current whip count for the final health-care vote was solved in the last hour — sort of.

After missing all of Saturday’s roll calls, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif) showed up for the procedural votes that began Sunday’s House session. So now party leaders — and the media — know where Sanchez is. But they still don’t know how she’ll vote tonight.

(Excerpt) Read more at voices.washingtonpost.com …

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March 21, 2010

Morris warns the 8 traitors who sold this country out

By The Move Right

3 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Health Care

March 21, 2010

There Are No Rules Here … We Make Them Up As We Go Along

By The Move Right

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March 21, 2010

Administration Actuary Can’t Analyze Health Bill Before Final Vote

By The Move Right

from http://republican.senate.gov

Richard. S. Foster

Administration Actuary Can’t Analyze Health Bill Before Final Vote
Even the Administration’s Chief Actuary at HHS cannot provide cost analysis of latest Democrat health spending bill before the vote

Chief Actuary: ‘I regret that my staff and I will not be able to prepare our analysis within this very tight time frame, due to the complexity of the legislation.’

WASHINGTON, DC – The Obama administration’s chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) notified Republican leaders Saturday that the “very tight time frame” and “complexity” of the Democrats’ health spending bill would prevent them from fully analyzing the costs and efficacy of the bill before the House voted on the legislation. The letter was in response to a request from House and Senate Republicans.

The Chief Actuary, Richard S. Foster, wrote: “In your letter, you requested that we provide the updated actuarial estimates in time for your review prior to the expected House debate and vote on this legislation on March 21,2010. I regret that my staff and I will not be able to prepare our analysis within this very tight time frame, due to the complexity of the legislation.”

Foster and his staff analyzed the Senate-passed bill and determined that it bent the cost curve up, estimating in a January 8 report that national health expenditures would increase by an estimated total of $222 billion, and that the additional demand for health services “could be difficult to meet” and “could lead to price increases, cost-shifting, and/or changes in providers’ willingness to treat patients with low-reimbursement health coverage.” Foster, in his letter today, expects the new health spending bill to be “generally similar.”

House Republican Leader John Boehner said: “The House of Representatives should not vote blindly on an issue that is so important to every American.  We deserve to have all the facts about how much this bill raise health care costs before we vote.  The decision to press ahead and jam this bill down the throats of the American people is just one more example of arrogance and irresponsibility from Washington Democrats.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said: “Americans deserve to have a full analysis of this bill, but won’t because of the mad dash forced by the Democrat leaders in the House. We now know that even the Obama administration’s chief actuary predicts more government spending, more price increases for consumers and less care for low-income patients. This debate was supposed about lowering costs for Americans not making things worse.”

The letter to CMS was signed by McConnell, House Republican Leader John Boehner, Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Judd Gregg, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Mike Enzi,  House Budget Committee Ranking Member Paul Ryan, House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Dave Camp, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton, and House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member John Kline.

—–

Full text of the letter to Republican leaders follows:

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Republican Leader

United States Senate

Dear Senator McConnell:

This letter is in preliminary response to your inquiry of March 19 requesting an updated analysis by the Office of the Actuary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (as passed by the Senate) as it would be modified by the “Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 4872, the Reconciliation Act of 2010” (as released by the House Committee on Rules on March 18). The request was made jointly by yourself and 10 other members of the House and Senate Republican Leadership.

In your letter, you requested that we provide the updated actuarial estimates in time for your review prior to the expected House debate and vote on this legislation on March 21,2010. I regret that my staff and I will not be able to prepare our analysis within this very tight time frame, due to the complexity of the legislation. We will, however, continue working to estimate the financial, coverage, and other impacts of the health reform package and will provide these results to you as quickly as possible.

As you know, the Office of the Actuary has assisted Congressional Administration policy makers on health legislative and policy initiatives for many years, including the original Medicare legislation in 1965, all subsequent amendments to this program, Medicaid amendments since 1976, and the Clinton Administration’s proposed Health Security Act in 1993-94. Our goal has always been to provide independent, objective technical information for use by policy makers as they deliberate Medicare, Medicaid, and national health reform proposals.

We issued an analysis of the Senate Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in a memorandum dated January 8, 2010. While it is reasonable to expect that our updated analysis of this legislation, as modified by the reconciliation amendments, would be generally similar to the results in the January 8 memorandum, I cannot confirm this expectation without a full evaluation of the amendments and re-estimation of the provisions.

I am sending a similar letter to House Republican Leader Boehner, and, for expediency, will email copies to the other cosigners of your request. I am sorry that we cannot respond more quickly. Please let us know if you have any other questions we can assist with.

Sincerely,

Chief Actuary

####

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March 19, 2010

They’re planning the next step already: After Health Care: Climate & Energy Legislation

By The Move Right

The Fundamental Transformation is going on strong and the next steps are underway. With only a few days left to the potential take over of our educational and heath care systems, we start to see glimpses of the next steps from the progressive front.

From The Huffington Post Donnie Fowler posted this article today March 19th 2010:

“The cap-and-trade bills in the House and Senate are dead.” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) reflected the reality that Congress now faces as it negotiates a comprehensive climate and energy package that might get voted on before this November’s congressional elections. One alternative to cap-and-trade has been a cap-and-dividend bill sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). The leading solution, though, appears to be coming from a bipartisan group of senators led by John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut), and Graham that would put a price on carbon emissions that targets only the electric utility, transportation, and industrial sectors of the economy.

The Senate is where the current debate lies because the House of Representatives already passed its bill in June 2009 (the “ACES Act” or the “Markey-Waxman” bill). The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman climate bill will join an energy bill written by Sen. Jeff Bingaman last Fall as the main vehicle for a new national policy. The House of Representatives must then decide what to do about its own bill and the Senate’s before President Obama signs anything into law. “It will be a very different mix of a bill from where we were at the end of the House effort,” Kerry said. “It will be simpler, and hopefully, capable of attracting support.”

Make no mistake about the post-health care debate. The oil companies, right-wingers, and climate change deniers will attack anything — absolutely anything — that arises in Congress as a threat to the economy. So now is the time to begin arming yourselves for a fight to create a brand new economy in our country (and catch up with the Europeans and the Chinese), to get ourselves out from under the thumbs of the oil dictators overseas, and to create jobs to go with the newly turned-around economy.


I. HOUSE CLIMATE & ENERGY BILL (“ACES Act” / “Waxman-Markey bill”)
Key Date: Passed June 2009 by House (219 to 212)

Authors: Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of House Energy & Commerce Cmte; Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman of Cmte on Energy Independence & Global Warming

More Info: www.pewclimate.org/acesa

Key Elements: Cap-and-Trade
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17 % reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 83 % by 2050
US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 20% by 2020. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, biogas and biofuels derived exclusively from eligible biomass, landfill gas, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, wastewater-treatment gas, coal-mine methane, and new hydro at post-1992 dams
R&D of $190 billion to energy efficiency, renewables, carbon capture & storage, electric vehicles
Transmission Grid Supports.
Energy Efficiency for Buildings, Lights, Appliances.
Green Bank Financing Office.
Carbon Offsets Program.
Coal Plant Pollution & CCS Standards.
Protections & Cost Supports for New Technology Development, Consumers, & Some Industries.


II. SENATE CLIMATE BILL ( “Kerry-Graham-Lieberman”)
Key Dates: Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman are working on bipartisan compromise legislation for March 2010; March meeting occurred with Republican & Democratic senators with President Obama

Authors: Sen. John Kerry (Democrat), Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican), & Sen. Joe Lieberman (Independent)

Key Elements:
Cap-and-Trade Replaced with Carbon Caps on Specific Parts of the Economy – Electic Utilities, Transportation, and Industry.
Greenhouse Gas Reductions. 17% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 & 80% over “long term”
Carbon Capture & Sequestration Standards & Research Funding
Domestic Oil & Gas Production Expanded, Including New Offshore Drilling
Nuclear Power: Incentives for nuclear power plants & low-emissions transportation
III. SENATE ENERGY BILL (“American Clean Energy Leadership Act” / “Bingaman bill”)
Key Date: legislation passed by Energy Committee June 2009; additional amendments and new pieces of legislation are being debated in the Energy Committee in 2010

Author: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

Key Elements:
US Renewable Energy Electricity Standard (RES) of 15% by 2021. Qualifying sources: energy efficiency, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, incremental hydro, hydrokinetic, waste-to-energy, and new hydro at existing dams.
Transmission “Interstate Highway System” & Grid Security. Creates new planning system based on local, state and regional input with states taking initial lead. New security powers to Dept or Energy & FERC.
Green Bank Financing Office
CCS R&D Funding. $6.6 billion for 10 “early mover” large-scale CCS projects
Offshore Drilling in Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Opens 3.8 billion barrels of new oil resources & 21.5 trillion cubic feet of new natural gas resources.
Donnie Fowler
Silicon Valley, California
www.dogpatchstrategies.com

Okay, seriously scary.

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March 15, 2010

House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it

By The Move Right

The tactic — known as a “self-executing rule” or a “deem and pass” — has been commonly used, although never to pass legislation as momentous as the $875 billion health-care bill. It is one of three options that Pelosi said she is considering for a late-week House vote, but she added that she prefers it because it would politically protect lawmakers who are reluctant to publicly support the Senate bill.

“It’s more insider and process-oriented than most people want to know,” the speaker said in a roundtable discussion with bloggers Monday. “But I like it,” she said, “because people don’t have to vote on the Senate bill.”

Read Article from The Washington Post

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February 26, 2010

Health Care Summit Video Replay

By The Move Right

Morning Session

Afternoon Session

CSPAN’s coverage of the GOP’s press breifing

CSPAN’s coverage of the Dem’s press breifing

Opinions pieces:

http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=2064

http://spectator.org/archives/2010/02/26/summit-strategems/

Obama Shows Testy Side at Health Care Summit fox news

Who Won the Health Care Summit – Politics – The Atlantic

Why This Health-Care Summit Won‘t Be a Game Changer – The Gaggle …

Echoing GOP, conservative media declare GOP the winner of health …‎ -

The Summit that Wasn?t?An Opportunity Squandered‎ -

Health care summit underscores divisions



2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Health Care, Health Insurance

February 1, 2010

Why would a Canadian Premier come to the US for Heart Surgery, I thought they had a better system?

By The Move Right

Danny Williams going to U.S. for heart surgery

Danny Williams, N.L. Premier Danny Williams is scheduled to have surgery this week.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is set to undergo heart surgery this week in the United States.

CBC News confirmed Monday that Williams, 59, left the province earlier in the day and will have surgery later in the week.

The premier’s office provided few details, beyond confirming that he would have heart surgery and saying that it was not necessarily a routine procedure.

Deputy Premier Kathy Dunderdale is scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday morning.

She’s expected to provide more details about Williams’s condition, as well as how the provincial government will function during his absence.

CBC reporter David Cochrane said Williams appeared to be in good health recently. He described the premier as “fairly active,” playing pick-up hockey at least once a week when work permits.

Source: http://cbc.qwapi.com/site?t=xncRD1Eb8xb6h0Q92gtohw&sid=cbc

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January 12, 2010

I Refuse Postcard by Hear Us Now!

By The Move Right

I want to pass along this post card and support the efforts of Hear Us Now!

Here’s their original post: Click for a link to Hear Us Now!

Posted on Tuesday, 12th January 2010 by hearus

Posted on Tuesday, 12th January 2010 by hearus

Nationalized, mandated health care is on it’s way.
I, myself, refuse to take part in a socialized medical program and intend to let my representatives know this.

I have so far done so by way of phone calls and email, I will also be sending to them a post card I created which you too can send by downloading it here.

I am not a fool, I do not expect that my phone calls, emails, letters and postcards are going to stop nationalized health care or anything else. It seems clear that our elected officials have no intention of listening to myself or you.

My intention with this particular postcard is not to stop nationalized health care, it is simply to let my elected officials know that I challenge their authority to “reform” health care and to mandate that I take part in their scheme.

The image below is small version of the postcard (the actual postcard has a much better resolution).

I’ve used Kinkos online printing

Kinkos will print no less than two postcards at a time, the cost of two postcards from the ‘saver’ package is $2.73

When you finalize your print order you can leave instructions to add to the backside a normal post card backing. This would add .37 cents per card, to your order.

I do not believe it is necessary to have the traditional postcard backing printed.

Simply placing the stamp, address, return address and short personal message in the traditional locations should suffice.

Please join me in this campaign to let our elected officials know that the American people will not just lay down and accept their abuse of the Constitution and their theft of individual freedom and liberty.

Please also pass this along to your friends.

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January 11, 2010

Congressman Rogers’ makes his opening statement on Health Care reform

By The Move Right

Congressman Rogers’ makes his opening statement on Health Care reform legislation that is under debate in Congress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G44NCvNDLfc

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August 12, 2009

Obama Disinformation?

By The Move Right

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