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Puerto Rico Lobbies for Universal Health Care

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

This Ain’t Hell, a conservative-based political news blog, has produced a rather interesting video. Apparently, unbeknownst to a majority of Americans, particularly those within the mainstream media, a rally was held today in Upper Senate Park in Washington D.C. It consisted of residents of Puerto Rico lobbying for universal health care. The main speaker of the group, who gave his speech in both Spanish and English, expressed outrage that Puerto Rico was being left out of the federal health care reform debate, claiming that they were being treated like second-class citizens by their exclusion from the massive government-run plan.

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is identified as an unincorporated organized territory belonging to the United States. This means, in short, that while anyone born in Puerto Rico after January 1941 is a citizen of the United States, via the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917, they are at the same time not granted full enfranchisement as mainland citizens are.

It is rather hard to feel too much sympathy for these people. There are a number of things to consider, taxes among them. While Puerto Ricans pay Social Security and local taxes, like every other citizen of the United States, they do not have to pay income taxes. What’s more is that they actually get federal money from the United States government. So while they complain they are being treated like second-class citizens in one area, they are actually treated at a level far greater then the average mainland citizen.

A far greater issue, however, is that while this group of Puerto Rican residents are lobbying for an expanded role in the affairs of the federal United States government, their nation as a whole is moving in precisely the opposite direction. This past June, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization approved a draft resolution calling on the U.S. government to expedite a process that would allow the Puerto Rican people to exercise fully their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

You also have to wonder why the people of Puerto Rico are so adamant about being directly involved within the United States health care debate in the first place when they have wanted nothing at all to do with such other pertinent issues plaguing this country like bailouts and cap-and-tax. Hmm, could it be that they know that this is something they’d be getting for free, never having to pay for it? That the mainland citizens of the U.S. would be the ones stuck holding the bill?

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Open Left Exposes Obama’s “Verifiably Dishonest” Views on Single-Payer Prospects

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

According to a post by David Sirota published today on the blog “Open Left,” President Barack Obama offered conflicting statements regarding his intentions for health care reform for America.

Citing his piece appearing a few months ago on Salon.com, Sirota explains that President Obama once proclaimed his support of a single-payer system of health care, where the country would shift to an entirely government-run program sponsored by tax dollars.

In that speech six years ago, Obama said the only reason single-payer proponents should tolerate delay is “because first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate, and we have to take back the House.”

Now, he has his wish. The White House and Congress are currently controlled by the Democratic Party, which, according to then-Senator Barack Obama, is the key to achieving his goal of socializing medicine. However, just yesterday, President Obama asserted that his attempts at health care reform were not meant to create a single-payer system, adding that he never claimed to support it in the first place. 

“I have not said I am a single payer supporter.” - Barack Obama, 8/11/09

President Obama realizes that the elimination of private insurance is an immensely unpopular idea, but one could rightly assume that he was more honest about his far-Left ideologies as an Illinois state senator in 2003 than today, where the president is forced to reckon with the desires of mainstream Americans unsympathetic to his agenda. Now, he must mask his efforts to institute a single-payer system by promoting a “public option.”

A public option would, according to the White House and supporters of the legislation, create a state-sponsored insurance agency that would “compete” with the private sector to provide coverage for Americans. The public option would be funded by substantial tax hikes, and not just on those earning more than $250,000 a year (Americans for Tax Reform), making private insurance difficult, if not impossible, to afford for both individuals and their employers. Government’s sphere of influence would expand by increases in regulatory measures on insurers, ultimately crowding out the private sector and leading to a complete government overhaul of the health care industry.

Even President Obama’s biggest cheerleaders can identify when he is, according to Sirota, “lying and/or not at least explaining their broken promises.” While the blogger does support the president’s “health care efforts right now,” he claims he would not be supportive of any president who is untruthful with the American people. To make matters worse, President Obama sees no need to justify his previous or current statements regarding his aims for health care reform:

Obama has never really offered up an explanation for his about face on single payer, other than implying that it’s not politically realistic now - even though, again, back in 2003, he said it would be politically realistic when Democrats obtained the presidency and Congress.

This is what is most alarming. It appears that he considers himself beyond reproach, finding it unnecessary to acknowledge his own contradicting perspectives on an issue he seems to care about so deeply. President Obama is simply not held accountable for his statements made six short years ago, leaning instead on empty jargon and attacking his dissenters to distract from the truth of his proposals. For a man who has held four prime-time press conferences in the mere six-and-a-half months of his presidency, more than any of his predecessors in that time span, he has told Americans very little. 

And unfortunately for us, what he has said is obviously contrary to what he intends.

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White House Forced to Play Defense, Vow to “Punch Back Twice as Hard”

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Two anonymous Obama Administration (Emanuel Bros. & Co.) insiders reported to FOX News today that Democratic lawmakers on the Hill attended a closed-door meeting with top White House officials this week to ingrain on-point messaging and teach them how to respond to opposition at ever-controversial town hall meetings.

White House officials told those present that if there were any efforts to oppose Democratic leaders for their support of President Obama’s health care reform proposals, which would create a sweeping government overhaul of the health care industry, the Administration would retaliate.

White House aides David Axelrod and Jim Messina traveled to the Capitol for their presentation to Democratic senators. Senators saw videos of disruptions at events held by House members, and were told to organize their events more carefully as well as work with labor unions and other friendly groups to generate enthusiasm.

They also were urged to use these events to stress insurance reforms such as a limit on out-of-pocket expenses for those covered by insurance, a ban on coverage cancellation for the seriously ill and protections for small businesses.

Messina, the deputy White House chief of staff, also said any advertising attack would be met with a bigger response, these officials said.

“If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard,” Messina told senators, according to two people in the room.

One can only wonder how they plan to “punch back twice as hard.” The Obama Administration has made it clear that they have no problem using taxpayer-funded resources to persuade, rather than inform, the public of his agenda. After all, an advisory was released straight from whitehouse.gov, the official website of the American presidency, that urged supporters to submit any “fishy” “disinformation” disseminated by those who oppose the President’s agenda.

It is apparent that the White House is aware their numbers are sinking. Here are a few Rasmussen Reports that offer a whole lot of bad news for Emanuel Bros. & Co.:

  • 71 percent of Americans believe that President Obama’s policies have added to the deficit, while only 5 percent say the deficit is down due to President Obama’s policies.
  • 54 percent of Americans favor a middle class tax cut over new spending for health care reform (34 percent would prefer health care reforms).
  • 48 percent (up from 29 percent a year ago) rate private American health care systems as “excellent” or “good,” while only 19 percent rate it as “poor.”

With their numbers plummeting and town hall meetings overflowing with opposition to Democratic proposals, it is wise for the Administration to do a bit of framing and messaging:

White House aides distributed briefing materials explaining to senators the points Obama is stressing, as well as how to answer commonly asked questions.

Democrats are also trying to attack their opposition from the outside, with the AFL-CIO (yet another union) to join the ranks of moveon.org, SEIU and Organizing for America to mobilize their supporters to crash meetings and counter anti-Obamacare groups.

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CAUGHT IN THE ACT: President Obama Admits His Secret Love, a Single-Payer System

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

As the debate over proposed health care reform legislation heats up during the press from special interests during Congress’s August recess, both experts and citizen journalists dig up archived clips to piece together what they believe are the intents triggering and potential outcomes resulting from the passage of a public option.

This YouTube clip, courtesy of Naked Emperor News, expose President Obama’s deepest feelings regarding health care reform: the elimination of private insurance and a shift to a single-payer system, where citizens join public rolls and receive equal (well, equally as bad) care. 

More and more videos like these are emerging with further evidence likely to be brought up during recess. Liberal Congressional leaders and the President himself are forced to justify their previous statements and hopefully, they won’t have to employ the Oracle at Delphi Robert Gibbs (White House Press Secretary) take care of it for them.

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Posted in Policy Alternative | 1 Comment »

House Committee Strikes Deals to Pass HR 3200, Clears Way for House to Debate Health Care Reform Bill in September

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

HR 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, passed through its final House committee Friday as it gained approval from Congressman Henry Waxman’s (D-CA) Energy and Commerce Committee. Democratic proponents squeaked a 31-28 victory just before the gavel fell to close Congress for its August recess.

Just days before, Congressman Waxman called off negotiations in his committee indefinitely, due to the inability of liberal Democrats to strike compromises with the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Democrats, who cited severe concerns with the context of the bill. Congressman Waxman and his liberal colleagues seemed to have struck deals with opponents of the legislation, surprising many conservatives who felt a bit of consolation by the letter signed by 40 Democrats that expressed their disapproval of the bill in its current form. According to Bloomberg.com,

 

“Waxman spent days negotiating a compromise on the broader legislation after a group of seven Democrats on the panel objected to the cost and structure of the measure. He and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally struck a deal with some of the lawmakers, who are also members of the coalition of self- described fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, on July 29.

That agreement reduced the number of people eligible for subsidies to purchase insurance, which the legislation mandates all Americans must have. Small businesses with annual payrolls of less than $500,000 would also be exempt from the mandate that companies provide workers with insurance or pay a fine.

Republicans expressed displeasure with the legislation. “I’m very, very disappointed; there is still a federally run plan,” said Representative Mike Rogersof Michigan.

Referring to the Waxman-led negotiations, he said, “The only thing that happened is that you allowed the Blue Dogs to pick the color of the lipstick going on this pig.”

After making the bargain with the Blue Dog members, Waxman and Pelosi faced another rebellion from Democrats. Leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus were unhappy about agreed- upon cuts in subsidies for lower-income Americans and the requirement that the government-run insurer negotiate with providers.”

 

Some conservative strategists were alerted of the attempt to push HR 3200 through committee by Friday, July 31, when recess was slated to begin, explaining that they anticipated Congressman Waxman would attempt to get the bill passed through committee before they returned home to their districts for the month of August. This means HR 3200 will be up for a floor vote upon their return in September.

One GOP Hill staffer was not surprised by the efforts by liberal Representatives. He asserted that Congressman Waxman’s maneuvering was not simply reactionary but, instead, deliberate.

“Waxman called off the talks initially to convince the American people that things were stagnant until September,” he explained. “Then, he quickly forced something through, thinking people were going to lose interest in showing their disapproval of the bill.

Waxman knows that this is an unpopular piece of legislation and that if Americans were aware of what’s in this thing, they’re not going to be happy with it. August recess is going to be an important time for citizens to stay engaged in what’s going on with health care reform and stay just as vocal about their concerns.”

Indeed, HR 3200’s passage from the House’s Energy and Commerce Committee went almost unpublicized by the mainstream media. Americans did get some coverage, however,  and those who delivered it were not shy about their opinions.

Take, for instance, Bloomberg, who made their personal perspectives, despite their status a news source, abundantly clear for readers:

Legislation to overhaul the U.S. health-care system cleared its final House committee, setting up a September floor vote on a measure that may curb the profits of insurers and drugmakers and would extend coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans.

FOX News commentator Neil Cavuto offered another viewpoint, publishing an article, “The Sheer Arrogance of Rep. Waxman,” highlighting Congressman Waxman’s refusal to include a provision in the bill that would mandate that elected officials enroll in the public option. 

He’s not leaving his very nice congressional health plan, is he? He’s not bolting from a plan that gives him plenty of options and pretty much covers all those options, is he? No, he wants to stick with his. I can’t blame him.

And he wants to stick this thing with us. For that I do blame him.

Meanwhile, in the other chamber of Congress, members of the Senate dealt with the harsh reality of their inability to get anything passed through Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-MT) Committee on Finance. Sen. Baucus, who claimed time and time again that he was on the verge of getting legislation out of his committee, now must admit, just as Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) did, that they will be unable to bring a bill to the floor before recess and thus, fail to meet President Obama’s deadline.

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Noisy Desperation: A Panicked SEIU Clings to Failing Health Care Platform

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Members of Acorn and SEIU rally in Baton Rouge, La. to support President Obama's health care reforms, but are interrupted by counter-protestors from local Tea Party organizations.

Members of ACORN and SEIU rally in Baton Rouge, La. to support President Obama's health care reforms, but are interrupted by counter-protestors from local Tea Party organizations.

Henry David Thoreau once claimed that most men lead lives of “quiet desperation.” James Thurber, an American writer many years after Thoreau, countered his sentiment by explaining, “Nowadays, men lead lives of noisy desperation.”

If either statement could accurately characterize the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), it must be the latter. While America’s policy-makers and interests groups gather inside the Beltway to shape health care reform legislation, the SEIU gears up its muscle and influence to cling to their only remaining hope- a government overhaul of health care.

Clinging Desperately to Universal Health Care

Why is the SEIU in favor of President Obama’s health care reform proposals, if other allies in the labor community, such as the United Autoworkers (UAW), oppose it? Why would the SEIU favor the public option, if their biggest membership driver is the ability of union bosses to “negotiate” benefits packages, including health care and pensions, for its workers?

Brian Johnson, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom, has the answer: desperation.

“The SEIU, unlike other organized labor, did not develop carefully-negotiated pension arrangements for their members,” Johnson said. “They’re dealing with the inability to pay out their pensions, since they’ve got liabilities of $1.5 billion and they only have around $1 billion in the bank. This means they’re $500 million in the hole.”

If they can’t get the public option passed, Johnson argues, they will have nothing to keep their members on the rolls. After all, the SEIU has spent millions to encourage the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), or Card Check, a measure that would require a public vote on the unionization of a work place. The result? Nothing.

After the waste of millions of dollars of members’ dues on the failed Card Check push, it is becoming increasingly difficult for leadership of the SEIU to justify spending more money on political action without any results for the people who pay them. That’s why, Johnson says, they need universal health care.

“This is their absolute last chance to bring something to their members,” he explained. “After they’ve spent so much time and money putting President Obama into office, it makes sense that they’d want something in return. And if they don’t get it, their members will be fed up and will start to leave organized labor.”

The American Thinker points out that in addition to needing a substantial credibility boost, the SEIU benefits from having a partnership with the White House on health care reform for the purposes of sheer numbers.

Eighty-three percent of the hospital workforce is yet to be unionized. Going state by state, hospital by hospital, or politician by politician is time-consuming and expensive. It’s easier to call on your partner, President Obama, to pass health care reform. Once the federal government is paying all the bills, one of the new reforms could easily be that all health care workers will now be represented by a service employees union.

Obviously, as the SEIU fights to keep its head above water financially, drawing in new members would, in the short run at least, alleviate some of the financial headaches they face. Pair their diminishing sphere of influence of unions overall, with a mere 8 percent of private employees unionized and 33 percent in the public sector, with the necessity of delivering results to their members, and you’ve got a recipe for an utter dependency on a public option passing.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures (and a Lot of Them)

As the SEIU struggles to formulate an explanation for its members as to what they’ve been up to with all their money all these years, they are busy covering their tracks with some clever maneuvering on both policy and grassroots levels. Indeed, it is apparent that the SEIU is unsure as to how to direct their dwindling cash supply, but they’ve managed to sneak in behind the scenes to shape policy and rile up members to protest (as usual) in the streets of towns across America.

Inside the Beltway, one man is guaranteeing the SEIU will be allowed an unflinching place at the policy table. That man is Dennis Rivera, the 17-year leader of New York City’s 1199 SEIU and the chairman of the union’s national health care division. According to an article published in Crain’s New York, Rivera has been hard at work mobilizing activists on the ground and inserting union influence legislatively on behalf of the SEIU.

Dennis Rivera, the indomitable labor leader, was on Capitol Hill in late June to persuade members of a powerful House committee to include a public insurance option in its massive overhaul of the nation’s health care system

Crain’s New York explains that Rivera’s unique ability to build bridges between workers and those they normally oppose, such as corporations, has made him an invaluable resource for both the Obama Administration and the union he represents.

One part of Mr. Rivera’s considerable influence derives from the close ties that he and the SEIU have with the White House. SEIU’s February 2008 endorsement of the president is viewed as one of the turning points in his primary battle against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, and Mr. Rivera’s former political director at 1199, Patrick Gaspard, now heads Mr. Obama’s political operation.

“To some degree, Dennis is an independent actor, and to some degree, he’s working for the White House,” says David Nexon, senior executive vice president of the medical technology association. “That played into making the process a success and people wanting to get involved. It’s not too great to be on the wrong side.

Rivera previously served as a union organizer in his home country of Puerto Rico. He brought his techniques to America, according to Johnson, and was able to turn out 30,000 SEIU supporters in the streets of New York City. Now, Rivera enjoys a $10 million budget and a war room with a staff of more than 400, all courtesy of union members’ dues, to target lawmakers in the health care reform debate. Johnson considers Rivera to be “another union goon” who has used bully tactics, and millions of dollars from membership coffers, to advance a political agenda.

President Obama asked America to judge him based on those with whom he surrounds himself. Clearly, he is working with Rivera to advance health care policy that is quite friendly to his allies at the SEIU. Johnson believes that this sort of partnership helps to disguise the fact that the SEIU’s pensions are extremely underfunded, with 1 out of every 160 retired union members unable to cash out what is owed to them in their pension.

The SEIU continues to use their favorite method of persuasion- public protesting- to make their members feel as though they are part of a team effort. During Organizing for America events, created as an offshoot of the Obama campaign and funded by the Democratic National Committee to promote the President’s agenda, the SEIU and ACORN rally side-by-side, decked in their famous purple shirts and displaying the hostility they are known to exhibit. Moreover, they have begun hosting meetings in members’ homes to plan activism and view Obama’s speeches on health care reform.

Then, there’s all the new media activity that only a month ago seemed to transmit virally through the Internet, and now, remains a faint murmur in online buzz. HAARM, or Healthy Americans Against Reforming Medicine, was an attempt by the SEIU to parody the Right for their opposition to health care reform. They even went as far as to criticize healthcarehorserace.com, as well as groups like Americans for Prosperity and the Tea Party Patriots. The site, along with the accompanying Twitter page, has been rather quiet lately, which causes many to wonder if their attempt at modernizing their approach for mainstream appeal proved fruitless.

And of course, they didn’t throw out their favorite tried-and-true “event crashing” tricks, as Brian Johnson can attest. At a meeting he scheduled on the Hill on behalf of the Alliance for Worker Freedom with around 100 elected officials, their staffs and representatives from business organizations, Johnson was interrupted by three uninvited guests from the SEIU.

When Johnson told them calmly that the meeting was an invitation-only event, they told him that they had received the invitation… from their (union) boss at the SEIU. Apparently, someone leaked the invitation to SEIU leadership and they sent out three members to watch over and participate in the meeting.

After Johnson told the SEIU members again they were not invited and should leave, they proceeded to sit down anyway. Johnson gave them one final warning and they didn’t budge. He called Capitol Hill Police, who then escorted them out of the building.

It is important to note that Johnson appeared the day before on the Glenn Beck Show (FOX News Channel) discussing Rivera and the SEIU’s role in the health care debate. It is unsurprising that they chose to force themselves into his meeting the next day after he spent the segment discussing the utter neglect of the SEIU to provide for their members and their re-prioritizing based on political expediency.

Today, the SEIU released a statement on their blog, lamenting they deserved to be at the meeting as it concerned labor relations and they were members of organized labor. The blog does not admit, however, that it was an invitation-only meeting and the SEIU was not on the guest list. If the roles were reversed, it is hard to believe that the SEIU would be even the least bit sympathetic to someone like Johnson if he decided to offer his professional input in their discussions on labor policy.

After the Noise

If President Obama’s attempt at liberal health care reform fails, what will be next for the SEIU? Will they return to pushing Card Check again, or will they take a back seat to other large, better organized unions? Will the 2 million members of SEIU revolt and demand their dues be returned to them for the failure of leadership to deliver upon any of the promises they made and the diminishing of their pensions? If this legislation fails, it might just not be President Obama’s Waterloo. It might be the SEIU’s, too.

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Hold Onto Your Hats! Sen. Max Baucus is Driving the Health Care Reform Debate.

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

Jeffrey Young from The Hill published a piece Saturday entitled, “Baucus in Driver’s Seat, Destination Unknown.” Young makes a pretty important observation: the person driving the health care reform debate is Sen. Max Bucus (D-MT), who serves as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance.

While most people expect the driver’s seat to be occupied by President Obama or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) or even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), they’re all wrong. Indeed, to Sen. Baucus goes the glory if it passes, and the blame if it fails.

If Baucus pulls it off, he might be remembered as the most important figure in the decades-long push for comprehensive healthcare reform.

If healthcare reform fails, or if Baucus is unable to secure some GOP support without alienating the left wing, Democrats from the Capitol Hill to the White House to the grassroots may pin the blame squarely on him.

Sen. Baucus hasn’t taken the task lightly. He and his staff have spent a year mulling over different policy proposals and parading those that made the cut to both the political inner circles and the general public.Still, despite his diligence to expedite the passage of the bill out of his committee, Sen. Baucus seems willing enough to stall as members of the group resist the haste encouraged by the President and Congressional leaders.

Yet Baucus seems unfazed by the pressure, a sign of his personal conviction that the slow, arduous bipartisan process he kicked off more than a year ago is the only path to healthcare reform.

Obama and Reid, especially, may not like it but in a Senate where 60 votes is the threshold for success, they seem to recognize that Baucus may be right.

Whether he is could be unknowable for months. In the meantime, the whole endeavor could collapse amid intra-party squabbles among Democrats, relentless criticism from Republicans and the release of pent-up anger from special interests that for now are (mostly) playing nice.

While Americans wait in doctors’ offices and in their living rooms glued in front of television sets, awaiting the pending health care reform debate, Sen. Baucus and his staff scrutinize legislation, attempt to form alliances both within and outside the Democratic Party and convince Americans that the time is now for health care reform— Sen. Baucus’ health care reform.

How strange is it for members of a democratic society to see quite plainly that the actions of one man, who is not even the head executive, dictate the lives of the more than 300 million Americans whose most intimate political issue is health care? This is why it is absolutely essential that ordinary Americans become backseat drivers- taking opportunities to voice concerns about each and every curve, roadblock and speed limit side ahead. After all, we want to make sure that we’re not just all along for the ride.

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Twitter User Reads Health Care Bill, Posts Findings

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

An email is circulating throughout political circles in the U.S. It details the findings of Peter Fleckstein, a Twitter user and blogger who is a self-described “husband, father of 2, former Marine and lover of the beach.” 

Fleckstein has begun to break down the more than 1,000 page health care reform bill (HR 3200) and has used the social networking site Twitter to share what he’s discovered. Below are his thoughts and assessments of the bill. So far, he has only gotten through about half of it.

Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!!
Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benes u get
Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill - YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED!!!
Pg 42 of HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose UR HC Benefits 4 you. U have no choice!
PG 50 Section 152 in HC bill - HC will be provided 2 ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise
Pg 58HC Bill - Govt will have real-time access 2 individs finances & a National ID Healthcard will b issued!
Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Govt will have direct access 2 ur banks accts 4 elect. funds transfer
PG 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan 4 retirees and their families in Unions & community orgs (ACORN).
Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Govt is creating an HC Exchange 2 bring priv HC plans under Govt control.
PG 84 Sec 203 HC bill - Govt mandates ALL benefit pkgs 4 priv. HC plans in the Exchange
PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs for of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Govt will ration ur Healthcare!
PG 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill - Govt mandates linguistic approp svcs. Example - Translation 4 illegal aliens
Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Govt will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps 2 sign up indiv. for Govt HC plan
PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs of Ben Levels 4 Plans. #AARP members - U Health care WILL b rationed
-PG 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill - Medicaid Eligible Indiv. will b automat.enrolled in Medicaid. No choice
pg 124 lines 24-25 HC No company can sue GOVT on price fixing. No “judicial review” against Govt Monop
pg 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill - Doctors/ #AMA - The Govt will tell YOU what u can make.
Pg 145 Line 15-17 An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into pub opt plan. NO CHOICE
Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay 4 HC 4 part time employees AND their families.
Pg 149 Lines 16-24 ANY Emplyr w payroll 400k & above who does not prov. pub opt. pays 8% tax on all payroll
pg 150 Lines 9-13 Biz w payroll btw 251k & 400k who doesnt prov. pub. opt pays 2-6% tax on all payroll
Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesnt have acceptable HC accrdng 2 Govt will be taxed 2.5% of inc
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from indiv. taxes. (Americans will pay)
Pg 195 HC Bill -officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVT) will have access 2 ALL Americans finan/pers recs
PG 203 Line 14-15 HC - “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax” Yes, it says that
Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Govt will reduce physician svcs 4 Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected
Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill - Doctors, doesnt matter what specialty u have, you’ll all be paid the same
PG 253 Line 10-18 Govt sets value of Dr’s time, prof judg, etc. Literally value of humans.
PG 265 Sec 1131 Govt mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries
PG 268 Sec 1141 Fed Govt regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs
PG 272 SEC. 1145. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS - Cancer patients - welcome to rationing!
Page 280 Sec 1151 The Govt will penalize hospitals 4 what Govt deems preventable readmissions.
Pg 298 Lines 9-11 Drs, treat a patient during initial admiss that results in a readmiss-Govt will penalize u.
Pg 317 L 13-20 PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Govt tells Drs. what/how much they can own.
Pg 317-318 lines 21-25,1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion- Govt is mandating hospitals cannot expand
pg 321 2-13 Hospitals have oppt to apply for exception BUT community input required. Can u say ACORN?!!
Pg335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 - Govt mandates estab. of outcome based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing
Pg 341 Lines 3-9 Govt has authority 2 disqual Medicare Adv Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing peeps in2 Govt plan
Pg 354 Sec 1177 - Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs ppl! WTF. My sis has down syndrome!!
Pg 379 Sec 1191 Govt creates more bureaucracy - Telehealth Advisory Cmtte. Can u say HC by phone?
PG 425 Lines 4-12 Govt mandates Advance Care Planning Consult. Think Senior Citizens end of life
Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Govt will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of atty. Mandatory!
PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Govt provides apprvd list of end of life resources, guiding u in death
PG 427 Lines 15-24 Govt mandates program 4 orders 4 end of life. The Govt has a say in how ur life ends
Pg 429 Lines 1-9 An “adv. care planning consult” will b used frequently as patients health deteriorates
PG 429 Lines 10-12 “adv. care consultation” may incl an ORDER 4 end of life plans. AN ORDER from GOV
Pg 429 Lines 13-25 - The govt will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order.
PG 430 Lines 11-15 The Govt will decide what level of treatment u will have at end of life
Pg 469 - Community Based Home Medical Services=Non profit orgs. Hello, ACORN Medical Svcs here!!?
Page 472 Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG. 1 monthly payment 2 a community-based org. Like ACORN?
PG 489 Sec 1308 The Govt will cover Marriage & Family therapy. Which means they will insert Govt in2 ur marriage
Pg 494-498 Govt will cover Mental Health Svcs including defining, creating, rationing those svcs

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Money Race: What Stalling a Vote Means for Special Interests in the Health Care Debate

Friday, July 24th, 2009

It is no secret that the political engine is fueled by money. Special interests range from corporations to professional organizations to activism groups to unions to wealthy individuals, all desiring to use their financial prowess to leave a lasting impact on American public policy.

And according to an article in today’s Washington Post, the ongoing health care debate is no different. Kick-started by President Obama’s recent push to pass his proposed legislation through as quickly as possible, the horse race heated up. But not long after, it came to a screeching halt when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced Thursday that he would not seek to fulfill President Obama’s request to have sweeping health care reform legislation passed by Congress’s August recess, but instead, stall until after their vacation.

What does that mean for special interests? Well, it’s time for them to pull out their pocketbooks and pony up. On both the Left and the Right, power players have come forward to dole out millions in contributions to their side of the debate. Here are just a few of the groups we at HCHR believe have made their mark on the health care debate in their respective political communities:

On the Left

  • Organizing for America (a project of the Democratic National Committee [DNC])
  • Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • Health Care for America Now (HCAN)

On the Right

  • Americans for Prosperity
  • Conservatives for Patients’ Rights
  • Association of American Physicians and Surgeons

While Congress is in recess, Americans can be sure that special interests will just be gearing up in the form of heavy media saturation, grassroots activism and round-the-clock policy research. While a Congressional recess means an opportunity for elected officials to meet with their constituencies, it also means an opportunity for special interests to meet with them, too, and ultimately, to persuade them to vote the way they believe America’s health care system should run.

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During the Healthcare Debate, Conservatives Find Effective Use for the Internet

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Throughout the last three or four national election cycles, at least two being presidential contests, complaints have been voiced concerning the failure of conservatives to completely utilize the tools of the internet to their utmost advantage. Finally, after years of these complaints, it appears as though they have made effective use of the broad opportunities the internet provides in the highly-charged healthcare debate.

The first video comes from the Independence Institute, a free-market think-tank that works out of the state of Colorado. The video demonstrates the raw-deal Americans, especially the young and healthy, will receive as a result of the government-instituted mandates of President Obama’s healthcare proposal.

Just like the Massachusetts Healthcare Reform bill which passed in 2006, ObamaCare would require that every single American citizen purchase health insurance, regardless of whether they can afford it or not. No longer would the average citizen be able to buy an individual high-deductible insurance policy, which is not only affordable – ideal for both the young and the self-employed – but at the same time keeps costs low and allows the individual covered in case of the unforeseen accidents. Nope! They’d be forced to purchase what the government deems is the best plan. After all, they know what you need better than you do. The plan they choose however will be one in which a lower deductible is paid but there is no insurance company to pick up the rest of the cost in case that unforeseen accident occurs. Who picks up the cost then? Why, taxpayers, of course.

The second video comes from Let Freedom Ring USA, a “non-profit, grassroots organization supporting a Conservative agenda” that includes promoting constitutional government, economic freedom, and traditional values.

The third video was produced by the Republican National Committee, a political organization that needs no further explanation as to its agenda. The advertisement, entitled ‘Reforma’, is a rather clever parody of all those prescription drug commercials seen on television.

The fourth video comes from comedian Steven Crowder. It showcases firsthand the miracles of the healthcare system those on the left lavish with so praise and declare that we have to fashion our system after – the Canadian healthcare system. It is a rather long video – roughly twenty minutes – but well worth a look.

The figures cited in this video may come as a complete shock for those naïve enough to think we need to move this country’s healthcare system to the left, but it is exactly what conservatives have been warning about for quite some time now. Check out these figures – on average in 2008 Canadian waited 17.3 weeks to see a specialist, at any given time 2.8 percent of Canada’s population is on a waiting list to receive special treatment, and that it can be 2 – 3 years before you can see a family doctor just to administer a simple blood test. Yikes!

And, lastly, there is the fifth video, an introduction to a brand-new project called the Health Administration Bureau. It was produced by the Sam Adams Alliance, a political organization based out of Chicago, Illinois that is “leading a new revolution for liberty by training, inspiring, and empowering people to utilize new media tools (blogging, twitter, wikis) to advance economic freedom and individual liberty.”

The goal of the project, according to the Sam Adams Alliance, is to ensure people become “aware of what healthcare may look like if control falls into the hands of the government” and that it may “be used by concerned citizens and activists as a tool to protect healthcare freedom.” The look and feel of a 1940s-style propaganda organ was deliberate on the part of its creators. Unlike Clifford Asness, a conservative blogger for Real Politics, the Sam Adams Alliance still believes the word ‘rationing’ is an effective word to stir-up the masses and make them take notice of the problem at hand. “Health care ‘rationing’ is a real possibility and therefore people need to understand what is at stake.” The word ‘rationing’ is used abundantly throughout not just the video, but the entire site as well. This was done not only because the word has remained effective and continues to strike an emotional chord with American citizens, but also, more importantly, “the word is a very real part of the debate because the possibility of rationing health care is real.”

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