Hagan's SCHIPs Dodge, and Other Aspects of Slouching Toward Socialized Medicine

Greensboro is very excited to have Kay Hagan in the U.S. Senate.  But we received a dose of reality, almost like a slap in the face, when she voted in favor of confirming Timothy Geithner in spite of his tax problems. 

We then learned (HT: Sam Hieb) that she had promised to find a compromise on tobacco taxes associated with the SCHIPs children's health insurance bill.  But when it came time to offer her amendment to avert the tobacco taxes, she quickly withdrew it in accordance with the wishes of her party leadership.  The economic interests of her home state are secondary.  

Why did she do it?  Under the Dome explains: 

"Less than a month into my service here in the U.S. Senate," Hagan told the Senate, "I'm faced with a situation in which the health of thousands of my state’s children are at odds with a key industry in North Carolina."

"But ultimately," Hagan said, "I had to vote on behalf of the 10 million low-income and disadvantaged children this bill helps."

But is it true?  Of course not.  Medicaid serves the low-income and the disadvantaged.  SCHIPS is a lower middle class entitlement that enables families to avoid paying premiums for covering their kids on their group health insurance coverage.  It is an income transfer from the larger group of taxpayers to this particular group that has kids.

Says Kimberly Strassel in the Wall Street Journal regarding the final form of the bill that was passed:

Initially designed for children of working-poor families, this new Super-Schip will be double in size, and even kids whose parents make $65,000 a year will be eligible. The program will also now cover pregnant women and automatically enroll their new arrivals. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 2.4 million individuals will drop their private coverage for the public program.

Meanwhile, the stimulus bill stealthily would bring many more people under government-sponsored health care-- and would forbid the states from applying income tests in some cases!

Under "stimulus," Medicaid is now on offer not to just poor Americans, but Americans who have lost their jobs. And not just Americans who have lost their jobs, but their spouses and their children. And not Americans who recently lost their jobs, but those who lost jobs, say, early last year. And not just Americans who already lost their jobs, but those who will lose their jobs up to 2011. The federal government is graciously footing the whole bill. The legislation also forbids states to apply income tests in most cases...

A GOP proposal to limit subsidies to Americans with incomes under $1 million was accepted during markup, but had disappeared by final passage. In this new health-care nirvana, even the rich are welcome...

The "stimulus" also hijacks Cobra, a program that lets the unemployed retain access to their former company health benefits -- usually for about 18 months. The new stimulus permits any former employee over the age of 55 to keep using Cobra right up until they qualify for Medicare at age 65. And here's the kicker: Whereas employees were previously responsible for paying their health premiums while on Cobra, now the feds will pay 65%. CBO estimates? Seven million Americans will have the feds mostly pay their insurance bills in 2009.

The bill even takes a whack at the private market. Under the guise of money for "health technology," the legislation makes the government the national coordinator for electronic health records, able to certify what platforms are acceptable. This is an attempt to squelch a growing private market that is competing to improve transparency and let consumers compare providers and costs. In liberal-world, only government should be publishing (and setting) health-care prices.

Add it up, and Democrats may move 10 million more Americans under the federal health umbrella -- in just four weeks! Good luck ever cutting off that money. Meanwhile, the Democratic majority is gearing up for a Medicare fight, where it may broach plans to lower the eligibility age to 55. Whatever costs accrue, they'll pay for by slashing the private Medicare Advantage option.

The stimulus bill also provides for "comparative effectiveness research" that will enable the government to exert pressure in the marketplace to determine which medical tests and treatment should be paid for, and which should not be.  This would dovetail well with the agenda Tom Daschle has had to establish a federal health board for this same purpose.

And we also learn that Daschle, the nominee for HHS Secretary who is expected to be the chief mover of legislation to bring "universal health care", also has some income tax problems of his own.  Of course, when this type of thing happens to Democrats, it tends not to matter too much.  It is a mere public relations obstacle to be overcome with the complicity of the mainstream media.

We have had our own examples locally with Mayor Yvonne Johnson and State Representative Earl Jones.

In any case, it appears that we are on track to witness an unimpeded, incremental march toward socialized medicine that the national Democrats are plotting to implement over the next several months.  Part of that plan-- the SCHIPs expansion-- has come to fruition. 

Greensboro's own Kay Hagan will be in there with her party leadership, every step of the way.  And it appears if Daschle's nomination survives, it appears she will likely vote to confirm him based on her actions on the Geithner nomination. 

Small matters like non-payment of income taxes by high-ranking leaders do not appear to bother Greensboro Democrats.  They just think it is important that the overall governmental structure provide for the collection of lots of taxes from those that are law-abiding.

We should be so proud of our freshman Senator.  She fits right in.

Comments

[jo]

For an educated man you write some strange things.

[Joe Guarino]

Thanks, jo, for reading. I hope you come back.

[Bill Cunningham]

Jo: What are you feebly trying to say ? Me thinks you are a freeking moron, blithering idiot, a prepuce, dumbass..got it Jo Jo ! Did you take general anesthesia during your frontal lobotomy ? Until you have something coherent to say .. please STFU. Enough !

[Stormy]

What is so strange about what Joe wrote? And Joe is, indeed, a educated man, that is why he makes so much sense? It makes perfect sense to me. I believe that he does know some things about the science of medicine. We are being propelled toward socialized medicine at warp speed, and if anyone thinks that it will be good for us hasn't been forced under Medicare yet.

[jo]

Mr. Cunnigham sums up this space perfectly.
Thanks for the clarification.

[Dr. Mary Johnson]

Hi Joe. From an educated woman to the educated man, you write some spot-on stuff.

Alas, having an education and being able to articulate your thoughts into coherent sentences seems to be an unpardonable offense in the lefty blogospehre lately - just ask Cone and the boys.

They only value the education if you agree with them.

Stormy, there is nothing scientific about this. It is a damned scam. It's not about access to care at all. It's about who pays for that care.

Increasingly, that's you and me.

If one cannot afford to pay for the medical care & feeding of one's own children, perhaps one should exercise a little personal responsibility and not have children (especially multiple children).

Our increasingly socialized system only rewards what once was considered bad/unacceptable social behavior. There are no limits of any kind places on any of these benefits (like say, one woman can have one child on Medicaid, but not two or three or four . . . and certainly not by two and three and four fathers).

No one in any of these programs is expected to put anything back into the till . . . be it a small copay . . . or via public service.

Jo, in light of your comment, I think Joe was exceptionally gracious and Mr. Cunningham restrained.

Please enlighten us. What exactly about Joe's post needed "clarification". I thought it was very clear and succintly presented. If you would care to go beyond the petty personal attack and explain your own reasoning for disagreement, I'm sure we'd all love to hear it.

[Brenda Bowers]

Jo you are welcome to comment on Joe's site and certainly to disagree. I have disagreed with Joe as have many of us. We simply state our case. But no one is ever to attack Joe Guarino on his site or any other and not be attacked by those who know and respect him. Joe is the most kind and respectful of others person I have ever met, and that is why we all so vehemently defend him.

I am sure I speak for Joe in telling you you are most welcome any time you wish to read and comment on his site. I believe I also speak for others when I tell you to remain respectful or expect backlash. BB

[Brenda Bowers]

The more I delve into and understand this huge and outrageous scam being perpetrated against our people and our country the more angry, disillusioned and fearful I become. Can no one stop this attack from within? Because people that is what this it. It is an attack against our freedom and democracy from within. BB

[Stormy]

According to a Washington Post article, not only is Tom Daschle a tax cheat, he is also a health care lobbyist. So, is there another waiver in the making for Daschle from Mr. Obama's no-lobbyist rule, and is Daschle too important not to be confirmed? And, will Daschle be another jewel in Mr. Obama's most open and transparent administration in the history of the world? Maybe not.

"In recent months, Daschle has advocated for changes to the U.S. health system that are unpopular with sizable portions of the industry, including some physicians, drugmakers and insurance companies. Daschle has nonetheless prospered from a stream of income from the health sector, including $220,000 in speaking fees in the past two years, according to the ethics filing."

"He also has been a trustee of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. For part of the $2 million he received from the law firm Alston & Bird over the past two years, Daschle also reported that he gave "policy advice" to United Health, a conglomerate that sells insurance, helps the government administer Medicaid, advises drug companies and physicians and dispenses prescriptions."

"The 12 organizations or companies that paid Daschle speaking fees, ranging from $12,000 to $30,000, included the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and America's Health Insurance Plans, an influential trade group."

"The Health Industry Distributors Association, a trade association representing medical product distributors, wrote to Daschle last week to express concerns about proposed Medicare changes and reminded him of the $14,000 speech he delivered at its conference last year."

[Stormy]

BB,

Mr. Obama campaigned on a promise of "change". But, organizations (and nations) do not change from inside out, it always requires an outside force to forcibly enact change. Now, here is change that we can believe in:

"US President Barack Obama's offer to talk to Iran shows that America's policy of "domination" has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday."

"This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed," Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency."

"Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change," he added."

"After nearly three decades of severed ties, Obama said shortly after taking office this month that he is willing to extend a diplomatic hand to Tehran if the Islamic republic is ready to "unclench its fist".

"In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh tirade against the United States, demanding an apology for its "crimes" against Iran and saying he expected "deep and fundamental" change from Obama."

"Iranian politicians frequently refer to the US administration as the "global arrogance", "domineering power" and "Great Satan".

"Tensions with the United States have soared over Iran's nuclear drive and Ahmadinejad's vitriolic verbal attacks against Washington's close regional ally Israel."

So, how much groveling by Obama on our behalf is required to represent change?

[Glenn Jordan]

Looks like Schumer's and the DSCC's investment in the NC media market is paying off as expected. Prepare for more of the same from Hagan through 2014.

What I'll find more fascinating is how the DSCC will handle an expected Heath Shuler campaign to win Richard Burr's seat. If Shuler is the Dem nominee, I have no idea how Burr can effectively campaign against him. Unlike Hagan, he's proven so far to be a sincere fiscal conservative, even more so than Burr.

It may turn out that the only thing that will stop Shuler is a scenario where the inside the beltway Dems convince the state's Democrat leaders to renergize the Hope and Change Express and run a Hagan-like insider against Shuler in the primary. Still too early to tell what will happen, but is fun speculating.

[Joe Guarino]

Thanks for all the comments.

Mary and Brenda, your use of the word "scam" to describe what is happening is pretty accurate. The premise that the SCHIPs expansion is being used to help the destitute is a brazen misrepresentation.

Stormy, there were valid reasons that the residents of Daschle's home state bounced him out of office. But his web of financial interrelationships with health care entities is fairly astonishing.

And Glenn, although you raise some good points, I am not sure I even want to think about Burr's seat right now. But he certainly needs to. But you make an interesting observation regarding what Hagan owes the national Democrats because of what the DSCC did for her.

[Stormy]

Yep, Mr. Dascle is to important to the nation not to confirm. Experts such as Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, and John Kerry say so. And, Daschle's excuse is "failed to report in-kind income in the form of a driver and car, saying he had become used to the treatment as Senate majority leader"???? Are you kidding me??? How can Obama and the Dems defend nominees like Dascle, Geithner, and Clinton knowing that they are ripping-off America, and everyone sees it. It makes it obvious that they are all huge hypocrites, at least to the ones that care about such things.

From the Huff Post:

"Kennedy is joined by Obama in continuing to support Daschle. "The president believes nobody's perfect but that nobody's hiding anything," Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman, told reporters."

"Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also come out behind Daschle. Schumer is the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate and a senior member of the finance committee, which will vote on Daschle's confirmation. "At a time when health care policy will dramatically change, we need Tom Daschle leading the effort as HHS Secretary. Tom identified and self-disclosed his oversight. I believe Tom's reputation for integrity will assure that he will be confirmed by the Senate Finance Committee and the full Senate," said Schumer."

"Daschle failed to report in-kind income in the form of a driver and car, saying he had become used to the treatment as Senate majority leader. His colleagues have defended Daschle by arguing that he self-reported the back taxes, admitted his mistakes and has rectified the situation."

"Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the foreign relations committee, backed Daschle and is also a senior member of the finance committee. "Tom Daschle has spent nearly three decades serving the public. It is important to put his experience to work during a critical time when our nation's healthcare system desperately needs an overhaul. I have confidence in his leadership ability."

[Bubba]

"Mr. Cunnigham sums up this space perfectly.
Thanks for the clarification."

In other words, you have nothing of substance or value to add to the material.

All you have is the "attitude".

Typical.....

[Booba]

"In other words, you have nothing of substance or value to add to the material."

In other words, you have nothing of substance or value to add to the material.

[bubba]

More evidence that when you see one charter member of the Confederacy of Dunces, it's quite likely you'll see another shortly thereafter...