Should the KennedyCare Bill Be Fastracked Without Final Language and a Fiscal Note?
Question by Tony H: Should the KennedyCare bill be fastracked without final language and a fiscal note?
* The deadline for amendments to the Kennedy bill is MONDAY
* A notice has been sent out that mark-up will begin TUESDAY
* Sen,. Coburn says they still don’t even have the language on
* 3 sections of the bill.
* And of course, it hasn’t been scored.
Senate Democrats plan to rush Senator Ted Kennedy’s “Affordable Health Choices Act” to passage next week. The bill is missing language (eg. public health insurance option) and hasn’t even being scored for cost! It doesn’t even have a bill number yet. It needs to be DELAYED.
lowlights from the entire 615-page bill as currently written.
It’s enough to take your breath…and freedom…away! It includes:
* 2009 version of Hillary Clinton’s Regional Alliances called American Health Benefit Gateways (SEC 143) with can be established by a State, the Federal government, or in regions.
* Penalties for anyone who goes uninsured (SEC 161).
* “Right Choices Program” to identify the uninsured and encourage them to get insured (SEC 311).
* Government in charge of deciding what is and is not “effective” or “quality” health care (SEC 219).
* Doctors paid for their “performance” – compliance with government treatment directives (SEC 143).
* Medicare-like program for people age 55 – 63…and a brand new trust fund (SEC 181).
* New bureaucracies, including the Medical Advisory Council, the Interagency Coordinating Working Group on Health Care Quality, a Patient Safety Research Center, Shared Decision-Making Resource Centers and a Center for Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation.
* Five, yes FIVE, new Offices on Women’s Health. One for the Secretary of HHS and the rest in four in separate HHS agencies. The cost: “such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014.” (SEC 221)
* Program to look at the health impact of anything “built” in the environment including homes.(SEC 333)
* $ 10,000,000,000 for prevention, wellness, a new prevention Council, and public health activities including prevention research and health screenings (and data collection) (SEC 301).
* Collection of private health data at every turn, including in the workplace (SEC 334).
* Ready Reserve Corps established to help health departments for routine public health and emergency response missions. (SEC 430)
* New “Primary Care Extension Agencies” created by also new “State Hubs” will be created to help primary care clinics get in line with what this bill means to do, including creation of “medical homes,” the new gatekeeper model. (SEC 455)
* Plan to hunt for “fraud, waste and abuse” (no definitions) in not only government programs, but also in private health insurance. (SEC. 511) Is the care you want outside government guidelines, and thus deemed fraudulent? Your doctor could possibly be fined or imprisoned or both.
Russ.
Ted Kennedy was the major author and sponsor of the HMO bill that Nixon signed..
http://www.cchconline.org/privacy/hmoart.php3
Best answer:
Answer by Liberal Asskicker
“Fasttracking” is incompatible with a democracy.
(Are you afraid of debate?)
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!