Friday, April 1, 2011

We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it.

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5 comments:

TJE said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/health/policy/02medicaid.html?_r=1&hp

April 2, 2011 at 12:45 PM
PL said...

a) Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Oversight subcommittee may have just discovered this program- but it's not like it was a top-secret government program. It was in the bill, plain as day. Also, this article is really stupid because it suggests that the committee made the discovery. Wrong- it was originally reported in media reports resulting from a government-released report on the program. Finally, the program is designed to ensure that companies and insurance sponsors (like unions) provide health insurance to early-retirees until 2014. This is important because many of these people would be unable to be insured out on the open market because they are over the age of 50 and most likely have preexisting conditions that insurers would use to deny them coverage.

b) Also, it’s amusing how conservatives love to bring up the problems with the Medicaid program’s inadequate payments to providers. Hey, I’d be the first one in favor of increasing those payments. What do conservatives think about the issue? Well let’s look at their policy ideas- possibly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years, moving the expenses off the federal government’s books to states. States run by people like Haley Barbour who would just be delighted to cut more benefits and beneficiaries from the program. Yes, the solution to a second-tier health insurance program is to turn it into a third-tier program or increase the ranks of the uninsured by millions. Yes- it’s quite clear the conservatives are honestly concerned about the problems with the current Medicaid program.

April 2, 2011 at 6:23 PM
TJE said...

At GE, corporate welfare is our most important product.

April 2, 2011 at 8:05 PM
PL said...

You originally said on this topic "At GE tax breaks and other government subsidies are our most important products."

I notice the chance to using the word welfare.

Well, I guess I can be happy you think companies like GE should pay more in taxes.

April 2, 2011 at 11:00 PM
TJE said...

You go Russ:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/feingold_to_obama_fire_immelt-204462-1.html

April 3, 2011 at 6:05 AM

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