Healthcare Pork: Senate Bill Laden with Favors, Pet Projects for Democrats

Yum Yum Nothing like a little pork for breakfast. This is what it is really all about to these pinheads in DC. When does a BRIBE become legal nowadays? Yeah Yeah politics is full of legal and illegal bribes. What is the difference?

These bribes were put in motion to change the face of our nation forever. This has gone way beyond anything that I could imagine.

Here's a look at some other winners and losers in the latest version of the legislation, which was expected to survive an initial test vote in the Senate around 1 a.m. Monday.

WINNERS

* Cosmetic surgeons, who fended off a 5 percent tax on their procedures.
* Nebraska, Louisiana, Vermont and Massachusetts. These states are getting more federal help with Medicaid than other states. In the case of Nebraska — represented by Sen. Ben Nelson, who's providing the critical 60th vote for the legislation to pass — the federal government is picking up 100 percent of the tab of a planned expansion of the program, in perpetuity. Vermont and Massachusetts get temporary increases in the federal share of their Medicaid tabs. In Louisiana, moderate Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu negotiated $100 million for 2011 before announcing her support for the legislation.
* Beneficiaries of Medicare Advantage plans — the private managed-care plans within Medicare — in Florida. Hundreds of thousands of them will have their benefits grandfathered in thanks to a provision tailored by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., that also affects a much smaller number of seniors in a few other states.
* Longshoremen. They were added to the list of workers in high-risk professions who are shielded from the full impact of a proposed new tax on high-value insurance plans. (Electrical linemen were already included, along with policemen, firefighters, emergency first responders and workers in construction, mining, forestry, fishing and certain agriculture jobs.)
* Community health centers. They got $10 billion more in the revised bill, thanks to advocacy by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
* A handful of physician-owned hospitals being built around the country — including one in Bellevue, Neb. — which would be permitted to get referrals from the doctors who own them, avoiding a new ban in the Senate bill that will apply to hospitals built in the future. Without mentioning Nebraska or other states by name, the Senate bill pushes back some legal deadlines by several months, in effect making a few hospitals that are near completion eligible to continue receiving referrals from the doctors who own them. The provision was described by a pair of health industry lobbyists who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak freely. Chalk up another win for Nelson.
* AARP, the lobby for elderly people. The new Democratic bill has about $1 billion in extra Medicaid payments to states that provide visiting nurses and other in-home or community services to prevent low-income people from needing to be admitted to hospitals. In House-Senate bargaining, AARP also is expected to win one of their top priorities: a full closing of the so-called "doughnut hole," the gap in Medicare's coverage of prescription drugs.
* Doctors and hospitals in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, who will get paid more than providers elsewhere under formulas in the bill.


LOSERS

* Tanning salons, which are getting hit with a 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services, replacing the cosmetic surgery tax.
* Progressives. They had to give up on their long-held dream of a new government-run insurance plan so that Democratic leaders could lock down the necessary votes from moderates.
* People making over $200,000 a year. A proposed 0.5 percent increase in the Medicare payroll tax was bumped up to 0.9 percent in the latest version, putting the tax at 2.35 percent on income over $200,000 a year for individuals, $250,000 for couples.
* Generic drug makers. They fought unsuccessfully to block 12 years of protection that makers of brand-name biotech drugs — expensive pharmaceuticals made from living cells — will get against generic would-be competitors.

newsmax.com...

I guess none of that's too juicy but the loser lust cracks me up.
Losers:
Tanning salons
Progressives
the Rich
Generic Drug makers
-what a motley crew.

Im guessing Big Pharm is gonna come out swinging. God forbid we reform them.

Of course it's a pork fest!!! The merits of the Bill on the surface are completely NON-EXISTANT! This bill does nothing to reform healthcare! No Tort Reform, no open-market competition, no throttle on big pharma - NOTHING! The only way to ram this through was to offer gifts and goodies to the Democrats to get them on board.

Now, I'm no Republican and liken most of them to the traitorous Democrats - but has anyone noticed that not ONE Republilcan accepted a pay-off to vote for this bill? Either none were offered, or they exhibited at least a little principle in not accepting them. Either way, this bill is bad for America and China intends to withdraw further funding of the American dream! We're screwed - oil up your guns!

reply to post by kozmo


They probably did not need rep sen, to go with it. Thats why you do not see any going to other side.

I think its to keep the pretense of the partisan illusion of reps and dems.