Congressman Lynn Westmoreland: Health bills deadly for Georgia small businesses

As federal reports out today show Georgia and the rest of the nation continuing to add to the unemployment rolls, congressional Democrats are forging ahead with health care proposals that will put small businesses on life support and hemorrhage more jobs.

“I hear each week from small business owners in Georgia’s 3rd District who are cutting back, trying to make ends meet, struggling to make payroll,” Westmoreland said. “They tell me in no uncertain terms: Adding on new health care taxes and mandates will leave us with no choice but to slash the number of employees we have. That scenario should scare congressmen even if our economy is at full employment, but it should serve as a huge flashing red light at a time when unemployment is at a 26-year high.”

The bills under consideration would impose a $208 billion tax on small businesses that cannot afford to provide health plans for their workers. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office asserts this mandate “could reduce the hiring of low-wage workers.”

Westmoreland calls the mandate “a tax on jobs.”

In addition, the primary House bill, HR 3200, would impose more than $500 billion in other taxes, including a surtax that will fall disproportionately on small business owners.

“There are many Georgians who are rightly leery of a government takeover of our health care system – 17 percent of the biggest economy in the world – and I’m one of those Georgians who has a problem with the idea,” Westmoreland said. “Regardless, I acknowledge that Americans can have legitimate differences of opinion on whether the so-called ‘public option’ is the right way for us to go. But we should all agree that our national focus right now should be on reviving our economy and creating jobs. As we’ve experienced in this painful recession, good-paying jobs are no longer a given. We have to create the right climate for small businesses to expand – or at this place and time just get back on their feet. Taxing small businesses for providing jobs takes us in the wrong direction.”

Westmoreland points out that Georgia has lost 131,900 jobs since the stimulus bill passed in February and its unemployment rate now tops 10 percent.
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Update on NEA story

Remember the White House co-opting the National Endowment for the Arts? Noticed the link the NEA has on their site promoting the White House health care plan on their website? Here's more:

Watchdogs Wary of Early Push by White House to 'Politicize' NEA

The White House convened a meeting of 60 artists to help push the president's domestic agenda in May, months before a controversial conference call with artists in August led to the reassignment and, on Thursday, the resignation of the communications director of the National Endowment for the Arts.

In what some critics are calling a "troubling" early effort by the Obama administration to politicize the NEA, rappers, dancers, writers and other activists from around the country were invited to a May 12 session next door to the White House, where they were "challenged to come up with promising and attractive ideas about how artists can work for the administration's agenda," according to a report written by organizers of the meeting...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/23/watchdogs-wary-early-push-white-house-politicize-nea/

How Obama Plans to Cover Illegal Alien's in Health Care Bill...

He'll just make 'em all legal. Here ya go, in his own words Wednesday night at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (and then another video at previous talk follows):

Physicians on Obamacare; Doctors Rally in Washington

I just returned from a Southern Crescent Tea Party meeting in Peachtree City (Georgia for my non-local readers ;-). What a great bunch of caring, educated, intelligent, strong, patriotic people were gathered in that room! The speaker tonight was a local pediatrician, Dr. John Potts.

I've been wanting to corner another doctor to ask what they're thinking about Obama's plans for health care! My doctor is 100% against it, turns out Dr. Potts isn't a believer either.

My biggest unanswered question had to do with the American Medical Association's endorsement of Obamacare. I was surprised that doctors would back a plan that seemingly will take away not only their revenue, but their ability to do what they think is best for their patients.

Dr. Potts estimated that maybe 5% of doctors were members. He isn't. He had a few guesses as to why the group was supporting the Obama / Pelosi / Reid plan, but nothing definitive. A few others joined in the discussion. The suggested reasons from Dr. Potts and others ranged from liberalism at the top to the political nature of the group.

Dr. Pott's feelings were that the vast majority of doctors were NOT supporting the president's outlined plan. He gave some great suggestions that he felt would work to reform healthcare, which I'll share later in a later blog. If you're paying attention to the issue, you're probably familiar with most, if not all, anyway!

I had intended to write about the Tea Party group tonight, not health care. However, when I sat down at the computer and checked my email prior to starting, I had an email from Georgia Urology (Atlanta) sharing that they had joined the efforts of docs4patientcare and were heading to Washington DC. In their own words:

"Doctors at Georgia Urology united with colleagues at Docs4 Patient Care and traveled to Washington D.C. today to let their voices be heard on the Healthcare Reform debate. The group is committed to preserving the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship, preserving the quality of patient care and supporting affordable access for all while protecting patients’ freedom of choice"

Coincidence or by divine design, I had to go check them out. Then, of course, I had to share with you guys.

Here's a video from their site:



I urge you to go check them out (http://www.docs4patientcare.org/) and, if you're a physician, join. I noticed an email update sign up, too.

Being the ever-curious person I am, I then went on a search to find out just how relevant the AMA was to doctors. I wanted to know what percentage of doctors were members and why in the world they'd sign on to the Obama / Pelosi health care killer. Here are some articles I found that I thought were worth sharing:

Here's a quote from Answers.com's article on the AMA (very interesting reading):
By 2000, the AMA claimed only about 30 percent of American doctors as members. The organization had struggled with dwindling membership for decades, and the trend did not seem as if it would reverse easily. (the article doesn't say what current membership is or the percentage, nor does it say they were able to reverse the trend).

How Relevant is the American Medical Association?

Like most doctors yesterday, I was in the busy seeing a full schedule of patients when President Obama addressed members of the American Medical Association at their annual meeting in Chicago. The speech was billed as a crucial confrontation over health reform, and anticipation had been building for quite some time. So I was too busy to learn anything about his remarks and the response until I got home. Then again, I’m not a member of the AMA. I never have been. Neither are very many of my physician friends and colleagues. In fact, the odds are that your doctor isn’t a member of the AMA... click to read more

More on the Washington Rally (how many of you even heard the doctors were doing this???): http://www.takebackmedicine.com/doctorsrally

Here's a link to the Association of American Physicians: http://www.aapsonline.org/

In this article the author claims the AMA represents 1/4 of all doctors:

Doctors Boo Obama in Chicago
Chicago
You would have thought it was Wrigley Field not the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
When President Obama told gathered physicians at the American Medical Association's annual meeting in his home town this month, "I'm not advocating caps on malpractice awards which I believe can be unfair to people who've been wrongfully harmed," he was booed like Chicago Cub Milton Bradey. "Yank him," was probably next.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Doctors-Boo-Obama-in-Chica-by-Martha-Rosenberg-090630-240.html

Here's an NPR article (they give the AMA 30%):

What Happened To The AMA's Clout?
The American Medical Association likes to call itself the voice of medicine. But lately it seems to be getting laryngitis.
Long one of the lobbying titans in the halls of Congress, the AMA is now just another voice in the cacophony of medical interest groups. And while it's still the largest physician group, the AMA represents an increasingly smaller percentage of the nation's practicing physicians — about one-third, by most counts.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105393162&ft=1&f=3

Enough for the night? I think so! I'm tired and have much to do before my head hits the pillow. I still don't know why the group would endorse Obama's plans, especially given their past history. Sumpin' is goin' on... I've heard anecdotally that they're losing members because of their stance on this issue. Don't know that to be true, but I know I'd be dropping MY membership!

I would like to thank Dr. Potts for standing up and being heard, not just by those in the meeting tonight (well over 60 people!), but he also penned a letter which will be on the Fayette Front Page and a few other places shortly.

I am encouraged when I see and hear all those who are working to turn our country away from the path Obama and many of our politicians are trying to push it along. Keep up the good -- no, the great work.

Herman Cain: Health Care Name Switcheroo

Hello Intelligent Thinkers,

Watch out! The Democrats are changing the terminology again. They are now talking about a "public option" in reference to a yet to be defined insurance co-operative. Calling it a "public option" makes it sound more appealing, but the "devil is in the details" as we discovered in H.R. 3200.

The good news is that President Obama and several Administration officials stated over the weekend that they are open to health care reform legislation that does not include the "government health insurance option".

Also, Senator Conrad (D-ND) said that the government option was a non-starter if they were going to get any kind of bi-partisan bill.

The "government health insurance option" and the "end-of-life counseling" provisions have been the most hotly contested areas of the Democrat's proposals in Congress. However, they are starting to show some signs of listening to "We the People". Although this is a good sign, beware, we have not heard from Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi on this yet.

The "Seven Ways to Make Health Care in America Better" have not changed. Let's hope they start listening to those ideas.

Don't forget to attend a town hall meeting of your Members of Congress so they can hear from you directly.

Thanks for speaking out. I know it is making a difference.

Herman Cain - Head Coach
Intelligent Thinkers Movement (over 43,000 members!)

As a reminder, my weekly commentary is now being published online exclusively by WorldNetDaily.com.

HERMAN'S UPCOMING APPEARANCES

Mayo Clinic calls House plan bad medicine

Obama loses support on reform

A world-renowned clinic that President Obama held up as an example of good medicine said Monday that the American people would be "losers" under the House's health care proposal, joining the growing chorus of critics the Obama administration is trying to fend off as the debate intensifies from Capitol Hill to Main Street.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/21/mayo-clinic-calls-house-plan-bad-medicine/?feat=home_cube_position1

Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan

Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.

Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Commentary by Betsy McCaughey
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_mccaughey&sid=aLzfDxfbwhzs

Military Alert: Will Obama go after TRICARE?

We had a call last night from a military friend who was concerned about reports that Barack Obama's administration was considering cutting or completely eliminating TRICARE for the military.

TRICARE provides comprehensive health care services for servicemembers, retirees and their dependents through a network of authorized providers and military facilities. It's an excellent program and allows our low-paid military access to reasonable healthcare.

The news that the Congressional Budget Office included numerous proposals to cut or eliminate TRICARE benefits for some or all of our military is burning up the wires in military circles. While the proposed cuts to TRICARE are only a small portion of the 115 healthcare options being presented to Obama and Congress, enacting any one of the proposals could have staggering affects on the bottom line for our active-duty and / or retired military.

I listened Sunday morning to George Stephanopoulos' (This Week) "interview" (and I use that term lightly, almost jokingly) of President-elect Barack Obama. One of the topics that George fed to Obama was that everyone would be expected to sacrifice. Obama expanded on the subject with a little prompting (see below for actual comments and a link to the full interview transcript).

I raised my eyebrow when I heard that one. I don't know of many who aren't sacrificing something already these days. Exactly what is he going to expect those barely hanging onto their homes to sacrifice? What about those without a job? Or is the "everyone" he's talking about only those who are above a certain socioeconomic level? Who's going to decide? There are lots of questions which will be answered over the next few years.

However Obama decides to spread the wealth and enforce sacrifices, I don't believe we should expect any additional sacrifices from our soldiers. The proposed cuts and changes (listed below) would take money from the pockets of retirees who gave their entire working life in service to our country. They worked for their benefits. They earned them unlike many others who get handouts from the government without any expectation of service.

Healthcare is the least we can do for our military. The idea that the incoming administration is even considering increasing costs, cutting benefits or doing away with TRICARE for many is disgraceful. It also flies in the face of the statements Barack Obama made during his campaign.

I'm hoping that everyone will put this issue on their watch list. If it looks like Obama is leaning toward enacting any of the horrific cuts to military healthcare being proposed by the Congressional Budget Office, we need to raise the alarm and make it a HUGE issue.

Here are some of the changes being proposed:

TRICARE FOR WORKING-AGE RETIREES– Fees, co-payments and deductibles would be raised for retirees under 62 to restore the relative costs paid when TRICARE began in 1995. TRICARE Prime enrollment would be raised to $550 a year for individuals from $230. Retiree families would pay $1100 versus $460 today. Co-pays for doctor visits would climb to $28 from $12 and users of TRICARE Standard and Extra would pay an annual deductible of $350 for an individual and $700 for families. Congress has declined to support such increases for the past three years.

FEES FOR ACTIVE DUTY FAMILIES– Dependents of active duty members enrolled in TRICARE Prime, the managed care network, would pay new fees equal to 10 percent of the cost of health services obtained either in military treatment facilities or through civilian network providers. Total out of pocket costs would be capped, however.

To help offset these costs, dependents would receive a $500 non-taxable allowance annually. Those who elect to use alternative health insurance, rather than TRICARE, could apply the $500 toward their health insurance premiums, co-payments or deductibles.

CBO estimates these fees would save $7 billion over 10 years and encourage Prime enrollees to “use medical services prudently.” It also would entice more spouses to enroll in employer-provided health plans instead of TRICARE. The downside, CBO said, would be financial difficulties for some Prime enrollees despite the cap on out-of-pocket costs. Also, CBO said, spouses induced to rely on employer health plans could see health coverage interrupted during military assignment relocations.

TRICARE-FOR-LIFE FEES– The military’s health insurance supplement to Medicare could see higher user costs. Under this option, beneficiaries would pay the first $525 of yearly medical costs plus one half of the next $4725 of costs charged to Medicare. So the extra out-of-pocket cost for TFL users would be up to $2887.50 a year. This amount would be indexed to rise with Medicare costs. The change would save $40 billion over 10 years. But CBO said it also could discourage some patients from seeking preventive care or proper management of chronic conditions. So it could negatively affect some patients’ health.

TIGHTEN VA ENROLLMENT– The VA healthcare system would be directed to disenroll 2.3 million Priority Groups 7 and 8 -- individuals who are not poor and have no service-related medical needs. Estimated savings would be $53 billion over 10 years but Medicare spending would rise by $26 billion in the same period as elderly among these vets shifted to Medicare. (Addded 1/16/09: Option 28. End Enrollment in VA Medical Care for Veterans in Priority Groups 7 and 8, page 56)

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CBO eyes military retirees, vets for health cost cuts
By Tom Philpott
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows why some military retirees and veterans could face higher out-of-pocket costs if the Obama administration and Congress take bold moves to reform the U.S. health system and to make federal health programs more efficient.
Among 115 “options” presented, though not endorsed, in the CBO report, several focus on raising TRICARE out-of-pocket costs for retirees and one for families. Others would tighten access to VA hospitals and clinics, or raise VA health fees, for veterans with no service-connected conditions...
http://www.fra.org/AM/template.cfm?template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7397&section=news

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Proposed Tricare Cuts Could Cause Problems For Military Families and Retirees
January 7, 2009
It’s pretty much a given fact that the men and women serving in our country’s Armed Forces aren’t paid a whole lot. A large majority of them are living paycheck to paycheck, barely getting by. Many of our Veterans are in the same position, some even worse off, as evidenced by the numbers of homeless veterans in our country. When I read about this particular proposal to cut Tricare benefits for Military Families and Veterans I was none too happy...
http://soldiersmind.com/2009/01/07/proposed-tricare-cuts-could-cause-problems-for-military-families-and-retirees/

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From Care2 posted during the election:
Barack's Plan For Military Families
Source: my.barackobama.com
Six local military wives joined the roundtable discussion to speak about their concerns and to find out how Barack's plan to support Virginia military families will help them...
Elaine, a 46-year-old military spouse and mother of teenagers, is a breast cancer survivor – she was diagnosed two years ago and worries that if her husband retires, she will not have proper health care insurance available for her full recovery process. Her husband was enlisted and recently became a commissioned offer in U.S. Navy active duty. Obama’s plan will help Elaine’s Family by fighting for pay parity for troops, providing better support for military families during deployment. Obama has fought against cuts to Tricare, which serves active duty troops as well as retirees. Obama’s health care plan will provide affordable health care options to all Americans and will prohibit insurers from discriminating against patients for preexisting conditions...
http://www.care2.com/politics/42150

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Exerts from 'This Week' Transcript: Barack Obama
Go here for full interview: http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/Economy/story?id=6618199&page=1

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me press you on this, at the end of the day, are you really talking about over the course of your presidency some kind of a grand bargain? That you have tax reform, health care reform, entitlement reform, including Social Security and Medicare where everybody in the country is going to have to sacrifice something, accept change for the greater good?
OBAMA: Yes.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And when will that get done?
OBAMA: Well, the -- right now I'm focused on a pretty heavy lift, which is making sure that we get that reinvestment and recovery package in place. But what you describe is exactly what we're going to have to do.
What we have to do is to take a look at our structural deficit, how are we paying for government, what are we getting for it, and how do we make the system more efficient?
STEPHANOPOULOS: And eventually sacrifice from everyone.
OBAMA: Everybody is going to have to give. Everybody is going to have to have some skin in the game.

Obama's comments on Healthcare cuts during the Stephanopoulos interview:

STEPHANOPOULOS: So how do you pay for health care?
OBAMA: Well, you know, these are going to be major challenges. And we're going to have to make some tough choices. Now what I've done is indicated to my team that we've got to eliminate programs that don't work.
And I'll give you an example in the health care area. We are spending a lot of money subsidizing the insurance companies around something called Medicare Advantage, a program that gives them subsidies to accept Medicare recipients but doesn't necessarily make people on Medicare healthier.
And if we eliminate that and other programs, we can potentially save $200 billion out of the health care system that we're currently spending and take that money and use it in ways that are actually going to make people healthier and improve quality.