Whip Blogger Conference Call Highlights
I just finished participating in another blogger conference call hosted by House Chief Deputy Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy. This week’s topic was the America’s
Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. Drs. Burgess, Fleming and Gingrey participated, as did Rep. Lynn Jennkins.
Rep. McCarthy said that the Mayo Clinic criticized the Obama administration. Here’s what the Mayo Clinic’s statement said:
Minnesota’s not-for-profit Mayo Clinic, which Mr. Obama has repeatedly hailed as offering top quality care at affordable costs, blasted the House Democrats’ version of the health care plan as lawmakers continue to grapple with several bills from each chamber and multiple committees.
The Mayo Clinic said there are some positive elements of the bill, but overall “the proposed legislation misses the opportunity to help create higher quality, more affordable health care for patients.”
“In fact, it will do the opposite,” clinic officials said, because the proposals aren’t [R]patient-focused or results-oriented. “The real losers will be the citizens of the United States.”
Rep. McCarthy said that the AMA’s endorsement of the House bill wasn’t as potent as the Democrats are playing it up to being. He said state chapters had distanced themselves from the legislation.
One of the key topics discussed was whether Blue Dog Democrats would stick together and present principled opposition to the bill currently being debated in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It was mentioned that Blue Dogs have a history of not sticking together regardless of the issue. The impression left was that there’s no reason to think that the results of this legislation will be any different.
Drs. Burgess and Gingrey serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee so I asked them their opinion of what this legislation would do to rural health care. Dr. Gingrey said that this is a major concern because of some anticipated changes to Medicare. Dr. Gingrey said that hospitals that have a disproportionate amount of people who are either on Medicare and Medicaid or who aren’t insured get reimbursed more by law. President Obama has said on the record that that won’t be necessary because of the reforms being put in place.
Dr. Burgess said that he held two conference calls yesterday, one with rural hospital administrators, the other with orban/suburban hospital administrators. He said both groups said that the uncertainty has put them on hold in terms of hiring and for putting next year’s budgets together. Until this issue gets properly resolved, they’ll be “frozen in time.”
Additionally, Drs. Burgess and Gingrey said that the current legislation has the potential to severely hurt rural hospitals.
Dr. Fleming chimed in, too, saying that administrators are telling him, too, that the wrong types of changes could hurt hospitals for quite some time.
Another question asked was about the significance of Democratic governors like moderate Bill Richardson of New Mexico and ultraleftie Christine Gregoire of Washington criticizing the various reform plans. The response was that there’s a very practical reason for their objections.
There is a provision in the Affordable Health Choices Act that initially provides for the additional costs that states would incur. States wouldn’t be affected by the additional costs initially. The costs that they will incur will happen after the first five years that the program is in place.
In other words, the legislation would give the states some carrots initially to entice them to support the plan. After the states got addicted to the money, however, the federal government would eliminate those enticements, leaving governors to foot the bill.
I expect the Affordable Health Choices Act to eventually pass in the House because enough Blue Dogs will support the legislation. I also expect that alot of Democrats will lose in November, 2010, partially because they will be portrayed as not being principled politicians after taking a number of difficult votes in both the committee and on the House floor and partially because the legislation is terrible legislation that would hurt families, doctors and hospitals.
Technorati Tags: Bloggers, Conference Calls, Kevin McCarthy, Lynn Jenkins, Phil Gingrey, Michael Burgess, John Fleming, Doctors, Rural Hospitals, Medicare, Republicans, Bill Richardson, Christine Gregoire, Governors, Democrats, Election 2010
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog