Tuesday, 22 December 2009 14:29
The WSJ’s “Republicans Take Aim at Deal-Making” today reveals some of the fine print of the Reid bill. Touted by Reid as the “art of compromise”, the bill contains the following back-room details:
- Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa won a provision to increase Medicare payments to the many medium-sized hospitals in his state.
- Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont won a $10 billion clause for the funding of community health centers.
- Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the big winner in the health reform sweepstakes, negotiated a provision for the Federal government to pick up the tab for any new Medicaid costs in his home state.
- Senator Chris Dodd from Connecticut “crafted” a $100 million provision that favors hospitals such as the John Dempsey Hospital at the University of Connecticut.
- Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota championed an agreement to help hospitals in rural states.
- Senator Max Baucus won funding for a Superfund site (hazardous waste clean-up) in his home state of Montana.
This pork-barrel politicking makes one want to take a shower. Lest the Senators have all the fun, the American Medical Association endorsed the bill only after successfully defeating a new tax on cosmetic surgery, the so-called “Botax”. Alas, without the “Botax”, some institution had to make up for this lost revenue. And so, in addition to the American people, the big loser in the Reid bill seems to be the tanning salon industry who must fork out an estimated $2.7 billion over 10 years. You just can’t make this stuff up.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126144830913601141.html