We’ve all heard plenty about some of the backroom deals being discussed in Congress to secure votes for health care legislation – the Cornhusker Kickback for Nebraska, the Louisiana Purchase – just to name a few. Voters made aware? Issue resolved? Not even.
After some strong words about removing all special deals from the legislation, the White House has backed down and determined that deals involving more than one state are OK. That seems like a pretty loose rule, as it doesn’t apply to these special deals in the bill that won’t be removed:
An exemption for Medicare Advantage recipients in Florida (3 counties in particular) assuring they won’t lose their coverage, even though those in every other state will – including North Carolina.
Another deal extends Medicare coverage to residents of Montana. A third deal allocates $100 million for the construction of a hospital in Connecticut. States represented by – you guessed it – Senators Max Baucus and Chris Dodd, key players in health care reform.
With all the special deals and Speaker Pelosi threatening to pass the bill without a vote – Is anyone in Congress concerned about the legality of this process? Or shocked by the absurdity?
Leave a Comment