OUR APPOLOGIES FOR EARLIER REPORTING CONG LIPINSKI VOTE AYE
(March 21, 2010) Today, Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) released the following statement regarding his decision to vote against the Senate health care bill:
“My decision to vote against the Senate health care bill is the result of months of studying our broken health care system, developing and analyzing various proposals for reform, studying legislation, and listening closely to my constituents. I want to thank each and every one of the thousands of Third District residents who contacted me by phone, fax, email, and in person to share their views for and against the bill.
“As I have said many times, I strongly believe reform is needed to lower soaring health care costs and make insurance coverage more affordable and accessible for individuals and working families. But reform must be done right. The Senate bill does make a number of improvements to our health care system, including expanding access and reforming health insurance by doing such things as immediately banning discrimination based on pre-existing conditions for children, prohibiting lifetime coverage limits, and banning rescissions. Unfortunately, the bill also contains a number of serious flaws, and many of the good aspects could have been done without passing this massive bill. The Senate bill does not do enough to lower the skyrocketing cost of health care, cuts more than $400 billion from Medicare, is not fiscally sustainable over the long term, and breaks with the status quo by providing federal funding for abortion and abortion coverage. This bill was also marred by backroom deals that benefit pharmaceutical companies and other special interests. In the final analysis, I cannot support such a deeply flawed bill.
“Last November, after successfully fighting to make numerous improvements to the initial House health care bill, I voted to move the measure forward. I did so because I did not want to give up on reform, and because I believed we might still be able to fix the flaws in the bill before a final vote. However, I made my position very clear at the time, stating: ‘If this bill does not improve when it comes back from the Senate, I will vote against it.’ Unfortunately, the final bill is in many ways worse, not better, than the House legislation.
“To deserve the name of reform, a bill of this magnitude ought to make major progress on reducing health care costs, which continue to increase at unsustainable rates. Since 1980, overall spending on health care has risen on average at almost twice the rate of inflation, and per capita health care spending is nearly double what it was 10 years ago. Unless we address these increases, health care will continue to gobble up more and more of people’s income, and more and more of our tax dollars, until we reach a breaking point. Government subsidies alone cannot solve the problem of the increasing burden that skyrocketing health care costs impose on middle class Americans. We must change payment incentives for providers and this bill does not accomplish that.
“As the Congressional Budget Office has stated, the Senate health care bill would do little to affect the cost of premiums for those who currently get their health care through large employers. Since 70 percent of Americans who are not on Medicare are in this group, this bill fails to sufficiently reduce costs for the majority of working families in the Third District. The Senate bill also does not include several specific measures that were in the House bill that could increase competition. These include the elimination of the health insurance industry’s anti-trust exemption and a provision to begin to require health care providers to disclose their prices.
“I am also concerned that the bill’s more than $400 billion in Medicare cuts could have ramifications for seniors in my district. For instance, the Senate bill reduces Medicare reimbursements to providers – such as hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies – by over $200 billion. The Chief Actuary of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has stated that these cuts would likely result in roughly 20 percent of providers becoming unprofitable; this could lead to providers refusing to take care of seniors on Medicare. And if these cuts are going to be made to Medicare, the money should at least be put in the Medicare Trust Fund instead of being spent elsewhere as this bill does. In addition, unlike the House bill, the Senate bill does not allow the government to negotiate for lower drug prices, which I have long supported.
“I am also greatly concerned about the impact of this bill on our ballooning deficit. While the Congressional Budget Office has stated that the bill would officially reduce the deficit, close inspection of this analysis reveals serious problems. The CBO counts as deficit reduction over $70 billion in premiums that will be paid into the newly created CLASS Act. This well-intentioned program to provide long-term care for people with disabilities should be keeping this money in a trust fund to pay out future benefits instead of being spent elsewhere. And even if these premiums were kept in a trust fund, CBO states that the CLASS Act is fiscally unsustainable after two decades, when benefit payouts will significantly overwhelm the premiums coming in. Further, $29 billion in increased Social Security receipts are counted towards deficit reduction although they ought to remain in the Social Security Trust Fund.
“The bill also does not address this year’s scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors; when Congress votes to do this, likely later this year, it will cost over $200 billion over the next 10 years. Also, the CBO score assumes that in later years, the growth in federal subsidies would suddenly be allowed to decline, and that the tax on middle-class insurance plans – which I and many others already oppose – would be expanded. If Congress will not do these things today, why would it do so tomorrow? Taken together, these elements more than wipe out the supposed savings.
“Finally, of great concern to me and to a significant majority of my constituents, this bill changes current federal policy and provides funding for abortion. This is not acceptable. It is in direct contradiction of the Hyde Amendment, which for more than three decades has prohibited federally funded abortion. First, the bill allows federal funds to subsidize health plans in the insurance exchanges that cover abortion. For any insurance plan that receives federal subsidies and provides abortion, all participants would be required to contribute at least $1 per month that would fund abortion services, regardless of whether they want abortion coverage or not. It also opens the door for Community Health Centers receiving federal funding under the bill to use that money to pay for abortion. I do not believe the last minute effort to address these concerns through an Executive Order is sufficient because there is every indication that federal courts would strike down this order, and the order could be repealed at any time in the future.
For all of these reasons, I cannot support the health care bill. I am deeply disappointed that Congress did not develop a better bill. But whatever this bill’s fate, I will not stop fighting against special interests and for improvements to our health care system that will benefit all of the residents of the Third District. And in the days, weeks, and months ahead, I will continue working to create jobs and revive our economy.”
Showing posts with label Healthcare Passes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthcare Passes. Show all posts
Monday, March 22, 2010
President Obama's Remarks Following Passage of the Healthcare Bill
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON THE HOUSE VOTE ON HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM
March 21, 2010
East Room
11:47 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, everybody. Tonight, after nearly 100 years of talk and frustration, after decades of trying, and a year of sustained effort and debate, the United States Congress finally declared that America’s workers and America's families and America's small businesses deserve the security of knowing that here, in this country, neither illness nor accident should endanger the dreams they’ve worked a lifetime to achieve.
Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics. We pushed back on the undue influence of special interests. We didn't give in to mistrust or to cynicism or to fear. Instead, we proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things and tackling our biggest challenges. We proved that this government -- a government of the people and by the people -- still works for the people.
I want to thank every member of Congress who stood up tonight with courage and conviction to make health care reform a reality. And I know this wasn’t an easy vote for a lot of people. But it was the right vote. I want to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her extraordinary leadership, and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn for their commitment to getting the job done. I want to thank my outstanding Vice President, Joe Biden, and my wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, for their fantastic work on this issue. I want to thank the many staffers in Congress, and my own incredible staff in the White House, who have worked tirelessly over the past year with Americans of all walks of life to forge a reform package finally worthy of the people we were sent here to serve.
Today’s vote answers the dreams of so many who have fought for this reform. To every unsung American who took the time to sit down and write a letter or type out an e-mail hoping your voice would be heard -- it has been heard tonight. To the untold numbers who knocked on doors and made phone calls, who organized and mobilized out of a firm conviction that change in this country comes not from the top down, but from the bottom up -- let me reaffirm that conviction: This moment is possible because of you.
Most importantly, today’s vote answers the prayers of every American who has hoped deeply for something to be done about a health care system that works for insurance companies, but not for ordinary people. For most Americans, this debate has never been about abstractions, the fight between right and left, Republican and Democrat -- it’s always been about something far more personal. It’s about every American who knows the shock of opening an envelope to see that their premiums just shot up again when times are already tough enough. It’s about every parent who knows the desperation of trying to cover a child with a chronic illness only to be told “no” again and again and again. It’s about every small business owner forced to choose between insuring employees and staying open for business. They are why we committed ourselves to this cause.
Tonight’s vote is not a victory for any one party -- it's a victory for them. It's a victory for the American people. And it's a victory for common sense.
Now, it probably goes without saying that tonight’s vote will give rise to a frenzy of instant analysis. There will be tallies of Washington winners and losers, predictions about what it means for Democrats and Republicans, for my poll numbers, for my administration. But long after the debate fades away and the prognostication fades away and the dust settles, what will remain standing is not the government-run system some feared, or the status quo that serves the interests of the insurance industry, but a health care system that incorporates ideas from both parties -- a system that works better for the American people.
If you have health insurance, this reform just gave you more control by reining in the worst excesses and abuses of the insurance industry with some of the toughest consumer protections this country has ever known -- so that you are actually getting what you pay for.
If you don’t have insurance, this reform gives you a chance to be a part of a big purchasing pool that will give you choice and competition and cheaper prices for insurance. And it includes the largest health care tax cut for working families and small businesses in history -- so that if you lose your job and you change jobs, start that new business, you’ll finally be able to purchase quality, affordable care and the security and peace of mind that comes with it.
This reform is the right thing to do for our seniors. It makes Medicare stronger and more solvent, extending its life by almost a decade. And it’s the right thing to do for our future. It will reduce our deficit by more than $100 billion over the next decade, and more than $1 trillion in the decade after that.
So this isn’t radical reform. But it is major reform. This legislation will not fix everything that ails our health care system. But it moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like.
Now as momentous as this day is, it's not the end of this journey. On Tuesday, the Senate will take up revisions to this legislation that the House has embraced, and these are revisions that have strengthened this law and removed provisions that had no place in it. Some have predicted another siege of parliamentary maneuvering in order to delay adoption of these improvements. I hope that’s not the case. It’s time to bring this debate to a close and begin the hard work of implementing this reform properly on behalf of the American people. This year, and in years to come, we have a solemn responsibility to do it right.
Nor does this day represent the end of the work that faces our country. The work of revitalizing our economy goes on. The work of promoting private sector job creation goes on. The work of putting American families’ dreams back within reach goes on. And we march on, with renewed confidence, energized by this victory on their behalf.
In the end, what this day represents is another stone firmly laid in the foundation of the American Dream. Tonight, we answered the call of history as so many generations of Americans have before us. When faced with crisis, we did not shrink from our challenge -- we overcame it. We did not avoid our responsibility -- we embraced it. We did not fear our future -- we shaped it.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
END
ON THE HOUSE VOTE ON HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM
March 21, 2010
East Room
11:47 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, everybody. Tonight, after nearly 100 years of talk and frustration, after decades of trying, and a year of sustained effort and debate, the United States Congress finally declared that America’s workers and America's families and America's small businesses deserve the security of knowing that here, in this country, neither illness nor accident should endanger the dreams they’ve worked a lifetime to achieve.
Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics. We pushed back on the undue influence of special interests. We didn't give in to mistrust or to cynicism or to fear. Instead, we proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things and tackling our biggest challenges. We proved that this government -- a government of the people and by the people -- still works for the people.
I want to thank every member of Congress who stood up tonight with courage and conviction to make health care reform a reality. And I know this wasn’t an easy vote for a lot of people. But it was the right vote. I want to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her extraordinary leadership, and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn for their commitment to getting the job done. I want to thank my outstanding Vice President, Joe Biden, and my wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, for their fantastic work on this issue. I want to thank the many staffers in Congress, and my own incredible staff in the White House, who have worked tirelessly over the past year with Americans of all walks of life to forge a reform package finally worthy of the people we were sent here to serve.
Today’s vote answers the dreams of so many who have fought for this reform. To every unsung American who took the time to sit down and write a letter or type out an e-mail hoping your voice would be heard -- it has been heard tonight. To the untold numbers who knocked on doors and made phone calls, who organized and mobilized out of a firm conviction that change in this country comes not from the top down, but from the bottom up -- let me reaffirm that conviction: This moment is possible because of you.
Most importantly, today’s vote answers the prayers of every American who has hoped deeply for something to be done about a health care system that works for insurance companies, but not for ordinary people. For most Americans, this debate has never been about abstractions, the fight between right and left, Republican and Democrat -- it’s always been about something far more personal. It’s about every American who knows the shock of opening an envelope to see that their premiums just shot up again when times are already tough enough. It’s about every parent who knows the desperation of trying to cover a child with a chronic illness only to be told “no” again and again and again. It’s about every small business owner forced to choose between insuring employees and staying open for business. They are why we committed ourselves to this cause.
Tonight’s vote is not a victory for any one party -- it's a victory for them. It's a victory for the American people. And it's a victory for common sense.
Now, it probably goes without saying that tonight’s vote will give rise to a frenzy of instant analysis. There will be tallies of Washington winners and losers, predictions about what it means for Democrats and Republicans, for my poll numbers, for my administration. But long after the debate fades away and the prognostication fades away and the dust settles, what will remain standing is not the government-run system some feared, or the status quo that serves the interests of the insurance industry, but a health care system that incorporates ideas from both parties -- a system that works better for the American people.
If you have health insurance, this reform just gave you more control by reining in the worst excesses and abuses of the insurance industry with some of the toughest consumer protections this country has ever known -- so that you are actually getting what you pay for.
If you don’t have insurance, this reform gives you a chance to be a part of a big purchasing pool that will give you choice and competition and cheaper prices for insurance. And it includes the largest health care tax cut for working families and small businesses in history -- so that if you lose your job and you change jobs, start that new business, you’ll finally be able to purchase quality, affordable care and the security and peace of mind that comes with it.
This reform is the right thing to do for our seniors. It makes Medicare stronger and more solvent, extending its life by almost a decade. And it’s the right thing to do for our future. It will reduce our deficit by more than $100 billion over the next decade, and more than $1 trillion in the decade after that.
So this isn’t radical reform. But it is major reform. This legislation will not fix everything that ails our health care system. But it moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like.
Now as momentous as this day is, it's not the end of this journey. On Tuesday, the Senate will take up revisions to this legislation that the House has embraced, and these are revisions that have strengthened this law and removed provisions that had no place in it. Some have predicted another siege of parliamentary maneuvering in order to delay adoption of these improvements. I hope that’s not the case. It’s time to bring this debate to a close and begin the hard work of implementing this reform properly on behalf of the American people. This year, and in years to come, we have a solemn responsibility to do it right.
Nor does this day represent the end of the work that faces our country. The work of revitalizing our economy goes on. The work of promoting private sector job creation goes on. The work of putting American families’ dreams back within reach goes on. And we march on, with renewed confidence, energized by this victory on their behalf.
In the end, what this day represents is another stone firmly laid in the foundation of the American Dream. Tonight, we answered the call of history as so many generations of Americans have before us. When faced with crisis, we did not shrink from our challenge -- we overcame it. We did not avoid our responsibility -- we embraced it. We did not fear our future -- we shaped it.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
END
Statement by Congresswoman Melissa Bean
From Congresswoman Melissa Bean
Yesterday morning, I announced my support for the final health insurance reform legislation that will come to a vote within the next few days. After receipt and thorough review of reconciliation language and the Congressional Budget Office score, I am confident that these reforms will provide Americans with the health care security, affordability and choice they seek, while yielding an historic federal budget deficit reduction of $1.3 trillion.
You've heard a lot of distortions and misinformation about this legislation, and you've heard about process and politics, but here’s the truth about who benefits:
*32 million uninsured Americans (31,500 8th District Families) will finally have access to affordable coverage choices
*Families with insurance will have healthcare security by prohibiting health insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, dropping insurance when a family needs it most, or capping lifetime benefits.
*Taxpayers will benefit from the most significant deficit reduction in more than 10 years, cutting our federal deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next 20 years (according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office)
*Seniors will benefit from protections and extensions to the Medicare system, while reducing costs in the “doughnut hole” thus lowering the overall cost of lifesaving prescription drugs
*Small business owners and employees will be able to pool together to access lower rates and a wider choice of insurance plans.
As a fiscal conservative, it was important to me that this legislation benefit not just our physical health but our fiscal health as well. In addition to the deficit reduction cited above, many experts, including those at the Mayo Clinic, expect that the bill’s significant reforms are likely to present additional cost reductions for both government and the private sector.
There are many who will oppose this historic legislation because real change is never easy. Misinformation campaigns will continue, the opposition may get ugly, but one thing is clear: our economy can’t survive if we continue to spend almost $2.5 trillion on health care each year. I look forward to getting home and proudly telling my daughters about how Mom got to vote to make America healthier.
Please share this information with your loved ones, friends, neighbors and business associates. If we can save lives and save money, why would we wait?
Sincerely,
Melissa Bean
Yesterday morning, I announced my support for the final health insurance reform legislation that will come to a vote within the next few days. After receipt and thorough review of reconciliation language and the Congressional Budget Office score, I am confident that these reforms will provide Americans with the health care security, affordability and choice they seek, while yielding an historic federal budget deficit reduction of $1.3 trillion.
You've heard a lot of distortions and misinformation about this legislation, and you've heard about process and politics, but here’s the truth about who benefits:
*32 million uninsured Americans (31,500 8th District Families) will finally have access to affordable coverage choices
*Families with insurance will have healthcare security by prohibiting health insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, dropping insurance when a family needs it most, or capping lifetime benefits.
*Taxpayers will benefit from the most significant deficit reduction in more than 10 years, cutting our federal deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next 20 years (according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office)
*Seniors will benefit from protections and extensions to the Medicare system, while reducing costs in the “doughnut hole” thus lowering the overall cost of lifesaving prescription drugs
*Small business owners and employees will be able to pool together to access lower rates and a wider choice of insurance plans.
As a fiscal conservative, it was important to me that this legislation benefit not just our physical health but our fiscal health as well. In addition to the deficit reduction cited above, many experts, including those at the Mayo Clinic, expect that the bill’s significant reforms are likely to present additional cost reductions for both government and the private sector.
There are many who will oppose this historic legislation because real change is never easy. Misinformation campaigns will continue, the opposition may get ugly, but one thing is clear: our economy can’t survive if we continue to spend almost $2.5 trillion on health care each year. I look forward to getting home and proudly telling my daughters about how Mom got to vote to make America healthier.
Please share this information with your loved ones, friends, neighbors and business associates. If we can save lives and save money, why would we wait?
Sincerely,
Melissa Bean
WHITE HOUSE Issues Executive Order Regarding Restrictions on Federal Funding of Abortion
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
The President announced that he will be issuing an executive order after the passage of the health insurance reform law that will reaffirm its consistency with longstanding restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion.
While the legislation as written maintains current law, the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the health care legislation’s restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented.
The President has said from the start that this health insurance reform should not be the forum to upset longstanding precedent. The health care legislation and this executive order are consistent with this principle.
The President is grateful for the tireless efforts of leaders on both sides of this issue to craft a consensus approach that allows the bill to move forward.
A text of the pending executive order follows:
Executive Order
- - - - - - -
ensuring enforcement and implementation of abortion restrictions in the patient protection and affordable care act
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (approved March __, 2010), I hereby order as follows:
Section 1. Policy.
Following the recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“the Act”), it is necessary to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), consistent with a longstanding Federal statutory restriction that is commonly known as the Hyde Amendment. The purpose of this Executive Order is to establish a comprehensive, government-wide set of policies and procedures to achieve this goal and to make certain that all relevant actors—Federal officials, state officials (including insurance regulators) and health care providers—are aware of their responsibilities, new and old.
The Act maintains current Hyde Amendment restrictions governing abortion policy and extends those restrictions to the newly-created health insurance exchanges. Under the Act, longstanding Federal laws to protect conscience (such as the Church Amendment, 42 U.S.C. §300a-7, and the Weldon Amendment, Pub. L. No. 111-8, §508(d)(1) (2009)) remain intact and new protections prohibit discrimination against health care facilities and health care providers because of an unwillingness to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.
Numerous executive agencies have a role in ensuring that these restrictions are enforced, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Section 2. Strict Compliance with Prohibitions on Abortion Funding in Health Insurance Exchanges. The Act specifically prohibits the use of tax credits and cost-sharing reduction payments to pay for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) in the health insurance exchanges that will be operational in 2014. The Act also imposes strict payment and accounting requirements to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services in exchange plans (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) and requires state health insurance commissioners to ensure that exchange plan funds are segregated by insurance companies in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, OMB funds management circulars, and accounting guidance provided by the Government Accountability Office.
I hereby direct the Director of OMB and the Secretary of HHS to develop, within 180 days of the date of this Executive Order, a model set of segregation guidelines for state health insurance commissioners to use when determining whether exchange plans are complying with the Act’s segregation requirements, established in Section 1303 of the Act, for enrollees receiving Federal financial assistance. The guidelines shall also offer technical information that states should follow to conduct independent regular audits of insurance companies that participate in the health insurance exchanges. In developing these model guidelines, the Director of OMB and the Secretary of HHS shall consult with executive agencies and offices that have relevant expertise in accounting principles, including, but not limited to, the Department of the Treasury, and with the Government Accountability Office. Upon completion of those model guidelines, the Secretary of HHS should promptly initiate a rulemaking to issue regulations, which will have the force of law, to interpret the Act’s segregation requirements, and shall provide guidance to state health insurance commissioners on how to comply with the model guidelines.
Section 3. Community Health Center Program.
The Act establishes a new Community Health Center (CHC) Fund within HHS, which provides additional Federal funds for the community health center program. Existing law prohibits these centers from using federal funds to provide abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), as a result of both the Hyde Amendment and longstanding regulations containing the Hyde language. Under the Act, the Hyde language shall apply to the authorization and appropriations of funds for Community Health Centers under section 10503 and all other relevant provisions. I hereby direct the Secretary of HHS to ensure that program administrators and recipients of Federal funds are aware of and comply with the limitations on abortion services imposed on CHCs by existing law. Such actions should include, but are not limited to, updating Grant Policy Statements that accompany CHC grants and issuing new interpretive rules.
Section 4. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) authority granted by law or presidential directive to an agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This Executive Order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This Executive Order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees or agents, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
The President announced that he will be issuing an executive order after the passage of the health insurance reform law that will reaffirm its consistency with longstanding restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion.
While the legislation as written maintains current law, the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the health care legislation’s restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented.
The President has said from the start that this health insurance reform should not be the forum to upset longstanding precedent. The health care legislation and this executive order are consistent with this principle.
The President is grateful for the tireless efforts of leaders on both sides of this issue to craft a consensus approach that allows the bill to move forward.
A text of the pending executive order follows:
Executive Order
- - - - - - -
ensuring enforcement and implementation of abortion restrictions in the patient protection and affordable care act
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (approved March __, 2010), I hereby order as follows:
Section 1. Policy.
Following the recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“the Act”), it is necessary to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), consistent with a longstanding Federal statutory restriction that is commonly known as the Hyde Amendment. The purpose of this Executive Order is to establish a comprehensive, government-wide set of policies and procedures to achieve this goal and to make certain that all relevant actors—Federal officials, state officials (including insurance regulators) and health care providers—are aware of their responsibilities, new and old.
The Act maintains current Hyde Amendment restrictions governing abortion policy and extends those restrictions to the newly-created health insurance exchanges. Under the Act, longstanding Federal laws to protect conscience (such as the Church Amendment, 42 U.S.C. §300a-7, and the Weldon Amendment, Pub. L. No. 111-8, §508(d)(1) (2009)) remain intact and new protections prohibit discrimination against health care facilities and health care providers because of an unwillingness to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.
Numerous executive agencies have a role in ensuring that these restrictions are enforced, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Section 2. Strict Compliance with Prohibitions on Abortion Funding in Health Insurance Exchanges. The Act specifically prohibits the use of tax credits and cost-sharing reduction payments to pay for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) in the health insurance exchanges that will be operational in 2014. The Act also imposes strict payment and accounting requirements to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services in exchange plans (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) and requires state health insurance commissioners to ensure that exchange plan funds are segregated by insurance companies in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, OMB funds management circulars, and accounting guidance provided by the Government Accountability Office.
I hereby direct the Director of OMB and the Secretary of HHS to develop, within 180 days of the date of this Executive Order, a model set of segregation guidelines for state health insurance commissioners to use when determining whether exchange plans are complying with the Act’s segregation requirements, established in Section 1303 of the Act, for enrollees receiving Federal financial assistance. The guidelines shall also offer technical information that states should follow to conduct independent regular audits of insurance companies that participate in the health insurance exchanges. In developing these model guidelines, the Director of OMB and the Secretary of HHS shall consult with executive agencies and offices that have relevant expertise in accounting principles, including, but not limited to, the Department of the Treasury, and with the Government Accountability Office. Upon completion of those model guidelines, the Secretary of HHS should promptly initiate a rulemaking to issue regulations, which will have the force of law, to interpret the Act’s segregation requirements, and shall provide guidance to state health insurance commissioners on how to comply with the model guidelines.
Section 3. Community Health Center Program.
The Act establishes a new Community Health Center (CHC) Fund within HHS, which provides additional Federal funds for the community health center program. Existing law prohibits these centers from using federal funds to provide abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), as a result of both the Hyde Amendment and longstanding regulations containing the Hyde language. Under the Act, the Hyde language shall apply to the authorization and appropriations of funds for Community Health Centers under section 10503 and all other relevant provisions. I hereby direct the Secretary of HHS to ensure that program administrators and recipients of Federal funds are aware of and comply with the limitations on abortion services imposed on CHCs by existing law. Such actions should include, but are not limited to, updating Grant Policy Statements that accompany CHC grants and issuing new interpretive rules.
Section 4. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) authority granted by law or presidential directive to an agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This Executive Order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This Executive Order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees or agents, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Americans for Prosperity Statement on Healthcare Passage
Chicago, Illinois – Americans for Prosperity- Illinois State Director Joe Calomino issued the following statement after the U.S. House passed the health care takeover bill:
“Today we have seen a critical setback for freedom in our country. Americans for Prosperity’s members would like to let those Illinois Congressman who voted “Yes” know that we will not forget their vote for this disastrous bill. Their votes have helped solidify a Washington takeover of our health care, the details of which we don’t even know yet.
“More than 320,000 Americans have signed AFP’s November Is Coming petition, telling House members they will vote NO on them for having voted YES on this health care bill.
“The fight over this health care takeover has been long and brutal. But something hopeful has emerged: millions of active, passionate Americans who are aware of the many threats to our freedoms and who are willing to fight.
“Those Illinois Congressman who voted “Yes” have failed to act in the best interest of the people of the United States. Instead they chose to serve the best interest of their political parties special interest groups. This fight is not over. Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people.”
Please visit www.NovemberIsComing.com to see how many Americans have told their House members they will hold them accountable in November for their health care vote.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 1 million members, including members in all 50 states, and 30 state chapters and affiliates. More than 60,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial investment in AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org
“Today we have seen a critical setback for freedom in our country. Americans for Prosperity’s members would like to let those Illinois Congressman who voted “Yes” know that we will not forget their vote for this disastrous bill. Their votes have helped solidify a Washington takeover of our health care, the details of which we don’t even know yet.
“More than 320,000 Americans have signed AFP’s November Is Coming petition, telling House members they will vote NO on them for having voted YES on this health care bill.
“The fight over this health care takeover has been long and brutal. But something hopeful has emerged: millions of active, passionate Americans who are aware of the many threats to our freedoms and who are willing to fight.
“Those Illinois Congressman who voted “Yes” have failed to act in the best interest of the people of the United States. Instead they chose to serve the best interest of their political parties special interest groups. This fight is not over. Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people.”
Please visit www.NovemberIsComing.com to see how many Americans have told their House members they will hold them accountable in November for their health care vote.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 1 million members, including members in all 50 states, and 30 state chapters and affiliates. More than 60,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial investment in AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org
Sun-Times posting of AP Story on Healthcare Passage
FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON --- Summoned to success by President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled Congress approved historic legislation Sunday night extending health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and cracking down on insurance company abuses, a climactic chapter in the century-long quest for near universal coverage.
Widely viewed as dead two months ago, the Senate-passed bill cleared the House on a 219-212 vote, with Republicans unanimous in opposition.
FULL ARTICLE http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/2115376,obama-house-health-care-vote-032110.article
WASHINGTON --- Summoned to success by President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled Congress approved historic legislation Sunday night extending health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and cracking down on insurance company abuses, a climactic chapter in the century-long quest for near universal coverage.
Widely viewed as dead two months ago, the Senate-passed bill cleared the House on a 219-212 vote, with Republicans unanimous in opposition.
FULL ARTICLE http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/2115376,obama-house-health-care-vote-032110.article
Statement by Rep. Tim Johnson (R) on Healthcare Passage
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Timothy V. Johnson (R) issued the following statement today in response to the passage of H.R. 3590.
“I voted against this legislation for many reasons. It strikes at the very core of our liberties and is a giant step toward wrecking an already fragile economy,” Rep. Johnson said. “This is a regrettable day in the history of this Congress and I want my constituents to know the dire consequences of this bill.
BY THE NUMBERS:
· $569.2 billion in tax increases
· $523.5 billion in Medicare cuts
· $48 billion more for Medicaid Expansion
“The more we learn about this legislation, the worse it is. Payoffs and favors have been passed out like candy to buy passage of a bill nobody completely understands. Even the President’s own chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services said he could not fully analyze the cost of the legislation before the vote.
“The bill contains no language that would prohibit federal funds from being used to fund elective abortions. For the past 35 years, our government has statutorily blocked the use of Federal funds being used for abortions. That is unacceptable!
“The bill projects $17 billion in tax revenue from people who cannot afford to or choose not to comply with the mandate to obtain health insurance, and $52 billion in new taxes on employers that do not provide so-called acceptable or affordable coverage. Obviously that is going to negatively impact employers and employees, especially those least able to pay.
“This bill also for the first time in history applies Medicare taxes to capital gains, dividends and other investment income. This would increase the capital gains tax from 2.9 to 3.8 percent, pushing the top capital gains rate from 15 to 23.8 percent and the top rate for dividends to 43.4 percent in conjunction with tax cuts expiring at the end of this year
“The cuts in senior health care are among the most distressing. This bill basically uses Medicare as a piggy-bank to pay for these new entitlement programs. The cuts in Medicare are so deep even the White House’s own Medicare actuaries predict that providers might end their participation. Most of these cuts will be in reduced cost-sharing that senior citizens receive through Medicare Advantage.
“Reimbursement rates will also be cut for in-patient and out-patient hospital services, long-term care facilities, psychiatric hospitals, hospice, labs, medical product suppliers and prescription drugs. Citizens in the small towns in the 15th District of Illinois will surely lose many of their doctors.
“Millions of people will be pushed into Medicaid because of this bill, with the expectation that states share in the cost. This is yet another unfunded mandate that states such as Illinois – already $14 billion in debt this year alone and unable to pay its basic obligations – simply cannot afford. The impact on schools, social services, law enforcement, and fiscal soundness is obvious.
“With states already squeezing payments to providers, Medicaid patients will find it harder and harder to find doctors and dentists to treat them. This is already occurring. Nationwide, 28.2 percent of physicians refuse to accept new Medicaid patients, including 9,472 doctors in Illinois. Illinois already has an average wait time of 103 days for Medicaid reimbursement. This will only worsen.
“Veterans too are being penalized in this headlong rush to shove this legislation through. The bill does not protect the health-care programs provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the military’s Tricare system. It does not cover children suffering from spina bifida as a result of a parent’s exposure to Agent Orange, and it does not cover dependents, widows and orphans who are served by the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our people serving in the military put their trust in the existence of these plans. Now millions of soldiers, veterans, widows and dependents are in jeopardy.
“Yet another flaw is that this bill leaves in place a marriage penalty. The structure of subsidies for health insurance offers more aid to non-married couples than married ones.
“A lesser-known aspect of this bill is that it will cause the IRS to spend an extra $10 billion in new enforcement resources. According to the House Ways and Means Committee Republicans, the IRS may need to hire as many as 16,000 new agents, auditors and other employees to investigate and collect billions in new taxes and penalties.
“The agency will have the authority to fine individuals up to $2,250 or 2 percent or your income – whichever is greater – for failure to prove you have purchased ‘minimum essential coverage.’
“This legislation expands the reach of government into the most private aspects of our lives. It removes your basic right to elect to purchase insurance or not and to choose the kind of insurance you want. The government will choose it for you, dictate coverage, and if it covers too much, you’ll be taxed.
“More than 150 new agencies, commissions and government offices will be created under this monstrosity, bloating the bureaucracy even more, and all to be overseen by 13 more ‘czars’ – unelected, highly paid bureaucrats whose reason for being is to control your health care and your life.
“Health care expansion continues an ongoing theme under this Leadership. They have built a legacy of government intrusion, entitlement and public debt that flies in the face of personal responsibility and constitutional principles of limited government. It is clear that this administration and the majority in Congress have no regard for the will of the American people. The evolution of statism in this nation is truly horrifying. It is also a call to action. Using our right to vote, November cannot come soon enough.”
###
“I voted against this legislation for many reasons. It strikes at the very core of our liberties and is a giant step toward wrecking an already fragile economy,” Rep. Johnson said. “This is a regrettable day in the history of this Congress and I want my constituents to know the dire consequences of this bill.
BY THE NUMBERS:
· $569.2 billion in tax increases
· $523.5 billion in Medicare cuts
· $48 billion more for Medicaid Expansion
“The more we learn about this legislation, the worse it is. Payoffs and favors have been passed out like candy to buy passage of a bill nobody completely understands. Even the President’s own chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services said he could not fully analyze the cost of the legislation before the vote.
“The bill contains no language that would prohibit federal funds from being used to fund elective abortions. For the past 35 years, our government has statutorily blocked the use of Federal funds being used for abortions. That is unacceptable!
“The bill projects $17 billion in tax revenue from people who cannot afford to or choose not to comply with the mandate to obtain health insurance, and $52 billion in new taxes on employers that do not provide so-called acceptable or affordable coverage. Obviously that is going to negatively impact employers and employees, especially those least able to pay.
“This bill also for the first time in history applies Medicare taxes to capital gains, dividends and other investment income. This would increase the capital gains tax from 2.9 to 3.8 percent, pushing the top capital gains rate from 15 to 23.8 percent and the top rate for dividends to 43.4 percent in conjunction with tax cuts expiring at the end of this year
“The cuts in senior health care are among the most distressing. This bill basically uses Medicare as a piggy-bank to pay for these new entitlement programs. The cuts in Medicare are so deep even the White House’s own Medicare actuaries predict that providers might end their participation. Most of these cuts will be in reduced cost-sharing that senior citizens receive through Medicare Advantage.
“Reimbursement rates will also be cut for in-patient and out-patient hospital services, long-term care facilities, psychiatric hospitals, hospice, labs, medical product suppliers and prescription drugs. Citizens in the small towns in the 15th District of Illinois will surely lose many of their doctors.
“Millions of people will be pushed into Medicaid because of this bill, with the expectation that states share in the cost. This is yet another unfunded mandate that states such as Illinois – already $14 billion in debt this year alone and unable to pay its basic obligations – simply cannot afford. The impact on schools, social services, law enforcement, and fiscal soundness is obvious.
“With states already squeezing payments to providers, Medicaid patients will find it harder and harder to find doctors and dentists to treat them. This is already occurring. Nationwide, 28.2 percent of physicians refuse to accept new Medicaid patients, including 9,472 doctors in Illinois. Illinois already has an average wait time of 103 days for Medicaid reimbursement. This will only worsen.
“Veterans too are being penalized in this headlong rush to shove this legislation through. The bill does not protect the health-care programs provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the military’s Tricare system. It does not cover children suffering from spina bifida as a result of a parent’s exposure to Agent Orange, and it does not cover dependents, widows and orphans who are served by the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our people serving in the military put their trust in the existence of these plans. Now millions of soldiers, veterans, widows and dependents are in jeopardy.
“Yet another flaw is that this bill leaves in place a marriage penalty. The structure of subsidies for health insurance offers more aid to non-married couples than married ones.
“A lesser-known aspect of this bill is that it will cause the IRS to spend an extra $10 billion in new enforcement resources. According to the House Ways and Means Committee Republicans, the IRS may need to hire as many as 16,000 new agents, auditors and other employees to investigate and collect billions in new taxes and penalties.
“The agency will have the authority to fine individuals up to $2,250 or 2 percent or your income – whichever is greater – for failure to prove you have purchased ‘minimum essential coverage.’
“This legislation expands the reach of government into the most private aspects of our lives. It removes your basic right to elect to purchase insurance or not and to choose the kind of insurance you want. The government will choose it for you, dictate coverage, and if it covers too much, you’ll be taxed.
“More than 150 new agencies, commissions and government offices will be created under this monstrosity, bloating the bureaucracy even more, and all to be overseen by 13 more ‘czars’ – unelected, highly paid bureaucrats whose reason for being is to control your health care and your life.
“Health care expansion continues an ongoing theme under this Leadership. They have built a legacy of government intrusion, entitlement and public debt that flies in the face of personal responsibility and constitutional principles of limited government. It is clear that this administration and the majority in Congress have no regard for the will of the American people. The evolution of statism in this nation is truly horrifying. It is also a call to action. Using our right to vote, November cannot come soon enough.”
###
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)