Mark Begich open to reconciliation for health reform--that makes 50 without any maybes

openleft.com ^ | March 6, 2010 | Chris Bowers

[Free ThinkerNY]

Senator Mark Begich is open to using reconciliation for health reform. From a letter to a constituent:

Thank you for contacting me regarding health care reform.

The reconciliation process is a budgetary tool used to address spending and deficit issues with a simple majority vote. The budget reconciliation process has been used 22 times by both parties since 1980. Action to clean up the health reform bill will further reduce the deficit.

Comprehensive health care reform has already passed the Senate with 60 votes. If the House passes the Senate bill, the President could sign that version of comprehensive reform into law. I believe reconciliation would only be used as a tool to take out special backroom deals and to eliminate concerns raised by many Alaskans I've talked with. The President has proposed narrow changes which I support, including completely closing the coverage gap for seniors' prescription drugs, eliminating the special Nebraska funding provision, providing additional federal financing to all states to help pay for the expansion of Medicaid, and strengthening the Medicare waste, fraud, and abuse provisions.

Again, thank you for contacting me. As the 111th Congress moves forward, please continue to be in touch with your thoughts and concerns.

Sincerely, Mark Begich U.S. Senator

That makes 50 Senators publicly open to using reconciliation to finish health reform without any maybes. There will be a reconciliation fix to the Senate health bill, as long as the House first passes one.

[thescourged1]

How easily and smoothly they lie....if it wasn't so dangerous it would be amusing.

[Paine in the Neck]

There will be NO RECONCILIATION. The talk of it is a trap.

It is merely political cover to get the weakest Dems in the House to vote for the Senate bill. “Don’t worry about your objections. We can fix those in reconciliation.” These tools will have the rug pulled out from under them when, immediately after their vote in the House, this bill goes straight to Obama to sign. It is deceit and treachery of the highest order.

Obama’s destruction of health care will succeed or fail with the one House vote on the Senate’s already passed bill. If the House doesn’t pass it, it is over. If they do, there will be no reconciliation. Obama will sign immediately.

[ncalburt]

There will be no NEED for this Nuclear Option crap.

All these planted stories and Spin by Senate Dems is just a HUGE PR SCAM to Sucker the HOUSE DEMS into vote on the SENATE BILL and its ALL OVER>

I am sick of these PHONY PLANTED STORIES.

The end game has been to RAM thru the Senate BILL> and its over folks.

This Lefty ONLY Got into office because the Bush DOJ
collapsed and the Chuck Schummer was Running it after 2006
and the AK GOP senator was illegally prosecuted by Dem party operatives. Later his conviction was tossed out.

[pnut22]

The healthcare deal scares me to death. Even scarier, though, is the bastardization of the law making process.

[Man50D]

All these planted stories and Spin by Senate Dems is just a HUGE PR SCAM to Sucker the HOUSE DEMS into vote on the SENATE BILL and its ALL OVER

It's not over until we the people say it's over!!

[AlanD]

If the House approves the original Senate bill, that’s all she wrote. It cannot be repealed until there is a Republican President in the White House, and even then it will be difficult.

Game, set, and match for Obama.

“Reconciliation” is just the icing on the cake. If he can get that great, if not, no biggie.

[shibumi]

I’m not worried if they have fifty votes.

There are at least that many lamp posts in Washington.

[mware]

I hope Stupac realizes that if it passes in the House, the abortion issue could not be brought up for reconciliation because it is not a budget issue.

[SeaWolf]

Senator Asterisk is Alaska's version of Obama, He got into office via political chicanery. While he was Mayor of Anchorage he pushed through 5 year union contracts then skipped town for Washington leaving the city in the red, having to cut jobs in an effort to make up for the union payoff's. He is at least as left as O, I would expect nothing less of him.

NOTE: The preceding screed is the opinion of the author and may not reflect the view of the the rest of Alaska.

[Species8472]

This POS does not repersent the state of Alaska.

He represents the democrat party.

As mayor of Anchorage he bankrupted the city buying union votes and now has the same intentions for the nation

Anyone miss Ted Stevens yet?

[InterceptPoint]

The healthcare deal scares me to death. Even scarier, though, is the bastardization of the law making process.

What's to be afraid of? The worst thing that could happen to you is that you refuse to buy ObamaCare, the government penalizes you, you refuse to pay the penalty and they put you in jail. I hear that jail's not so bad these days. You get free Internet access, an HDTV, a friendly (and I mean really friendly) cellmate, you get to work out a couple of times a day and you get free food. So what's the problem? ;)

[ASOC]

LOL

YOu have a much higher opinion of Marxist Markie than I, my FRiend.

The Muni just got hit with **another** 500K bill ol Mark forgot to mention in those stupid financal reports the law requires. The Muni is starting to peel back some of the shadier real-estate deals he pulled.

Nope the only support Mark Beg-ich gets around here is from the Union toads who line their pockets at our expense thanks to the former Mayor....

And yet the local media still tries to scratch dirt of the growing, and smelly, pile he left here.

[pnut22]

Thanks.. now I’m even more scared!!!

[Species8472]

Sign the petition at www.recallbegich.org

[Nonstatist]

“Reconciliation” is just the icing on the cake

Faux icing. Under the Byrd rule, the Senate is prohibited from considering extraneous matter (ie not "budget" related) as part of a reconciliation bill , or would require 60 votes to overrule.

This thing will be swiss cheese from the gitgo. Over and out.

[FarNorth]

Here’s another Alaskan who despises Begich. He was only elected because days before the election, Senator Stevens was found guilty on trumped up charges. In fact on election day, Senator Stevens won the election with the votes cast that day. Gullible ‘Rats and those in love with barry voted early against Senator Stevens and for that POS Begich. Those absentee votes allowed him to finally win the election.

Another reason that absentee voting is ripe for corruption. If it was up to me the only absentee votes allowed should be those who are serving in the military away from home.

After the election, it was revealed that the prosecuting team had withheld testimony favorable to Senator Stevens. It became clear that there was no case and it was dismissed. An honorable person (NOT Begich) would have stepped down or at least asked for another election. But not Begich. We could see all along that this election was designed to defeat the long standing Senator Stevens and replace him with a liberal disguised as a moderate to facilitate the socialistic agenda espoused by chairman barry.

Do you all remember when Begich was running he repeatedly said that he was an independent voice for Alaska and would vote for their best interests. What a crock.

Ever since he has been in office, EVERY vote that he has cast has been right along the democrats’ leftist agenda.

I cannot begin to tell you how pleased I will be to cast my vote against Begich in 2014.

[sasportas]

I saw from the start the left was gunning for Sen. Stevens in order to sneak Begich in there. I voted for Stevens. I can’t wait to cast my next vote against Begich. He does NOT represent most of us Alaskans. Alaska is a conservative state. Begich is an Obamanation.

[GailA]

OBAMANOMICS—TRICKLE DOWN DESTRUCTION of the economy
Bambi doesn’t keep his promises...so buyer beware!

SET THEIR LOCAL AND DC LINES ON FIRE!

PLEASE ASK THEM TO REPEAL THE BIG NEW FEES in TRICARE for Life, the retired Military over 65 secondary health ins. which they passed in a DOD bill. They promised our Military these benefits, and our Military have earned them.

Sen Scott Brown’s number is 202-224-4543
Capitol Hill switchboard is 202-224-3121

Lots of local demwit phone numbers on this thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2408217/posts

Rename, repackage, rewrite it a tad smaller, and sell another pig in a poke. NO COLAs for granny, retired Military or retired fed employees. BIG NEW fees for Tricare for Life retired over 65 Military’s secondary health ins. (DOD bill already passed, delayed but goes into effect 2011 NEEDS TO BE REPEALED!
..............................

OBAMA’s WAR ON SENIORS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2433867/posts/

New Dem mantra: Woof, woof eat dog food granny....ala let them eat cake.

Obama says slight fix will extend Social Security, http://townhall.com/news/us/2010/02/19/obama_says_slight_fix_will_extend_social_security

Health Care Rationing for Seniors Another Problem in New Obama Plan http://www.lifenews.com/bio3058.html

Medicare tax may apply to investment income (ObamaCare tax hike)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2460988/posts

Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/28/obama.health.care/index.html

Will healthcare reform mean cuts in Medicare for seniors?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2009/1017/will-healthcare-reform-mean-cuts-in-medicare-for-seniors

Health Reform’s Hidden Victims Young people and seniors would pay a high price for ObamaCare.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574306303720472842.html

.......................

SOCIALIZED MED THREAD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2464538/posts
...........................

MILITARY & Retired MILITARY
Veterans’ G.I. Bill benefits MIA
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2464680/posts
TRI CARE FOR LIFE This from a google search:

http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/tricare-for-life-is-obama-trying-to.html

This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.) http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf

Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options 11/06/09
Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries

Congress plans to block Tricare fee increases
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w/

By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Oct 7, 2009

Tricare fee increases imposed last week by the Defense Department will be repealed by a provision of the compromise 2010 defense authorization bill unveiled Wednesday by House and Senate negotiators.

The fee increases were announced on Sept. 30 and took effect on Oct. 1, but the defense bill, HR 2647, includes a provision barring any fee increases until the start of fiscal 2011.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bill Matz, president of the National Association for Uniformed Services, said the announcement of fee increases was shocking considering that the Obama administration promised earlier this year to hold off on any new fee Tricare fee increases until fiscal 2011.

“President Obama and DoD assured NAUS and the entire military family earlier this year that there would rightly be no increases in any Tricare fees” in fiscal 2010, Matz said. “We took them at their word, and I can’t believe that a co-pay increase like this was allowed to go forward,” he added.

[GailA]

Obamacare call list: Courtsey of TN Eagle Forum:
PLEASE CALL! DC OFFICE LOCAL OFFICE State District
Harry Mitchell (202) 225-2190 (480) 946-2411 AZ 5th District
Gabrielle Giffords (202) 225-2542 (520) 881-3588 AZ 8th District
Ann Kirkpatrick (202) 225-2315 (928) 226-6914 AZ 1st District
Jerry McNerney (202) 225-1947 925-833-0643 CA 11th District
John Salazar 202-225-4761 970-245-7107 CO 3rd District
Jim Himes (202) 225-5541 (866) 453-0028 CT 4th District
Alan Grayson (202) 225-2176 (407) 841-1757 FL 8th District
Bill Foster (202) 225-2976 630-406-1114 IL 14th District
Baron Hill 202 225 5315 812 288 3999 IN 9th District
Mark Schauer (202) 225-6276 (517) 780-9075 MI 7th District
Gary Peters (202) 225-5802 (248) 273-4227 MI 9th District
Dina Titus (202) 225-3252 702-256-DINA (3462) NV 3rd District
Carol Shea-Porter (202) 225-5456 (603) 743-4813 NH 1st District
Tim Bishop (202) 225-3826 (631) 696-6500 NY 1st District
John Hall (202) 225-5441 (845) 225-3641 x49371 NY 19th District
Bill Owens (202) 225-4611 (315) 782-3150 NY 23rd District
Mike Arcuri (202)225-3665 (315)793-8146 NY 24th District
Dan Maffei (202) 225-3701 (315) 423-5657 NY 25th District
Earl Pomeroy (202) 225-2611 (701) 224-0355 ND At-Large District
Steven Driehaus (202) 225-2216 (513) 684-2723 OH 1st District
Mary Jo Kilroy (202) 225-2015 (614) 294-2196 OH 15th District
Zach Space (202) 225-6265 (330) 364-4300 OH 18th District
Kathy Dahlkemper (202) 225-5406 (814) 456-2038 PA 3rd District
Patrick Murphy (202) 225-4276 (215) 826-1963 PA 8th District
Christopher Carney (202) 225-3731 (570) 585-9988 PA 10th District
Paul Kanjorski (202) 225-6511 (570) 825-2200 PA 11th District
John Spratt (202) 225-5501 (803)327-1114 SC 5th District
Tom Perriello (202) 225-4711 (276) 656-2291 VA 5th District
Alan Mollohan (202) 225-4172 (304) 623-4422 WVA 1st District
Nick Rahall (202) 225-3452 (304) 252-5000 WVA 3rd District
Steve Kagen (202) 225-5665 (920) 437-1954 WI 8th District
Bart Gordon (202) 225-4231 TN
Bart Stupak (202) 225 4735 MI
senator mark begich (202) 224-3004 toll free. (877) 501 - 6275