What’s in the Fine Print? Sidewalks, Grocery Stores, and Jungle Gyms

Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Senate’s only accountant, today criticized wasteful spending in a health care reform bill released by HELP Committee Democrats this week.

“The Kennedy-Dodd bill will pave sidewalks, build jungle gyms, and open grocery stores, but it won’t bring down health care costs or make quality coverage more affordable,” Enzi said. “In a time of record debt and deficits, how can Democrats justify the wasteful spending in this bill?

“We need to root out the waste, fraud and abuse that is driving up health care costs – not create a whole slew of new wasteful programs,” said Enzi, the only Senator to serve on the HELP, Finance and Budget Committees, which share jurisdiction over health care reform.

· Establish a “Community Makeover Program” to spend billions to beautify streets, up to $10 per person in selected communities; · Fund a federal government program to build new sidewalks and bike paths, and put up street lights; · Finance new grocery stores and farmers’ markets; · Revoke employers rights to provide free wellness benefits to employees; · Mandate that a new Washington health police bureaucracy dictate what local restaurants can offer their customers; and, · Subsidize community projects like building jungle gyms in parks.

“Some of these programs may have value, but this is the wrong bill at the wrong time,” Enzi said. “With our nation’s health and economy at stake, this bill must not turn into a Christmas list for every partisan interest group in Washington.”

U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Senate's only accountant, today criticized wasteful spending in a health care reform bill released by HELP Committee Democrats this week. "The Kennedy-Dodd bill will pave sidewalks, build jungle gyms, and open grocery stores, but it won't bring down health care costs or make quality coverage more affordable," Enzi said. "In a time of record debt and deficits, how can Democrats justify the wasteful spending in this bill? We need to root out the waste, fraud and abuse that is driving up health care costs -- not create a whole slew of new wasteful programs," said Enzi, the only Senator to serve on the HELP, Finance and Budget Committees, which share jurisdiction over health care reform.

Wait a sec... the Demwits have to *justify* everything now? What a fascist. /sarc

“We need to root out the waste, fraud and abuse that is driving up health care costs

First, take Health Care away from The Federal Government.

Second, Remove All the Ambulance Chaser Lawyers -- Cap the amount a person can sue for unless intentional harm can be proved. And it can be in rare cases, like Abortion. SOoooo, if a State decides NOT to allow abortions in their State to reduce the number of legal claims against doctors, then . . . it's a States Rights Issue to decide.

Nothing the Federal Government "runs" works well . . . example: Congress. Example: Executive Office (with Czars or with Cigars)(pun intended). Example: Judiciary where Politics over Good Judgments reigns.

Let the States decide how they want to take care of their residents . . . And repeal the 16th Amendment so the States have money to take care of their own.

Good reply here to Obama’s health care plan:

Billion here, billion there . . .
By Dennis Jay
Jun 15, 2009, 2:03 PM EST
Coalition Against Insurance Fraud

In a speech before the AMA this afternoon, President Obama said this:

“… we can save about one billion more by rooting out waste, abuse, and fraud throughout our health care system so that no one is charging more for a service than it’s worth or charging a dime for a service they did not provide.

I don’t deal in waste or abuse, but if the White House is planning to ring out only $1 billion in fraud, I say go back and try harder.

Health care fraud is estimated at between $48 billion and $200 billion each year. A billion hardly is breaking a sweat. The White House and Congress need to get serious and build a comprehensive program to deter, detect and prosecute health care fraud so that at least 20 percent is saved, not two percent.

1. Barry Zalma Says:
June 15th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
http://www.zalma.com/

What he didn’t say is more important, Dennis.

If he intends to save money by stopping fraud he will need to hire at least 10,000 investigators to investigate the fraudulent claims and 5,000 prosecutors to prosecute them.

Since US prosecutors are good he will then have to build many jails to house those he prosecutes.

The savings are, therefore, as with most statements from politicians fictional or wishful thinking. It has never happened in the past and will not happen in the future.

The bigger federal insurance becomes the more easy pickings for those interested in fraud. Let the Government first start actually working to arrest and convict those who are committing fraud against Medicare and Medicaid before they put more money in the pot they think they can use to pay for more benefits with fraud savings.

I should live to be 150 so I can see it start.

http://www.insurancefraud.org/blog/?p=533

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