Posted on 12/13/2009 7:20:30 PM PST by Born Conservative
As the U.S. Senate debates health care reform this week, the state's senators are pursuing amendments to bolster children's health insurance and toughen the Medicare fraud law.
Sen. Bob Casey's amendment would ensure the future of the Children's Health Insurance Program by keeping it separate from a national health insurance exchange proposed under the Senate's reform bill.
"No matter what anyone says, we've got to figure out a way to do this," he said. "And if it costs more money, then it costs more money. I think it's essential that we have all of the protections that we can in place for kids that are enrolled in Medicaid and children's health insurance."
He fears children could lose coverage otherwise. The amendment would also:
- Increase federal matching money to states that use the best practices for enrolling children.
- Forbid states from reducing eligibility levels in place as of Oct. 1, and require all states to cover children in families with incomes of up to 250 percent of poverty level as of Oct. 1, 2013.
- Require a report in 2016 to compare coverage and benefits for low-income children under CHIP to the health care exchange. The report will help determine if CHIP survives beyond 2019.
Mr. Casey said the Congressional Budget Office has not determined what the amendment will cost, a prerequisite for getting it considered on the Senate floor. He thinks merging CHIP into the exchange could cost more in the long run. CHIP now costs $16 billion annually.
The House version of health care reform ends CHIP in 2013 in favor of letting families shop for coverage in the exchange. The Senate version does not end CHIP, but Mr. Casey thinks his language would guarantee the program's future.
Mr. Specter's amendment would increase penalties for Medicare and Medicaid fraud by requiring a mandatory minimum sentence of six months in jail for anyone found guilty of $100,000 or more worth of fraud.
The amendment also reaffirms 10-year maximum jail time for health care fraud and 20-year maximum if someone is seriously injured because of the violation.
Almost three quarters of health care prosecutions in fiscal year 2008 involved fraud of $100,000 or more. That shows the current penalties are insufficient, he said.
Ping
It’s amazing how these clowns scramble to save their sorry asses! They know that if they vote for this health care albatros, they will never be re-elected and will propose anything to make themselves look relevant! Losers!
There is no health care crises. It, like global warning, is a lie.
Oboma is at -19, and hopefully the number will continue to plummet. If he's at -19, imagine how low the house and senate numbers are.
“If he’s at -19, imagine how low the house and senate numbers are.”
They don’t seem to care.
They don’t seem to care.
Which is odd. My guess is they're going to use the trillion dollar stimulus reelection slush fund to steal the elections from now on. They're holding onto that money for a sinister reason. With unemployment at record levels, you'd think they'd want to do something about that.
Maybe they believe in the 2012 prophecies. The bad thing about prophecy is the time lines are always wrong, because humans have free will, and things can change.
ping
What a ringing endorsement of ObamaCare! The children do not have to be part of it. This debate is mindless. Rarranging the chairs on the Titantic did not save anyone. The rats are heading for government run health care. Whether we have a public option, SCHIP, Medicare, and Medicaid matters little. All of these programs will be price controls, stifling regulations, loads of lawyers, many government agencies, global budgets, and lots of rationed care.
Casey is in a race with Durbin to see who is the dumbest in the Senate.
He also proves that intelligence is not inherited.
Inbreeding in the ruling families of Europe produced hemophiliacs.
Inbreeding in Congress produces mindless idiots.
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