The Final Part of “fishy” truths about HR3200:

Truth #9:  Taxes on Health Benefits

What the bill does:  Section 1802(b) of the bill includes provisions that would finance a new Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund.  The bottom of page 835 of the bill makes clear the funding source: “CHAPTER 34—TAXES ON CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES.”

What this means for Americans:  The American people will see their health insurance taxed for the first time ever, breaking two central campaign promises made by then-Senator Obama—not to raise taxes for individuals with incomes under $250,000, and not to tax individuals’ health benefits.  The language also breaks a promise by Speaker Pelosi that, “We will not be taxing [health] benefits in any bill that passes the House.”

This also breaks a campaign promise of Obama on taxing health benefits. But Obama also said something about lobbyists that went out the window no sooner than the moving van turned off Pennsylvania Ave back in January, so I digress.

Truth #10:  Taxpayer-Funded Research Could Deny Patients Needed Health Care

What the bill does:  Section 1401 of the bill establishes a new multi-billion dollar Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research, so that the federal government can compare various health care treatments.  However, the bill contains no prohibitions on government-run health programs using such research to deny patients access to life-saving treatments, and a draft House Committee report earlier this year noted that such research funding meant that “more expensive [treatments] will no longer be prescribed.”

What this means for Americans:  The billions in federal taxpayer dollars spent on comparative effectiveness research could be used by federal health programs to deny patients access to life-saving treatments.

Part 4 of a 5 part series of  “fishy” truths about HR3200:

Truth #7:  A Giveaway to Trial Lawyers

What the bill does:  Section 153 of the bill establishes whistleblower protections for any employee who “provided, caused to be provided, or is about to provide or cause to be provided” a complaint regarding non-compliance with the bill’s provisions, or “objected to, or refused to participate in, any activity, policy, practice, or assigned task that the employee…reasonably believed” to violate the bill’s provisions.  Individuals alleging discrimination may bring suit under the provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Act.

What this means for Americans:  Employers will be subjected to additional lawsuits instigated by trial lawyers—possibly on the basis that an employee was “about to provide” a health insurance-related complaint at the time the business took an adverse employment action.

Truth #8:  Federal Compliance Audits on Employers—Paid for by Employers

What the bill does:  Section 142(b) of the bill requires the Health Choices Commissioner—the new insurance “czar”—to “conduct compliance audits of qualified health benefits plan compliance with Federal requirements,” including “random compliance audits and targeted audits in response to complaints.”  The bill further permits the Commissioner “to recoup from qualified health benefits plans reimbursement for the cost of such examinations.”

What this means for Americans:  Employers who offer coverage to their employees—will be subject to random audits by the insurance “czar,” who can scrutinize their paperwork looking for even inadvertent errors—and then leave the employer with the bill for the investigation.  As a result, employers may spend their time wondering if a complaint by a disgruntled worker could lead to a knock on the door by the “health care czar”—and even a dismissed complaint could lead to a charge by the federal government for the “privilege” of being cleared.

Here’s the next installment of the “fishy” truths about HR3200:

Truth #5:  Yet Another Taxpayer-Funded Giveaway to ACORN?

What the bill does:  Section 205 of the bill allows the Health Choices Commissioner—the new insurance “czar”—to use “appropriate entities…to inform and educate individuals and employers about the Health Insurance Exchange.”  The bill includes no definition of “appropriate entities,” allowing the Administration wide latitude to determine the entities with which it will conduct outreach activities.

What this means for Americans:  The American people could see additional taxpayer dollars going to so-called community activist organizations like ACORN.

Truth #6:  The Federal Government Will Collect Personal Health Care Data

What the bill does:  Section 221(e) of the bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “collect such data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates for the public health insurance option and for other purposes.”

What this means for Americans:  The American people could see their personal health records and other data being used by the federal government in order to establish a government-run health plan that will cause as many as 114 million Americans to lose their current coverage.

Gov. Mitch Daniels will be on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopolis.

Indianapolis – WRTV-6.1 digital – 9 AM
Ft Wayne – WPTA-21.1 digital – 10 AM
South Bend – WBND-57.1 digital – 7 AM
Evansville – WEHT-25.1 digital – 8 AM Central
NW Indiana/Chicago – WLS-7.1 digital – 9:30 AM Central
SE Indiana/Cincinnati – WCPO-9.1 digital – 9:00 AM
S Indiana/Louisville – WHAS-11.1 digital – 9:00 AM

Here a couple more “fishy” truths about HR3200:

Truth #3:  Federal Bureaucrats Will Teach Americans How to Write in “Plain Language”

What the bill does:  Section 133 of the bill requires certain disclosures to be made in “plain language,” which the bill defines as “language that the intended audience…can readily understand and use because that language is clean, concise, [and] well-organized.”  The section further directs the Health Choices Commissioner—the new insurance “czar”—to “develop and issue guidance on best practices of plain language writing.”

What this means for Americans:  At a time when this year’s annual budget deficit could top $2 trillion, the federal government will spend additional money it does not have so that federal bureaucrats can enlighten Americans on how to write in “plain language.”  Moreover, given Democrats’ creation of a 1,018-page bill replete with bureaucratic jargon, some may view the development of such guidelines as an exercise in futility.

Truth #4:  Democrats Want to Do to Health Care What Fannie and Freddie Did to the Housing Market

What the bill does:  An amendment adopted in the Energy and Commerce Committee authorized up to $5 billion in federal spending for grants and loans to establish health insurance cooperatives.  The amendment included no language prohibiting such cooperatives from returning to the federal government for a bailout in the event that they cannot survive without additional taxpayer subsidies.

What this means for Americans:  The co-op proposals being discussed could result in Congress creating another government-sponsored enterprise that would be “too big to fail” and could in time require another federal bailout.  Therefore, Americans may be concerned that a co-op could do for health care what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have done for the housing sector.

Given the White House’s recent desire for individuals to report “fishy” developments surrounding health “reform,” or insurance reform, or whatever buzzword the Community Organizer in Chief thinks of next, the House Republican Conference has prepared a list of questionable provisions actually found in the actual text of H.R. 3200 because they really read the bill, unlike many of the Democrats. Over the next few days Hoosier Access will provide these truths concerning the health care bill.

Truth #1:  Abolishes the Private Market for Individual Health Insurance

What the bill does:  Section 102(c) of the bill states that after 2013, “individual health insurance coverage…may only be offered” through the government-run Exchanges established in the bill.

What this means for Americans:  Purchasing private individual coverage will be outlawed.  Individuals will likely have fewer, and more expensive, coverage options—a “Hobson’s choice” allowing Americans to choose any plan they like, so long as it’s the “bureaucrat-approved” one.

Truth #2:  Federal Grants to Care for Pets; Federal Debt for People

What the bill does:  Section 2231 of the bill creates a new Public Health Workforce Corps, complete with its own scholarship program.  Among those eligible for scholarships—which include “tuition, fees, books, equipment, and laboratory expenses,” as well as a stipend that could exceed $15,000 per year—are individuals studying at “an accredited graduate school or program of…veterinary medicine.”  Veterinary students are also eligible for loan forgiveness of up to $35,000 annually through the Public Health Workforce Corps.

What this means for Americans:  At a time when this year’s annual budget deficit could top $2 trillion, the federal government will spend additional money it does not have to train veterinarians to care for pets—even as the Democrat health “reform” legislation would still leave 17 million Americans uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Can anyone say pork? I knew you could. How much more pork will this bill become laden before it passes on a party line vote?

War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Truth is Propaganda, etc.

We’re excited about the new changes coming to HA!  I did want to mention to those who have emailed us about the user blogs, they should be available this weekend.  Also, because we are working on changes this week, sometimes you will get an error when either signing up or registering.  This will all be resolved by this weekend.

Thanks again for wanting to join our community.  Everything should be up and running very soon!

Woops!  Looks like Baron Hill just put a giant hole in President Obama’s blame game strategy on the failing health care legislation.

Now the Left has resorted to editing and reposting others words on social networking sites in order to make their points. Then again, considering the Left’s history in distorting facts does this latest twist surprise anyone?

Hoosier Access posted on the official Twitter feed:

“RT @bill_starr: To @EvanBayh: Improve the U.S. healthcare system; get govt out of it. http://tr.im/uCwJ #hc09 #IN #46055″

To which a twitter user named John Murphy who claims to be from Nova Scotia, Canada (but who follows a massive number of US based entities) edits the tweet and posts:

“RT @HoosierAccess: To @EvanBayh: Improve the US healthcare system; get medical ins. companies out of it. http://tr.im/uCwJ #hc09 #IN #46055″

State Representative Jackie Walorski

By: State Rep. Jackie Walorski

Earlier this week I participated in a 2-day “fly-in” to Capitol Hill, asking our US Representatives and Senators to vote “no” on Socialized Medicine/National Health Care.  Contrary to what the President said during Wednesday night’s press conference, the reality on the Hill is that there is virtually no chance of killing this bill. Many of those Democrats who are opposed to the current plan are seeking only slight modifications.The most devastating part of this bill is the so-called “public option”.  The public option is the absolute core of National Health Care.  This option will force small employers, and a great deal of larger employers, to cut employees, go out of business, or force their employees into the “public option” when in reality there will be no option at all.

My husband and I lived in this type of health care system in the European Union and it is a first class disaster.  The most vulnerable people in a government run system are the people that get sick!  The young and old, or people in the middle with chronic or incurable conditions, quickly lose access.  That’s the reason why people in other countries will sell their houses and make life-altering adjustments to get the money to come to the US to access state-of-the-art health care.

(Read more below the fold)

By: State Rep. Wes Culver

Are our state universities financing inefficiencies on the backs of students? Recently Purdue University announced a 5% increase in its tuition rate in addition to a new annual per-student $500 surcharge that must be paid on top of tuition and room and board fees. These increases are, according to a trustee, necessary to maintain Purdue’s status as an excellent school. Purdue is not the only state funded university looking to raise tuition rates. Indiana University, Ivy Tech, Ball State, Indiana State University, Vincennes University and Southern Indiana University are all proposing or adopting tuition increases in the 4%-5% range for the upcoming academic year.

The rise in tuition rates at Indiana’s state funded public universities is not without precedent. According to Andrea Neal, a scholar with the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, the historical trend in Indiana is for college tuition rates to double every 10 years.* This figure does not include increases in room and board fees that also come on a frequent basis. In 2006 Indiana earned an “F” from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education in terms of college affordability. Hoosier students and their families bear a heavy financial burden when they pursue a college education. Those who chose to finance their degree through a private loan frequently find themselves paying much more for their degree once interest on the loan is factored in and paid back.

But the cost to students is more than just a financial one, as young people trying to start life often find the cloud of college debt hanging over them and their finances to be a hindrance to personal and professional development. If we are going to make sure that Indiana is ready for the 21st Century economy, we must reform our college education system to make it more affordable and more accountable. The rising costs hurt many students, and all too often have the disappointing effect of discouraging many well-qualified high-school students and adults from pursuing a college degree.

(Read more below the fold)