Cash for Cloture
This is adapted from a Dana Milbank column in The Washington Post:
The Louisiana Purchase: $100 million in extra Medicaid money for the Bayou State, requested by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).
The Cornhusker Kickback: $100 million in extra Medicaid money, this time for Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.).
U Con: $100 million meant for a medical center in Connecticut for Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.)
Gator Aid: A grandfather clause will allow Floridians to preserve their pricey Medicare Advantage program from cuts imposed in the other states.
Handout Montana: Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) secured Medicare coverage for anybody exposed to asbestos — as long as they worked in a mine in Libby, Mont.
Iowa Pork: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) won more Medicare money for low-volume hospitals of the sort commonly found in Iowa.
Omaha Prime Cuts: Nebraska’s Nelson won a “carve out” provision that would reduce fees for Mutual of Omaha and other Nebraska insurers.
Dakota Payoff: Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, both North Dakota Democrats, will enjoy a provision bringing higher Medicare payments to hospitals and doctors in “frontier counties” of states such as — let’s see here — North Dakota!
Hawaii Aloha: Hawaii, with two Democratic senators, will get richer payments to hospitals that treat many uninsured people.
Wolverine Bonanza: Michigan, home of two other Democrats, will earn higher Medicare payments and some reduced fees for Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
What socialism means in Vermont: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) is getting larger Medicaid payments for his state (neighboring Massachusetts will get some, too).
More details from the Republican Study Committee (RSC).
How sickening.
That’s how the system is supposed to work, members of congress work for their constituents. I defy you to find any piece of major legislation where this hasn’t happened. The difference here is that the health care bill has gotten more public scrutiny.
Sorry artk. It makes me want to go throw up.
What’s wrong with representatives doing something that is good for the country, instead of feeding like maggots on the carcass of the body politic?
I draw the line when the Senators in question work for their constituents by exempting them from the very policies they are voting to foist on everyone else. Isn’t this a de facto admission by these Senators that they know they are voting for bad policies?
Just one unbiased speech about Msnbc in the Tv show. He still has a truly tough immigration plan. This individual graduated on the Harvard School. At this point he provides their a single Radio Show. He did not like any Nation chief executive.