Republicans Block Bills Ensuring Continuation Of Military Health Care
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on March 26th, 2010 4:35 am by HL
Republicans Block Bills Ensuring Continuation Of Military Health Care
As ThinkProgress reported earlier today, some military families have been concerned about how the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will affect their health care. Fears about the legislation have been fueled, in part, by lawmakers like Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA), who has claimed that “now their programs are going to be administered like […]
As ThinkProgress reported earlier today, some military families have been concerned about how the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will affect their health care. Fears about the legislation have been fueled, in part, by lawmakers like Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA), who has claimed that “now their programs are going to be administered like welfare programs, rather than earned military benefits.”
There is another piece of misinformation floating around that’s important to clear up. The new law has an individual responsibility requirement, meaning that every person must have health coverage (or receive an affordability waiver), otherwise he/she will be subjected to a fee. The Affordable Care Act doesn’t explicitly state that TRICARE — the military’s health program — will meet the individual responsibility requirement. So on Saturday, lawmakers — out of an abundance of caution — passed separate legislation affirming that TRICARE will not be affected. As House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) stated when the legislation was unanimously approved:
While beneficiaries of these programs will already meet the minimum requirements for individual health insurance and will not be required to purchase additional coverage, the TRICARE Affirmation Act would provide clarification by changing the tax code to state it in law.
In the Senate, Jim Webb (D-VA) has introduced a companion bill to Skelton’s, and Daniel Akaka (D-HI) has put forth similar legislation on a related matter. Last night, Webb asked for unanimous consent to approve both measures. While Akaka’s would have to head back to the House for a vote, Webb’s — which has attracted six Republican co-sponsors — could go straight to the President for his signature, since the House already passed the Skelton bill. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) objected, however, saying that Republicans wanted them attached to the reconciliation bill as an amendment sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), which would then have to go back to the House:
WEBB: Mr. President, I would suggest to my colleague from North Carolina and to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that if you really want to fix this problem, we can fix it right now and we should fix it right now. We should not allow this issue to be tied up in the separate melodrama of the moment here. […]
COBURN: We’ve got this — we got this a minute and a half ago to see the language. You have an amendment on the floor that actually accomplishes everything you want to do, and why are we doing this? Because you don’t want to mess up a package that’s clean. It has every application, the Burr amendment, to this. With that and the fact that this is exactly the kind of shenanigans the American people don’t want, I object.
WEBB: Let the American people understand the Republicans objected to a matter that could have been fixed by law tomorrow.
Webb brought his legislation up on the floor again today, around 4:30 p.m., saying that he would be working with Republicans to “attempt to clear these today.” Watch Webb’s floor addresses:
Republicans had been trying to attach all sorts of “poison pill” amendments to delay the reconciliation legislation, including one to ban all federal funding for the group ACORN, which has already announced that it is shutting down. Since their attempt failed, and the reconciliation bill is already back in the House, the TRICARE legislation needs to pass the Senate as a stand-alone bill, as Webb had tried to do yesterday.
Even though Bilbray and all other House Republicans voted for this measure, they’re now trying to argue that it doesn’t go far enough. Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) has another piece of legislation on the issue, which has attracted 32 co-sponsors — all Republicans. Bilbray spokesman Fritz Chaleff wrote to ThinkProgress that Skelton’s legislation says only that “TRICARE meets the minimal standards of coverage,” while the GOP bill “carves out TRICARE from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” However, Democratic aides on Capitol Hill told ThinkProgress that the the Skelton legislation is more than sufficient and the other bill is political grandstanding.
Everyone from military and veterans organizations to the chairs of relevant House committees to Veterans Affairs officials have confirmed that TRICARE will not be affected by the new health care law.
ThinkFast: March 25, 2010
The Senate “held 10 hours of continuous, marathon voting starting at 5 p.m.” yesterday, defeating 29 Republican amendments to the health care reconciliation bill. However, the Senate parliamentarian “sustained two GOP objections to two minor sections” of the legislation, which means the measure will have to go back to the House for another vote before […]
The Senate “held 10 hours of continuous, marathon voting starting at 5 p.m.” yesterday, defeating 29 Republican amendments to the health care reconciliation bill. However, the Senate parliamentarian “sustained two GOP objections to two minor sections” of the legislation, which means the measure will have to go back to the House for another vote before heading to the President for his signature.
The Obama administration will issue regulations to clarify a provision in the Affordable Care Act that stipulates “insurers must cover sick children.” The insurance industry’s lobby says the bill’s language only mandates covering the “cost of care for children with pre-existing conditions who already have insurance, not that insurers must accept new young customers who are already sick.”
“At least 10 House Democrats” have reported being subjected to death threats, harassment, or vandalism at their district offices over the past week. Asked whether members are endangered, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said, “Yes. [There are] very serious incidents that have occurred.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) whined that the “well has been poisoned” by the way the Democrats passed health reform. Graham said he will “no longer work with the majority party on an immigration overhaul…because of the Democrats’ tactics in passing the package,” and may pull out of discussions on energy reform as well.
In recent weeks, FreedomWorks chairman and Tea Party profiteer Dick Armey “has found himself targeted by a quiet, but concerted campaign from fellow conservatives challenging — and seeking to undermine — his status as a leader of the tea party movement.” Critics are questioning his lobbying work, stances on immigration and social issues, and candidate endorsements.
“With Israeli officials saying that construction on a contentious Jewish housing project in East Jerusalem could begin at any time,” President Obama appeared to “have failed on Wednesday to persuade” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to give a written commitment to rein in any further building and to move ahead on peace talks with the Palestinians.”
Defense Secretary Robert Gates today will announce measures “to make it more difficult for the military to expel openly gay service members, an interim plan while the Pentagon examines repeal of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy.” The move will include “a requirement that only a general or admiral could initiate action” in cases involving suspected DADT violation.
The U.S. and Russia have agreed to sign a treaty to cut their respective nuclear arsenals “to the lowest levels in half a century.” Both sides “have agreed to lower the limit on deployed strategic warheads by more than one-quarter and launchers by half.” The agreement will include a new inspection regime and will decision to vote against the bill.”
And finally: Former White House adviser Karl Rove thinks MSNBC host Chuck Todd is ugly — and he told him so yesterday on air. Watch it here.
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