'Crisis!!!': Congress Should Practice #SocialDistancing from Socialist Medicine
Senator Alexander - And His Cronyism Exit Strategy
As then-President Barack Obama’s then-Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel reminded us - by very helpfully speaking quite clearly on rolling video:
You Never Want a Serious Crisis to Go to Waste
This China Virus nightmare mess - certainly qualifies as a crisis. An almost wholly government-created crisis - but now certainly a crisis.
And Leftists can’t wait to take advantage thereof….
That’s Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trying to turn a bill attempting to save adult humans - into a bill funding the murder of baby humans.
Because: “Crisis!!!”
But it ain’t just radical Democrats looking to abuse the virus confusion - so as to ram through terrible ideas when We the People are looking elsewhere.
Republicans beholden to massive donors - will attempt very un-conservative things in the hopes of slipping them past us.
Because: “Crisis!!!”
Republicans attempting to deliver a Socialist body blow to our health care system - in the midst of this health care crisis - should be pariahs for all eternity.
Behold a coalition - Action for Health - which we at Less Government have happily joined. We collectively signed on to a letter - to try to save some Crisis!!!-abusing Republicans from themselves:
Twenty-Four Groups Oppose Rate-Setting in Coronavirus Package:
“As you debate and consider a legislative response for those affected by COVID-19, the undersigned groups representing millions of taxpayers and consumers urge you to reject any attempt to include any language that would seek to address surprise medical billing by creating a government-mandated benchmark (i.e. rate-setting) to determine out-of-network rates for physicians.
“Government price controls for medical bills would be particularly devastating at a time of great stress for our nation’s patients and healthcare providers.”
A good idea in an attempt to lower health care costs - and pay providers more quickly - is an arbitration system.
Where an independent arbiter looks at both sides’ requests - and decides what is fair.
Believe it or not - New York State has actually gotten it right.
See also: Major League Baseball arbitration.
What outgoing Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander is attempting to insert into the US Senate’s China Virus “Crisis!!!” bill - is not arbitration.
It is Socialist price setting - to benefit huge insurance companies.
And oh look: From 2013-2018, Alexander’s top donor - by far - was huge insurance company Blue Cross-Blue Shield.
So as Alexander leaves Capitol Hill - and sails off into the prospective K Street lobbying sunset - it appears he’s giving a titanic goodbye present to one of his biggest benefactors.
And who do you think might be his very first lobbying client - if/when he sets up shop? Three guesses - the first two don’t count.
Let’s look at Alexander’s Big Insurance big, wet kiss, shall we?
It is, in fact, actual Socialist price-fixing.
Government setting ALL payment rates…predicated upon insurance company benchmark rates.
Government would use the numbers the insurance companies want to be paid - as the baseline numbers they impose upon the marketplace.
This is the harmonic convergence height of Socialism and Cronyism.
This horrible idea has been kicking around for months.
A Terrible Surprise Bill from Congress – For Christmas. Ho Ho No
Because bad ideas never die - they go to Congress and college campuses.
And when given several options - Congress can’t seem to help but choose poorly.
Why Does Congress Always Choose the Worst Available Option?
And now….
Senators in Talks to Include Surprise Billing in Coronavirus Stimulus, Sources Say:
“Alexander-Pallone fix in question is opposed by doctors, hospitals.”
Yes - because it’s doctors and hospitals that get royally screwed by this nonsense.
“Pallone” - is New Jersey Democrat Congressman Frank Pallone.
Democrat Pallone supporting Socialism - is dog bites man.
Republican Alexander supporting Socialism - is man bites dog.
Or at least it’s supposed to be:
“According to one person in close contact with the Senate HELP Committee, chaired by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the panel sees an opening in the coronavirus stimulus package to finally put the issue to bed.
“Strategically, lawmakers see this as an opportune moment to move on the issue, the person said….
Because: Never let a “Crisis!!!” go to waste.
Except: How bad an idea is abusing the China Virus “Crisis!!!” to jam this heinousness through? There are even Democrats who object:
“‘Now is not the time to be doing this because it's not an emergency. What is an emergency is to deal with a pandemic. Trying to sneak this is in now is not the most prudent decision….’”
Indeed it is “not the most prudent decision.”
It is, in fact, a TERRIBLE decision.
Being made - to sneak through a TERRIBLE idea.
Because: Never let a “Crisis!!!” go to waste.
Even from shameful, bribed Republicans - who should be better than this.
This first appeared in Red State.