Senator Bernard Sanders, Independent from Vermont
Earlier today, Senator Landrieu of Louisiana provided insight to the positive highlights of the Senate Health Care Reform Bill. She noted she and Senator Lincoln had been working closely to include a Small Business focus for women owned businesses.
Senator Bill Nelson of Florida made an impressive appeal to the Pharmaceutical Industry to rethink their participation in the reform legislation. Senator Nelson stated there was a far better way to 'close the donut hole' in Medicare and it would provide $20 billion in profits to the pharmaceutical industry.
Let me explain as it seems strange a USA Senator would actually be advocating for profits for Wall Street firms.
Senator Bill Nelson asked the pharmaceutical industry to make the medications received by Medicare patients 'in the donut hole' (approximately annual costs to each person between $2100 and $6000) 100% funded and free. The reason for this is obvious. It will provide excellent medications from name brand pharmaceuticals to patients, but, would result in profits to pharmaceutical companies after the maximum of the 'donut hole' was reached and entered catastophic coverage, or any amounts over $6000 annually.
If the pharmaceutical industry would provide 100% coverage of all the medications in the donut hole it would then exceed the costs of the medications over $6000 sooner and would provide them with funding from the Medicare Perscription Catastrophic Coverage. In other words, the donut hole would be fully funded by the pharmaceutical companies and after Medicare recipients exceeded $6000 annually the Federal government would again pay the bill.
That would supply a consistent quality of medications to Medicare recipients while keeping them out of the hospital due to the inability to afford medications. It would result in a net savings for the country as there would be fewer hospital admissions and therefore less cost to Medicare A.
I thought his advocacy for Medicare recipients was brilliant and I look forward to cooperation from the American pharmaceutical industry in keeping our seniors and neediest among us healthy.
Sometime following, a colloquium of three Senators took the floor, Senator Sanders of Vermont, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Senator Al Franken of Minnesota. Talk about The Three Muskateers. Like, WOW !
Senator Franken immediately asked for clarification from Senator Thune from South Dakota. Senator Thune had just spoken and reiterated the same thing he has been stating for three days along with other Republican rhetoric right out of the Right Wing Media Playbook.
Senator Thune had a poster that stated the taxation that would accompany the Health Care Reform Legislation would begin January 1, 2010, but, the benefits would begin in 2014. Therefore, the cost of the legislation was lopsided and was actully two and a half times more than the Democrats were stating. This was an attack against the credibility of the bill and the Senators in support of the bill and I have mentioned this before.
My defense then was weak. I haven't read the Senate Bill and was not very familiar with its provisions, except, it had amended the House Bill and that was a good thing. Basically, I had stated before there was much preparation that goes into such a large change in an entire industry and there was no valid reason for Republicans, like Thune, to complain against taxes that began in 2010.
But, Senator Franken took it further. It would seem there are vast changes that begin January 1, 2010 along with the taxes. One of those changes was a tax credit to small businesses that provide health care insurance.
The Donut Hole provision would also take effect immediately. As the provision stands now, the donut hole would be covered by 50% by the pharmaceutical industry.
So, basically, Senator Franken gave Senator Thune an opportunity to answer somewhat to the allegations he lied, but, he did so unsuccessfully.
That wasn't the best part.
The best part is that Senator Sanders decided to add an amendment to the bill that would finance the entire bill in the same fashion as the House Bill. Basically, there would be a surtax on the very wealthiest Americans to finance what the elimination of Medicare Advantage didn't cover. The Amendment would eliminate any and all taxes on any other insurance policies.
Especially noted by Senators Brown and Franken is the reality of the sacrifice by employees to companies in wage concessions. By providing wage concessions to employers, the employees were able to maintain their comprehensive medical insurance packages as a benefit. Their rational was rather heroic. They stated, why should people that have sacrificed wage increases to provide a better business platform for their employers while being able to keep their insurance packages intact be asked to pay a tax on those policies.
Earlier in the session, Senator Sanders stated he would be putting forth an amendment to the Health Care Reform Bill asking for Single Payer. He stated in the same breath, he didn't believe it would pass, but, it was a good beginning to the conversation the nation should be having even after the passage of the Reform Bills that will go to the President for signature.
Today was a lot of movement toward early reconciliation with the House Bill in the way the Health Care Reform legislation would be funded. Now, with the Amendment to change the surtax from every health care insurance policy to simply those most able to pay above the $2.4 million income for single filers and $4.8 million for married filers the cost was contained to Americans that would be receiving the Lion Share of the benefits without added cost to their households.
To say I was proud of the Senators today is an understatement. They rose above the frey and delivered reasonable, affordable health care to the people of the USA. I am looking forward to the passage of the Senate Health Care Reform Bill and having President Obama sign it soon.
