By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) decried what he describes as society’s “evolving attitude” on marriage Thursday.

“Take a hard look at what marriage means in society, in the law and in the culture,” Pence urged listeners during a speech to the Young America’s Foundation Conference.

Pence stressed that the marriage debate should focus on the traditional values, such as love and trust.

The Young America’s Foundation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on conservative education and advocacy for students around the country.

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

The House Energy and Commerce Committee finalized a key mark-up on health care reform just hours before the House’s summer recess began. However, despite hours of deliberation on the legislation that commenced Thursday evening, continued well past midnight Friday, and resumed during the day on Friday, the committee made no significant changes.

This upset GOP committee members, whose proposed amendments that were aimed at stripping the President’s much-desired public option from the plan, were rejected.

Other Republican amendments, including provisions that would encourage citizens to live healthy lifestyles and would provide Americans access to the same insurance plans that members of Congress enjoy, were also thrown out.

Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) said there is no reason for Congress not to offer ordinary citizens the same health insurance it has access to. “We’ve got competition, we’ve got affordability, we’ve got choice,” Terry said. “Those are the things that I want and Republicans want for our constituents.”

The complete House health care bill will not be voted on until members return from summer break in September.

The fate of the bill, which proposes establishing a government-run health care system as a means of competing with the nation’s private health care industry, is unknown. However, GOP’ers and Blue Dog Democrats plan on using the next month to guage their constituents’ feelings about the plan.

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) told members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which he heads, to clear their schedules until late into the night on Thursday.

“I expect we’ll be back here tomorrow,” Waxman said. “We’re not going to close out anybody’s opportunity to offer amendments.”

The committee agreed to limit all debate for amendments to 10 minutes each for both sides in order to save time. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the mark-up will be finished before the House’s recess begins on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, a Republican amendment that would have prevented illegal immigrants from receiving Medicare benefits failed by one vote. The amendment would have required Medicare recipients to prove citizenship in order to get benefits.

An amendment that would prevent federal funding of clinical comparative effectiveness research passed overwhelmingly. Such research evaluates medical care based on cost rather than effectiveness. In England and Canada, federal comparative effectiveness research is used to ration care by preventing certain procedures based on factors such as outside patient needs and requirements.

Debate over mark-ups will continue as the committee works late into Thursday night and early Friday morning.

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) appeared perturbed when he argued that senior citizens in the U.S. will rebel against the government if it attempts to over take health care. Hatch, alongside Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), said that there are at least five Republican health care proposals already drafted that are better than the Democrats’ plan.

“They’re gonna ration care,” Hatch said. “There’s no use kidding about it, they hate to hear that word on the Democrat side, but how else can it be?” He issued a direct challenge to Democrats, urging them to “prove me wrong.”

Among the many Republican hang-ups over the Democrat proposal is the fate of the elderly and poor. Hatch asserted that Medicaid will go bankrupt as 9 out of every 10 seniors will lose their end-of-life care.

Similarly, the Republicans asserted that poor people will be hit hard due to an employer mandate that will force companies to cut the lowest paying jobs just to stay in business. Hatch said he cannot imagine that Democrats could support a proposal that “would double unemployment in Utah” and other states.

Both senators admitted that reform will be difficult, but as the health care debate continues to heat up, finding solutions to issues has become more complex. Democrats are finding the “best way to go in the wrong direction,” according to Hatch, who later repeated his belief that “the seniors won’t be happy.”

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

A new survey by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Water Program on water quality at U.S. beaches found that beach closings due to biohazards surpassed 20,000 for the fourth consecutive year, a rather high, yet steady finding.

“There are 124 coastal beaches in the U.S. that violated public health standards in one out of every four water samples taken last year,” NRDC Co-director Nancy Stoner said during a conference call with reporters. “People swimming at contaminated beaches. . . are pretty likely to get sick.”

A five-star rating was used for the first time this year to judge beach pollution by evaluating each beach’s management ability to monitor water quality and communicate to swimmers. While many beaches received five stars, some beaches received four stars because they tested water samples only once per week.

Stoner said that more needs to be done to improve beaches used for swimming. Although current NRDC standards are rather minimal, NRDC is lobbying Congress to pass the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act, which would require states to begin using rapid-water tests and provide funding for studies to identify pollution sources.

NRDC is an environmental activist organization that was founded in 1970 to advocate its overall goal of cleaning-up the ecosystem. For more information on individual beach ratings, visit www.nrdc.org/beaches.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour says that all governors, including ones that are Democratic, are worried that government-run health care will punish small businesses and will cost too much (0:41).

 

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By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

There are at least two things lawmakers agree upon in Washington regarding health care reform. First, it must be done. Second, it’s becoming a nightmare.

The nightmare for Democrats is being caused by growing bipartisan objection for a government run health care system. Republicans like House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), say the bill is a “bureaucratic nightmare” for the American public.

On Tuesday, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said that House Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats “are on the verge of an historic victory for the American taxpayers and the American health care economy” by opposing a government run health care system.

Said Pence, “Under the Democrat plan, according to independent analysis, you’ll probably lose your health insurance and you might just lose your job.”

Governor Haley Barbour from Mississippi pointed out that the current proposal is nothing more than a huge unfunded mandate for states, and will hurt senior citizens through sweeping Medicare cuts. Moreover, Barbour said that the inevitable cost and tax increases will cripple most small businesses in most states.

Nevertheless, congressional recess is set to begin Friday, and without a proposal for health care reform in sight, it’s unknown whether members of Congress will be able to leave for vacation on time.

Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) says there has been no forum for debate between parties regarding health care reform, and adds that Republicans have been trying to engage Democrats on the issue for the past six months (0:46).

 

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By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

Although none of them stretched beforehand, House Republicans lugged dozens of boxes filled with legislative health care amendments called the “Rx for a Healthy America,” around the Capitol on Friday.

“I’m gonna take a chance with my back here,” Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said jokingly. “You can’t offer your ideas if there’s not a forum, a legislative forum, to offer your ideas. . . we’ve been right up to the edge of pounding on the door for six months.”

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) and others unveiled the GOP’s 12-point proposal for health care reform. Specifically, the plan focuses on health care affordability, availability, and accessibility. Barton asserted that the plan’s amendments will be offered as soon as “Democrats resume the stalled bill-writing session.”

The plan is designed to ensure that time is taken to produce reform that adheres to the desires of the American public, while at the same time solving the problems of the current health care system.

“It took the President six months to decide how long and which puppy he was gonna have,” said Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.). “To expect Congress to do something on major health care reform in six days is totally irresponsible.”

The “Rx for a Healthy America” plan ensures that Americans keep their current insurance, prohibits pre-existing condition clauses, and guarantees that health care will not become government operated. Moreover, the plan will ensure senior choice, transparency, and government health care for the President, Vice President, and members of Congress.

Barton said that the 17 boxes worth of amendments are more comprehensive than the Democrats’ plan and achieve the goals set by President Obama. Barton added that unlike the President’s plan, the Republicans can prove their plan’s effectiveness.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) says Republicans have pages and pages worth of health care proposals sitting in boxes in the Rayburn House building. He says Democrats are wrong to criticize the GOP over not having any solid health proposals when the Democrats can’t even get their massive 1,018 page bill out of committee (0:25).

 

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