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Throughout this entire health care reform debate, Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) has been the biggest advocate of the CBO. He demanded that CBO score health care reform over ten years. He also demanded the CBO must examine the bill and conclude that it would not increase the deficit over the next 20 years.
Yet, when the CBO disagrees with him, he had no problem simply ignoring their findings. Conrad has been pushing his idea of co-ops despite the growing evidence that they would have little or no effect. When the Star Tribune asked Conrad if he agreed with CBO director Doug Elmendorf’s conclusion that, "They seem unlikely to establish a significant market presence in many areas of the country," Conrad answered:
I do not agree with the Mr. Elmendorf’s assessment on co-ops. Based on the advice of leading actuaries, we are providing enough federal seed money for these co-ops to insure 12 million Americans.
I think this should be defined as the new Conrad CBO Standard. It is the belief by Kent Conrad that everyone must follow the conclusions of the CBO, unless the CBO disagrees with Kent Conrad.
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Even if he weren’t spouting BS about how wonderful co-ops would be, 12M covered still leaves 35M uncovered, using conventional figures.
Senator Conrad, please repeat after me: “It is not reform if it leaves the guilty in charge”
drive by
Edited on Tue Sep-22-09 09:20 AM by babylonsister
Mike Ross Raises Eyebrows With Healthy Haul
by Marcus Stern, ProPublica – September 22, 2009 5:00 am EDT
This story was co-published <1> with Politico and appeared in that paper on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009.
Arkansas Rep. Mike Ross — a Blue Dog Democrat playing a key role in the health care debate — sold a piece of commercial property in 2007 for substantially more than a county assessment <2> (PDF) and an independent appraisal <3> (PDF) say it was worth.
The buyer: an Arkansas-based pharmacy chain with a keen interest in how the debate plays out.
Ross sold the real estate in Prescott, Ark., to USA Drug for $420,000 — an eye-popping number for real estate in the tiny train and lumber town about 100 miles southwest of Little Rock.
“You can buy half the town for $420,000,” said Adam Guthrie, chairman of the county Board of Equalization and the only licensed real estate appraiser in Prescott.
But the $420,000 was just the beginning of what Ross and his pharmacist wife, Holly, made from the sale of Holly’s Health Mart. The owner of USA Drug, Stephen L. LaFrance Sr., also paid the Rosses $500,000 to $1 million for the pharmacy’s assets and paid Holly Ross another $100,000 to $250,000 for signing a non-compete agreement. Those numbers, which Ross listed on the financial disclosure reports he files as a member of Congress, bring the total value of the transaction to between $1 million and $1.67 million.
And that’s not counting the $2,300 campaign contribution Ross received from LaFrance two weeks after the sale closed.
more…
http://www.propublica.org/arti…..fam…
I’m so tired of these ignorant, clowns from middle America who don’t have a clue as to what they’re talking about. I read an article here on firedoglake last week about co ops and how Olympia Snowe supports them even though the Massachuettes Co ops are a complete failure. The article stated that they’ve had to raise premiums for the last 3 years by 10%. I’m hoping that some Democrat points this out to this jerk. We’re not going to let them get away with this! Drop Dead Yokel!
I think the article also said that they also have the highest premiums in the country. How is that deemed successful? I’m praying that the Liberals and Progressives stand firm so that these idiot Blue Dogs can be marginalized and ignored.
Sounds like something the IRS might be interested in pursuing. And the AG’s office, while we’re at it. A gangster by any other name…
”Based on the advice of leading actuaries (who work for the companies that are greasing my coffers), we are providing enough federal seed money for these co-ops to insure 12 million Americans.
Fixed it.
It’s hard to know how much play these co-ops would get. If there were at least one huge national one with a trusted name (don’t know who-AARP?) the think could possibly do quite well if it forgoes marketing expenses, and profit, and just delivers service at a good price. They should be able to deliver for 15 to 20% less than the for profit guys- and if they get big enough- they could negotiate some better deals with providers. It’s not a terrible idea- just hard to evaluate without some experience.
To be fair to Conrad (God help me for starting a sentence that way!), advocates of HR 3200 and the Senate HELP bill have also been sniping at the CBO’s low estimates of the robustness of their respective POs, etc.
By the way, on a Progressive Democrats of America conference call last week, I learned that the CBO is supposedly now scoring HR 676, at Rep Weiner’s request. It will probably fare poorly, since “scoring” — which focuses narrowly on federal budget impact — is not the same as a full economic analysis, which would more likely capture broader economic benefits.
Sounds like a normal politician to me.
Yes because they’ve been running around crowing about how accurate the CBO score has been up until now.
Is that your parallel?
You’re right. Bad parallel. My bad. Thanks.
AARP sold out their membership supporting the Medicaid Drug bill.
Now they partner with United Health Care, the worst payer of all the insurance companies.
There are no “pure” players within the insurance world. They suck blood through every vein of the health care system.
Ain’t that the truth.
Bingo.
Conrad admitted on CNN that co-ops would be ineffective at driving down health care costs! (my emphasis)
For him to be playing these CBO games is beyond hypocritical – it’s spiteful!