HEADLINES

Sunday, January 23, 2011

That Was Quick… House Republicans Already Investigating Obamacare Waiver System

Via: gateway pundit :  The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday asked the Department of Health and Human Services to provide detailed information on the over 200 groups requesting and receiving one-year waivers from Obamacare.

In November it was first reported that the Obama Administration had handed out 111 (now over 200) Obamacare waivers to special US companies… And, they hid this information from the American public. It took 6 clicks to find out this information on the government's health care website.

Unfortunately, if you're a small business or you don't have the right connections you can't get a waiver for your company from Team Obama. The bottom line is that democrats did not create a law that benefits all of us.

House Republicans are going to investigate these Obamacare waivers.
The Hill reported:

The Obama administration hit back at House Republicans' plans to investigate implementation of the healthcare reform law.

Republicans on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday asked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide detailed information about groups requesting and receiving one-year waivers for the reform law's ban on annual coverage limits.

More than 200 groups, unions and businesses have so far received waivers from the requirement. Republicans say the waivers are proof of the reform law's flaws and are Democratic gifts to union allies who supported the law.

However, HHS Kathleen Sebelius, in a sit-down interview with The Hill on Friday, called both assertions "pretty ludicrous."

"The provisions in the law always gave some flexibility to me as secretary," she said.

Sebelius said the waivers were necessary to help individuals keep their health insurance – even if it isn't the best coverage – until new insurance exchanges opening in 2014 allow individuals and small businesses to pool their purchasing power.

Many of the groups receiving waivers offer low-cost health plans – often called "mini-med" plans – that would have violated the law's requirement to offer at least $750,000 in coverage in 2011.

"I find it ironic that people who are always demanding flexibility from the federal government are now criticizing flexibility in the federal government," Sebelius said.

So far, HHS has granted 222 waivers covering 1.5 million individuals. The largest waiver, which covers 351,000 individuals, was granted to the United Federation of Teachers Welfare Fund in New York.

Four different House committees have already mapped out plans to investigate the reform law, pass malpractice reform, provide more choice in health insurance and reduce costs of insurance for small businesses, according to a report by Bloomberg.








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Administration hits back at House GOP plans to probe health law implementation

Republicans say waivers are proof of the reform law's flaws and are Democratic gifts to union allies who supported the law.









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House and Senate Cloakroom: January 24-28, 2011

Analysis provided by Heritage Action for America

House Cloakroom Report: January 24-28

Analysis:

After a week in the House that saw Obamacare repealed, the House will move in to a week heavily focused on spending, further organization of committees, and a slew of hearings on healthcare, the economy, stalled trade agreements, and the oil spill commission report. On Monday afternoon, the House will reconvene with votes scheduled for the evening. On Tuesday, hearings will dominate most of the day with votes on H.Res 38 which would be a resolution reducing non-security spending to fiscal year 2008 levels or less followed by the President's State of the Union Address that evening at 8:35 pm Eastern. On Wednesday, the House will consider a bill to reduce federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions, thus reducing mandatory spending $520 million according to CBO estimates from last year. Spending cuts, economic recovery, and healthcare will drive the conversation for the week.

Major Floor Action:

  • H.Res. 38 – To reduce spending through a transition to non-security spending at fiscal year 2008 levels.

Major Committee Action:

  • The House Ways & Means Committee will hold a full committee hearing on "US Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama" as well as a hearing on the "Economic Effects of Health Care Overhaul".
  • The House Budget Committee will hold an organizational meeting on Wednesday followed by a full committee hearing on the "Fiscal Impact of Health Care Overhaul".
  • The House Education and the Workforce Committee will hold a full committee hearing on Wednesday on the "State of the US Workforce".
  • The House Financial Services Committee will hold a full committee hearing on "Economic Recovery and Job Creation Strategies".
  • The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a full committee hearing on the "Oil Spill Commission Report". See Heritage's take on putting together a cohesive oil spill response bill here.
  • The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a full committee hearing on Tuesday regarding "Bailouts and Foreclosure Crisis Oversight".
  • The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a full committee hearing on Tuesday regarding "Problems at the U.N."

Senate Cloakroom: January 24-28, 2011

Analysis:

The Senate returns to Washington on Tuesday after being in recess for the majority of January. There is still much transition happening on Capitol Hill; many new Senators have yet to be assigned permanent office space and the new official committee assignments have yet to be resolved, so much of the Senate schedule for the week is still unclear. It does look increasingly more likely that the fight over the filibuster that has been brewing for weeks will come to the Floor for debate and a vote at some point in the week. Also, President Obama will deliver the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 25.

Major Floor Action:

A rules debate regarding the filibuster

Major Committee Action:

No Committee hearings have been scheduled for the week of January 24.








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GOP budget cuts hit Democratic campaign cash sources hard

Mark Tapscott There are at least two ways of looking at the fact the $2.5 trillion in spending cuts proposed last week by leaders of the House Republican Study Committee will hurt one of the biggest sources of Democratic campaign cash. Among the proposals, which you can read about here and here, is a federal pay freeze and a 15 percent reduction in the federal workforce through attrition. If the proposal becomes law, it will freeze the...

washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential







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