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Saturday, August 22, 2009 articles (index)
Local Tea Party member analyzes federal health care proposal

    Health care debate: Why SEIU & HR 3200 should scare you

    Few people have fully read the House Bill HR 3200 and even fewer understand it. Inside the bill are lots of goodies aimed at pandering to special interests including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and ACORN.

    On the SEIU website they describe themselves:

    • The fastest-growing union in North America.
    • The largest healthcare union, with more than 1.1 million members in the field, including nurses, LPNs, doctors, lab technicians, nursing home workers, and home care workers.
    • The largest property services union, with 225,000 members in the building cleaning and security industries, including janitors, security officers, superintendents, maintenance workers, window cleaners, and doormen and women.
    • The second largest public services union, with more than 1 million local and state government workers, public school employees, bus drivers, and child care providers.
    • In total, over 2.325 million members.

    SEIU has been picketing and confronting Town Hall meetings and anti-health care rallies, with the intent of forcing HR 3200 into passage. With the passage of HR 3200 the rank and file of SEIU will more than triple overnight and continue to expand as all facets of the bill are implemented.

    Written into the bill on page 897 is Section 2231 titled “Public Health Workforce”, which establishes the “Public Health Workforce Corps” and is “for the purpose of ensuring an adequate supply of public health professionals….. shall consist of such officers of the Regular and Reserve Corps … and such civilian employees…”

    In one fell swoop SEIU will gain members from a para-military “Public Health Workforce Corps”, from doctors and nurses to the janitor working in private and public medical facilities, health insurance providers and any educational facility.

    HR 3200 in Sections 2511 and 399Z-1 establishes school-based “health” clinics. These clinics will provide educational services as well as medical, mental health and dental services during and after school hours. In essence schools will also become 24-hour community health clinics, staffed by SEIU members.

    In the ultimate of government intrusion, Section 2521 establishes the “National Medical Device Registry” which will be the central collector of any “implantable” devices. Anything implanted such as birth control devices, cosmetic augmentations, joint replacements, pace makers, hernia patches and far beyond will be in this registry. Included in the registry will be the serial number of the implant and the patient’s personal identification and financial data.

    SEIU is not the only big beneficiary of HR3200.  ACORN and its associated arms have their fingers in the bill. Community based organizations are awarded with monitoring, administrating and evaluating dozens of sections in the bill.

    The most astounding area is the use of community based organizations is Section 1904, titled “Home Visitation Program” wherein “well-trained staff” will come to your home to “provide parents with age-appropriate knowledge of development in cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor domains … knowledge of realistic expectations of age-appropriate child behaviors … skills to interact with their child….”

    Essentially, they will instruct you and monitor you on how to raise and interact with your child.

    For other home visits by community based organizations, HR 3200 in Section 1302 establishes the “Community-Based Home Medical Services” which will provide home based medical and educational services to you. Initially it is set up for rural areas and has provisions to be expanded as the CHMS determines is needed.

    The CHMS will provide medical services, monitor your progress, educate you on healthy behavior (i.e. – diet, exercise, personal habits) and determine your compliance with their recommendations.

    Section 1193, the “GAO Evaluation Of Data Collection Process For Quality Measurement” sets the standard for your medical treatment. This is carried into Section 1142, where “Quality” is based upon gender, age, race and place of residence.

    Uniting these two areas of HR 3200 is Section 1143, “Multi-Stakeholder Pre-Rulemaking Input”. The MPI will provide “recommendations on the selection of individual or composite quality measures…”, meaning the government will determine the level of your care. The MPI will comprise “a voluntary collaborative of organizations representing persons interested in or affected by the use of such quality measure…” such as medical personnel and community based organizations such as ACORN.

    Beyond the liberal use of ACORN type organizations HR 3200 will restrict and regulate other programs that target the neediest among us, such as special-needs persons. Section 1177 titled “Extension Of Authority Of Special Needs Plans To Restrict Enrollment” is an extension of the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.

    Through various groups, including ACORN, this is designed “through a contract with an independent health services evaluation organization, for an analysis of the plans described in paragraph (1) with regard to the impact of such plans on cost, quality of care, patient satisfaction…”.

    In other words, services to Special-Needs will be “restricted” or rationed.

    HR 3200 is only one of three health care plans proposed in the House of Representatives. In the Senate there are two bills currently under consideration. The Kennedy Health Care Act has 615 pages plus an additional 300 pages not yet released. Several Republican senators have proposals in committee, including Senator Tom Rice (GA) and Senator Jim DeMint (SC).

    The Health Care debate is heating up and when the fight is over, there most likely be many bruised and battered members of Congress licking their wounds and limping home.

    Author: Jani Ubelis, a member of the Beaufort Tea Party.

    Editor’s note: The Beaufort Tribune welcomes responsible, lively debate on the issues of the day. If you have a countervailing view on this subject and would like us to consider publishing it, please send us your comments by clicking here.

    Related posts:

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    3. Kelly McGowan’s over-50 health: You should be in my shoes
    4. Kelly McGowan: Over-50 health – Medicare supplements
    5. Local hospital reaches the “Golden Years”

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