If You Give a Republican a Cookie…

Photo by Clara

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Ia), who is seeking re-election next year and is said to have wrested key concessions from his Democratic counterparts in the Senate– including, according to AP, “an agreement to back away from a government plan to compete with private insurers” –dipped his beak in the ignominious trough of the demagogue over the weekend. AP reports that Sen. Grassley

told an Iowa crowd he would not support a plan that “determines when you’re going to pull the plug on Grandma.” The remark echoed conservative activists who wrongly claim a House health care bill would require Medicare recipients to discuss their end-of-life plans with doctors.

In addition, with recent (perhaps hasty) speculation regarding the demise of a Public Option in Health Care Reform, The Wall Street Journal reports that “The number two Senate Republican said Tuesday replacing a public health care option with a nonprofit private cooperative wouldn’t win any more Republican support, saying they are essentially the same thing. Sen. Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.), said Republican objections were more fundamental than simply changing the name of a new national entity to compete with private medical insurers.”

Senator Kyle, who as Whip is said to speak for the Republican Party,  favors a more private market based approach to health care reform–utilizing such means as medical malpractice reform, allowing small businesses to join together to give them more negotiating clout with health insurers, and allowing health insurance to be permitted to be sold across state lines like other forms of insurance. In addition, Sen. Kyle is reported to support federal government encouragement of “individuals to save more for potential health care needs through tax-friendly accounts, which would reduce their reliance on costly insurance.”

Notably, in a 2006 report on the affect of the minimum wage on families in Sen. Kyl’s home state,  the Children’s Access Alliance of Arizona stated that “Arizona has the widest income gap in the nation. The average income of the top 5% of Arizona families is 14 times greater than the average income for the bottom 20% of families.” Also worth noting is that Senator Kyl voted against increasing the minimum wage in 1997, 2005 and 2007.

On Health Care Legislation, according to On the Issues.org, Sen. Kyle voted as follows:

• Voted YES on means-testing to determine Medicare Part D premium. (Mar 2008)
• Voted YES on allowing tribal Indians to opt out of federal healthcare. (Feb 2008)
• Voted NO on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility. (Nov 2007)
• Voted NO on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D. (Apr 2007)
• Voted YES on limiting medical liability lawsuits to $250,000. (May 2006)
• Voted NO on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D. (Feb 2006)
• Voted NO on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics. (Nov 2005)
• Voted NO on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug. (Mar 2005)
• Voted YES on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Jun 2003)
• Voted NO on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada. (Jul 2002)
• Voted NO on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages. (Jun 2001)
• Voted YES on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Apr 2001)
• Voted NO on including prescription drugs under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
• Voted YES on limiting self-employment health deduction. (Jul 1999)
• Voted NO on increasing tobacco restrictions. (Jun 1998)
• Voted YES on Medicare means-testing. (Jun 1997)
• Voted NO on blocking medical savings accounts. (Apr 1996)
• Rated 0% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record. (Dec 2003)

More extensive analysis of the votes may be found at On the Issues’ 18 full quotes on Health Care.

In a statement on Senator Kyl’s own website regarding Health Care, he notes that “The shortage of health care professionals is due, in part, to Medicare’s efforts to control costs.”

Senator Kyl has repeatedly opposed what he terms “government intervention” in the health care and health care insurance market, stating that it will invariably lead to bureaucrats standing in between patients and their doctors and what will ultimately amount to the rationing of health care.

Interestingly enough, on his website Sen. Kyl notes that in his home state of Arizona, “The average wait for a consultation with a gastroenterologist in the Phoenix area is now two to three months. Mesa hospital administrators report acute shortages of both orthopedic surgeons and neurologists, resulting in emergency room and inpatient consult delays.”

Senator Kyl does not seem to equate such waits or shortages with any form of market based “rationing” and states that the long waits for care at present are “partly due to exorbitant medical liability premiums and the lack of physicians willing to practice under the threat of lawsuits,” and, presumably,the above mentioned “Medicare’s efforts to control costs.”

Regarding Medical Malpractice as a means of Health Care Reform, Senator Kyl, as we’ve reported before, according to Bloomberg.com might be be best to look elsewhere. Regarding real Health Care Reform, for those who had entertained the notion of Bipartisan dialogue as a means to passing comprehensive legislation, they too might be best to look elsewhere. I would suggest, for now, while there are still cookies to be had, the House–where a substantial number of Democratic Representatives have insisted that they will not vote for any reform measure which does not include a Public Option.