The GOP legislative/lobbying process at work

January 24, 2006

In a nutshell, when Dems complain about how the Republican legislative/lobbying process works, this is what they’re complaining about.

House and Senate GOP negotiators, meeting behind closed doors last month to complete a major budget-cutting bill, agreed on a change to Senate-passed Medicare legislation that would save the health insurance industry $22 billion over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The Senate version would have targeted private HMOs participating in Medicare by changing the formula that governs their reimbursement, lowering payments $26 billion over the next decade. But after lobbying by the health insurance industry, the final version made a critical change that had the effect of eliminating all but $4 billion of the projected savings, according to CBO and other health policy experts.

Forget School House Rock, this is how a bill becomes a law. A small group of Republicans get together in a back room — Dem lawmakers are excluded — and agree, “You know, those HMO lobbyists raise a really good point.” There is no public scrutiny and there are no hearings. It’s just the majority party quietly agreeing to change Senate-passed legislation to save the health insurance industry $22 billion.

As Ezra explained, the original legislation wasn’t bad. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) crafted a proposal to save billions of dollars by adjusting the way in which HMOs are reimbursed. Senators agreed and the measure passed with little opposition. Thanks to some very successful and largely unseen lobbying, however, those savings were cut 85%.

“It happens in the dead of night when lobbyists get a [Republican lawmaker] in the corner and say, ‘We’ve got to have this,’ ” said Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark (Calif.), the Democrats’ point man on Medicare issues. “It’s a pattern that just goes on and on, and at some point the public’s going to rise up.”

I’d like to think so, but I’m not optimistic.

GOP – “The Big Government, Big Deficit, Big Corruption Party”

or better still:

GOP – “Greed Over People” or “Graft Over People” or “Government Over People” pick one.

  • Someone should make a revised School House Rock “How a Bill Becomes a Law” as a commerical, for either tv or the web. It might just be simple enough for the average person to “get” why this matters.

  • Actually, Zoe, that is freakin brilliant. A generation of voting age adults were raised on that series, and “I’m just a Bill” was one of the faves that everyone knew by heart. A parody on that, with Rethug lobbyists trampling on, hiding, and tearing up poor ol Bill would totally kick ass.

  • Unfortunately it will continue until the medai does its job and reports the truth. But they are way too busy mouthing the repubnut talking points about everything.

  • Someone should make a revised School House Rock…

    Agreed, that’s a really good idea. I know a few people who knew a few people and I’m going to pass this idea along.

    Of course I’ll give credit where credit is due.

  • Who controls congress town? Master Blaster…er I mean big (insert company with most money at the time here) does. I can’t wait to see how far this goes before people realize how screwed they are.

  • “Someone should make a revised School House Rock…”

    A friend of mine had an interesting reality TV idea–have various “teams” each take an issue that is important to them, can be any issue conservative or liberal, and the team that gets their bill furthest in the process towards passage, or the first to get their bill passed, wins a large sum of money.

    My contribution to the idea, in order to ensure high ratings, was to make sure that “all means necessary” to get a bill passed would be encouraged–sleeping with representatives and/or bribes allowed.

    I still think it would do well AND maybe educate the public and generate media attention to the sordid side of politics.

  • While GW and the Repbulican Congress are focused on the NSA
    wiretapping scandal and the Alito nomination they are not focusing
    attention on the Medicare situation. Bush has sent his minions
    to try and calm the public, but this is not going to work.
    Gradually, the senior citizenzs who are seeing themselves get shafted
    by the new Medicare prescription provisions are becoming more and
    more outraged. These people vote and if the Democrats are smart
    they will tap into this slowly-building volcano of white-hot anger.
    The rebellion against the GOP and their industry allies is growing
    but the Republicans aren’t addressing this issue satisfactorily.
    They will live to regret this come November. And without the cover
    of a GOP-controlled Congress Bush’s goose will be cooked.
    Let’s hope his is just stupid enough not to take the Medicare
    problems seriously. People could care less about wiretappping and
    Supreme Court nominees. But they need medicines they can afford
    to keep on breathing. And they will keep on breathing just long enough
    to exact their revenge on the fools who took away their health care
    benefits by voting them out of office.

  • Someone should make a revised School House Rock “How a Bill Becomes a Law” as a commerical, for either tv or the web. It might just be simple enough for the average person to “get” why this matters.

    so what if the simpon’s already did it – either get that one on the air or the CB should open up CB Productions

  • Agreed, that’s a really good idea. I know a few people who knew a few people and I’m going to pass this idea along.

    Sounds like the current Huffington(3rd bullet down) Post contest could be a good place to help make this happen.

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