Efforts in DC and Florida to Repeal /replace and educate re: Health Care reform
Congress is out for one more week on their Spring recess and presumably the Members of Congress are enjoying some quality family and constituent time. During a recent press event, U.S. Senator Lemieux, (R-FL) vowed to sponsor and support legislation to repeal the federal health care law and replace it with anti-health care fraud legislation. His press release goes on to say that if the anit-fraud bill were enacted, it would save an estimated $20 Billion on year in Medicare waste, fraud and abuse. Read the Repeal bill, S. 3152 While most in Congress will admit that actually getting either of these bills to pass this current Congress is remote at best, forcing multiple votes on these ideas in the Senate will help make sure the voters in November know exactly where Member of Congress stands on the current Health Care law and efforts to clean up Medicare waste, fraud and abuse. It is the intention of the U. S. Senate GOP leaders to force votes on both of these issues often during the coming months leading up to the November election.
While similar efforts will be underway in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Rules of the House serve to block most if not all legislative initiatives not favored by the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and her party. With that in mind, chances of conducting duplicative votes in the House of Representatives on repeal and replace will be harder to come by. However, the House Leadership will be working hard to craft a few votes between now and November.
Meanwhile, back in Central Florida, on Good Friday, WFLA radio host Bud Hedinger was being interviewed on cable TVs Fox New, about his upcoming radio interview with the Mt. Dora, FLorida doctor who is educating and warning his patients about the effects of the recent Health Care reform law. In case you havent heard of the good doctor, urology doctor Jack Cassells practice door now dons a hand printed sign that reads: "If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years." Also available in the doctors waiting room is reading material on the various timelines contained in the new Health Care law and how it will effect your upcoming health care. The doctor insists that is he not intending to refuse seeing any patients because of their political views, but instead would like all of those entering his office to know the full ramifications of the new law. Needless to say the Mt. Dora doctor has received numerous requests to appear on national news outlets and he has agreed to be the guest of Mr. Bud Hedinger, this Monday, April 5 at 7:05AM, on Central Floridas 540AM, WFLA. Read about the interview and the Mt. Dora doctor here.
So while Congress may be on their recess for one more week, Floridians are still plugging along in various ways to educate, repeal and replace the current health care reform law.
Stay tuned,
Elizabeth B. Letchworth is a former 4 times elected United States Senate Secretary for the Majority and Minority-(retired). Currently she is the owner of GradeGov.com http://www.gradegov.com/
