Congress Is Again Trying to Hide Socialist Medical Price Fixing in a China Virus Bill

Seton Motley | Less Government | LessGovernment.org
Seton Motley | Less Government | LessGovernment.org
Alexander Playing ‘Find the Bad Rider’

It’s yet another Sunday – on which the Sunday political shows were myopically fixated upon the China Virus, the government’s reaction to it…and the resulting economic devastation.

Hoping we’re distracted, some members of Congress are again about to attempt a very bad thing.

Congress often likes to use bad news – to hide their passing bad policy.

Some elected officials are – today, right now, even as I type – trying to attach awful Socialist medical bill price fixing to today’s China Virus bill.

They are attempting this again today – after failing in their attempt to attach it to Thursday’s China Virus bill.

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This terrible idea – has in fact been around for many months.

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But it’s thus far sunk under the weight of its titanic stink-age.

Having rightly failed as a stand-alone bill, Congress is wrongly trying to hide it in China Virus legislation.

How has Congress made “Surprise Medical Billing” – into Socialist price fixing?

Bad policy – and a heaping helping of cronyism:

“What outgoing Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander is attempting to insert…is Socialist price setting – to benefit huge insurance companies.

“And oh look: From 2013-2018, Alexander’s top donor – by far – was huge insurance company Blue Cross-Blue Shield.

“So as Alexander leaves Capitol Hill – and sails off into the prospective K Street lobbying sunset – it appears he’s giving a titanic goodbye present to one of his biggest benefactors.

“And who do you think might be his very first lobbying client – if/when he sets up shop?  Three guesses – the first two don’t count.

“Let’s look at Alexander’s Big Insurance big, wet kiss, shall we?…

“Government setting ALL payment rates…predicated upon insurance company benchmark rates.

“Government would use the numbers the insurance companies want to be paid – as the baseline numbers they impose upon the marketplace.

“This is the harmonic convergence height of Socialism and Cronyism.”

How awful is Congress for trying to do this on a China Virus bill?

Even some Democrats think it’s bad:

“Now is not the time to be doing this because it’s not an emergency. What is an emergency is to deal with a pandemic. Trying to sneak this is in now is not the most prudent decision….”

Rightly, this Crony Socialist medical price fixing – has failed for months as a stand-alone bill.

Fortunately, this titanic nonsense didn’t make it as a sneak rider on Thursday’s bill.

Unfortunately, it was more because of legislative wrangling – than because it is titanic nonsense.

So it is back again today.

On Sunday.

Just three days after the last time they tried to jam us with this titanic nonsense.

In yet another shameless attempt to pass it under cover of China Virus distraction.

Here’s hoping for yet another Nay.

This first appeared in Red State.