SC attorney general, counterparts, scrutinize dealmaking on US Senate health care legislation

The top prosecutors in seven states are probing the constitutionality of a political deal that cut a funding break for Nebraska in order to pass a federal health care reform bill, South Carolina's attorney general said Tuesday.

Attorney General Henry McMaster said he and his counterparts in Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, North Dakota, Texas and Washington state — all Republicans — are jointly taking a look at the deal they've dubbed the "Nebraska compromise."

Nebraska wasn't alone in getting Medicaid breaks. Vermont, Louisiana and Massachusetts also got help with their programs.

Along with Texas, officials in Washington, Alabama, Colorado and Michigan confirmed they were working with McMaster.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said he wasn't sure what could be done while the federal legislation remained under debate. Officials in the other states did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Tennessee's Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey called for his state's attorney general to investigate the deal...

McMaster is encouraging a South Carolina citizen to step forward to sue to challenge the measure if it is signed into law. "We'll assist anyone to the extent that we're able," McMaster said.

Also Tuesday, U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said Republicans need to stop complaining about deals their colleagues made.

"Rather than sitting here and carping about what Nelson got for Nebraska, I would say to my friends on the other side of the aisle: Let's get together and see what we can get for South Carolina," Clyburn said....

PASS THE WORD: To tea partiers, 9/12 marchers, pro-lifers; defense of marriage, 2nd amendment, anti ObamaCare, anti-amnesty, anti cap/trade conservatives.

FREEPER STRATEGY: Call Your Senators. Ask why your senator couldn't get the same deals other lawmakers got (see below). Sen. Ben Nelson is one example: all states have to chip in the cost of extra Medicaid enrollees after 3 years, except Nebraska.

TELL YOUR SENATOR Harry Reid said on camera that any Democrat Senator that didn't hold out for special goodies is a not a good representative.

KEEP IN MIND Dims that didn't are fuming that they didn't get anything for their vote.

REFERENCE VIDEO: Harry Reid Slams Foolish Dem Senators Who Did Not Demand Goodies For Their Obamacare Vote

==============================================

Stocking Stuffers: Payoffs, Kickbacks, Sweetheart Deals Abound in Gov’t Health Care | Republican leader | Dec. 22, 2009

EXCERPT Following are just some of the payoffs and kickbacks Sen. Reid is forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for so he can increase health care costs, raise taxes, cut seniors’ Medicare benefits, and put government bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions:

Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) “Louisiana Purchase.” CBS News reports: “It started with Mary Landrieu. When reports surfaced she had been swayed with a $100 million Medicaid deal just for Louisiana, she bragged it was actually $300 million. The deal was so notorious, Republicans gave it a name. ‘We have new words in our lexicon, the Louisiana Purchase,’ Sen. John McCain said.”

Sen. Ben Nelson’s (D-NE) $100 Million “Cornhusker Kickback.” The Hill reports: “Nebraska will receive $100 million in assistance for its Medicaid program under provisions in the Senate's healthcare bill negotiated by Sen. Ben Nelson (D).”

Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE) & Carl Levin’s (D-MI) Sweetheart Deal for Nebraska/Michigan Insurance Companies. Politico reports: “In addition to the Medicaid carve out, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) negotiated an exemption from the insurance tax for non-profit insurers based in his state. The language was written in a way that only Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company, as well as Blue Cross Blue Shield nonprofit plans in Nebraska and Michigan, would qualify, according to a Democratic Senate aide.”

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) Takes Credit for $100 Million Hospital Earmark. The Associated Press reports: “A $100 million item for construction of a university hospital was inserted in the Senate health care bill at the request of Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who faces a difficult re-election campaign, his office said Sunday night.”

Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) Inserts Provision for ACORN Funding. The Weekly Standard reports: “Senator Roland Burris is claiming credit for a provision in Harry Reid's ‘manager's amendment,’ unveiled Saturday morning, that could funnel money to ACORN through the health care bill.”

Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Secures $600 Million Medicaid Kickback. The Associated Press reports: “Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., negotiated $600 million in additional Medicaid benefits for his state over 10 years. He said Vermont is due the additional benefits because the state already has acted to expand Medicaid eligibility to the levels now contemplated by the federal government. Vermont would be unfairly penalized if other states are now being helped with that expansion, he said.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) Scores $10 Billion for Community Health Centers. The Associated Press reports: “Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was angered after a new government-run health plan was dropped from the legislation to win over moderates like Nelson and Landrieu, held out on backing the bill until Reid, D-Nev., agreed to a $10 billion increase in support for community health centers.”

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) Negotiates Special Deal for Florida Medicare Advantage Recipients. The Associated Press reports: “Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., pushed a provision he said will let about 800,000 Florida seniors enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans keep their extra benefits. It also helps seniors in a handful of other states. Elsewhere, Medicare Advantage patients risk losing benefits because the private plans are a major target of planned cuts to Medicare.”

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) Scores Extra Medicare Benefits for Montana Residents. The Associated Press reports: “Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Finance Committee and a key architect of the legislation, put in a provision to help the 2,900 residents of Libby, Mont., many of whom have asbestos-related illnesses from a now-defunct mineral mine. Under Baucus' provision, which never mentions Libby by name, sickened residents could sign up for Medicare benefits.”

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) Wins More Medicare Funding for Iowa Hospitals. The Wall Street Journal reports: “One change won by Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) would increase Medicare payments to medium-size hospitals, including eight in his state. Mr. Harkin said such ‘tweener’ hospitals are short-changed by the current system.”

Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) & Kent Conrad (D-ND) Win Higher Medicare Payments for Rural Hospitals . The Washington Post reports: “The Senate health-care bill has been full of goodies handed out to buy/earn the vote of various senators. … Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad’s higher Medicare payments to hospitals and doctors in the ‘frontier counties’ of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.”

NPR interviewed Sen. Lindsey Graham on this and other subjects tonight. The tone of the interview was snarky. Here's the part of the interview that concerned the health care bill and Ben Nelson's vote:

NPR: I can’t (unintelligible) you’ve asked the South Carolina attorney general to look into a deal that secured the 60th vote from Democrat senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska in favor of ending debate on the health care bill; isn’t that just Senate wheeling and dealing ah… normal way things are done?
Senator Graham: Well, you know, it’s OK for a senator from any state to advocate for that state. Once the Federal Government puts money on the table in an appropriate fashion, it’s OK to go get your fair share. What I don’t think is OK is for a senator to basically agree to a bill that increases taxes on 49 states and say “I will vote for that bill if you’ll exempt my state.” That’s crossing the line.
NPR: Because Nebraska got an exemption…
Sen. Nelson: Yeah. Basically the bill expands Medicade eligibility to 133% above poverty. In my state of South Carolina there’ll be about 500,000 new enrollees if this bill becomes law. It’s a billion-dollar increase in terms of the matching requirement for South Carolina; that billion dollars comes from the citizens of my state and the problem I have is that it’s a burden that we can’t afford to bear. It’s going to be passed on to every other state except Nebraska.
NPR: But is… is asking the South Carolina Attorney General to look into it… is that a… a very dramatic form of press release, or do you really expect a criminal investigation…
Sen. Graham: Well no, I think it’s a legitimate issue, and to exempt one state, I think, raises a constitutional issue… It certainly doesn’t pass the smell test.

This transcript doesn't put across the snarkiness of the NPR reporter's tone.

......do you really expect a criminal investigation….....

Yes, we do. There's more than one way to skin these cats. My advice is to put the comments below in the form of a letter, add a copy of the following LAT article, and copy it to every newspaper editor, every TV station......and friendly lawmakers.

I called my US senators and it was an exercise in futility. Why won't Senators tell constituents the reasons why they couldn't get the same deals other lawmakers got for their states?

==================================================

FBI TIP PAGE http://tips.fbi.gov/ (you may remain anonymous)

THE IRS SHOULD DETERMINE IF TAXES WERE PAID ON
MONIES, GIFTS, GRATUITIES, ETC, REC'D IN EXCHANGE FOR VOTES

REPORT TAX FRAUD AND TAX LAW VIOLATIONS HERE
IRS TOLL-FREE 1-800-829-0433----you may remain anonymous.

MONIES RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR VOTES IS ILLEGAL AND MIGHT CONSTITUTE TAX FRAUD
EMAIL .......OAAG.Tax@tax.USDOJ.gov

Report fiduciary negligence and signing off on falsified official documents here:
EMAIL enforcement@SEC.gov

=====================================

LA Times | Jim Davenport / FR Posted by freespirited, 12/22/09

Attorney General Henry McMaster said he and his counterparts in Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, North Dakota, Texas and Washington state are jointly taking a look at the deal they've dubbed the "Nebraska compromise."

"The Nebraska compromise, which permanently exempts Nebraska from paying Medicaid costs that Texas and all other 49 states must pay, may violate the United States Constitution — as well as other provisions of federal law," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said... Nebraska wasn't alone in getting Medicaid breaks. Vermont, Louisiana and Massachusetts also got help with their programs.

Along with Texas, officials in Washington, Alabama, Colorado and Michigan confirmed they were working with McMaster.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Tennessee's Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey called for his state's attorney general to investigate the deal. McMaster is encouraging a South Carolina citizen to step forward to sue to challenge the measure if it is signed into law. "We'll assist anyone to the extent that we're able," McMaster said. (Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.