Michigan Senate votes to start the implementation of Obamacare

[William Gavette]

  Last week the Michigan Senate voted to approve the Health Care exchange that is required under Obamacare. Last week, several leaders from many different Tea Party groups. The bills sponsor was Sen. Jim Marleau. He was in attendance at this meeting.

  We were told that this bill had to be passed. That if we passed this bill, we would get to regulate the coverage for abortion under Obamacare. That the Conservative thing for Republicans to do was to keep local control over what we could. We were told that If we did not produce our own insurance exchange, then the Federal Government would, and they provide automatic coverage for abortions. We were also told that our Attorney General, Bill Schuette is was OK with this proposal. The the Reps. from Tea Party groups made very clear that we were solidly against implementing any part of Obamacare. This bill had been in committee since June. None of the legislators there seemed to have their minds changed. That was Wednedsay afternoon.

   The bill, (SB693) was voted out of committee that night. It went to the floor the next morning with no warning. There was no time for average citizens to examine the final bill that came out of committee. Sen. Patrick Colbeck, who comes from a Tea Party himself, removed his name from sponsorship of the bill as all of his suggestions were virtually ignored by the Senate leadership. Our Senator, Sen. Phil Pavlov was not in Lansing as he had been called away on Tuesday on a family emergency.

As of today, 11-14-2011, it was announced that the U.S. Supreme Court has said that they will hear the case made by 26 states regarding the Constitutionality of the new health care law. Bill Schuette today on WJR said that he does not believe that any state should be implementing ANY of the Health Care mandate until this case is decided in the Supreme Court. This is totally contradictory to what we were told my Senator Marleau. Our friends in the Grassroots of Michigan Patriots group released a great account of where we are at. Please take a look at what has transpired.

  It is worth noting that our future Senator, Mike Green, voted for this bill.  Lapeer County will become part of the 31st Senate District in 2014. The Leadership of the Lapeer County Tea Party Patriots is working on a meeting with Senator Green to get his explanation of this seemingly very bad vote. Bill Gavette - Communications Director, LCTPP.

 

From Grassroots in Michigan:

The Effective Activist

 

 Combatting the Implementation of Obama Care in Michigan

 

 

Fellow Michiganders,

 

I would like to share with you some insight in to the methodology of the passage of

SB 693... and the fall out

 

Evidently some of Sen. Rick Jones (24th District) constituents were not happy with his yes vote or his comment on the Senate floor that I shared with you in the last Newsletter and post HERE  "He had to “plug his nose and vote for the bill”

 

How do I know that? Because I received an angry e-mail from Senator Jones

His e-mail is interesting in that it provides a window into some of the dealing going on under the Capitol Dome

 

Senator Jones e-mail is HERE and a small snapshot is below

 

So let's address his assertions, shall we?

 

First of all "You are spreading lies.  You do not understand why we had to do what we did."

 

No Senator there is nothing in any of my Newsletters that are lies, if so, what are they? And your comment on the Senate floor was also noted by AP and widely distributed

 

Had to?  That suggests you had no way out. But Senator twelve of your colleagues voted NO. So could possibility the "had to" include holding up your end of a deal? Support for future career aspirations for going along? Sen Jim Marleau,who introduced the bill redistricting certainly is much more favorable for his job security.

Oh and look who is on the Redistricting Committee!

 

Or maybe fear of reprisal by the Governor and his "black prince" Randy Richardville? Possibly the threat of a Primary with their candidate? Or to throw in the unimaginable, could you just be THAT uninformed??  Whatever your reasons, clearly you are not listening to your constituents.

 

You need to sit down with Chairman Marleau or Richardville

 

That would make for an interesting conversation! Perhaps they need to sit down with their constituents instead!

 

The majority of these "reasons" from your e-mail Senator sound more like from Marleau/Richardvilles' lips to your ears.

Could this explain why when folks e-mailed their Senator in opposition to SB 693 the e-mails responses from those Senators who voted Yes contain the same reasons?

 

But let's continue on and see who is less than truthful

 

 and get a good understanding of just why we had to do it to protect you.  Damage control if we lose the battle in courts.  Damage control if we lose in 2012 elections.

 

Damage Control? Senator Jones Obama Care is the damage!

True Republicans(who actually ahere to their Party Platform) and certainly Conservatives of which there are a good many in your District, understand their best method of protection is to fight the good fight doing everything in their power to hinder/stop it, not help it along. If this is what you call protection, we all better duck and take cover!

 

Here are some examples Senator of those more concerned with the people than possible future-looking-more-and-more-unlikely "damage control" or their careers.

 

For you and the Governor... Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Texas Gov. Rick Perry flat-out said “No!” In August Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback ordered that $32 million in PPACA exchange grants be returned, and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin returned $55 million in April. Florida's Gov. Rick Scott, has rejected $2 million in federal grants. South Carolina Governor Haley said the federal plan is not the right fit for the state and has declined to accept millions of federal funds to set up a medical insurance exchange and will also let key deadlines pass.

 

Heck Senator even a Democrat governor refused the money!  

And On Sept, 27, 2011 the AP reported that Arkansas Democrat Governor, Mike Beebe is unlikely to seek a $3.8 million grant to research how to establish a health insurance exchange in Arkansas.

 

Or how about....

According to National Council of State Legislators, "In response to the federal health reform law, now known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA),...some members of at least 45 state legislatures have proposed legislation to limit, alter or oppose selected state or federal actions."

 

As of Sep 04 2011, only sixteen states and Washington D.C. have accepted federal funds thus far, to establish health care exchanges according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

 

We are the ones with the courage to fight for Michigan tax payers.

 

Really Rick? Courage? I would say the courageous ones were those who resisted the Governor's thumb screws and/or goodies and voted with the people against SB 693.

 

 

As far as taxpayers...

 

According to Cato Institute health care policy expert Michael Cannon testified before the Missouri Senate’s Interim Committee on Health Insurance Exchanges on why that state should not create an Obamacare exchange..."to create an exchange is to create a taxpayer-funded lobbying group dedicated to fighting repeal. An exchange's employees would owe their power and their paychecks to this law. Naturally, they would aid the fight to preserve the law.

 

You also voted for:

 

House Bill 5014: Appropriations

To appropriate an extra $366.3 million for several items, including $9.8 million from a federal grant to create a state “Obamacare exchange” to administer federal “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” subsidies. Also included is $119 million that is nearly all federal money for incentive payments to health care providers and facilities to adopt state-approved electronic health care record systems. The bill also appropriates the money from a new 1 percent tax on health insurance claims designed to “game” the federal Medicaid system to get higher federal payments to Michigan’s medical welfare system, and additional amounts for related items.

 

Second, declaring the law unconstitutional but then accepting the funding it offers and creating an exchange undermines the credibility of state officials seeking to overturn the law and also undermines the lawsuits themselves. One federal judge who overturned the law wrote that the fact that some of the plaintiff states are themselves implementing the law undercuts their own argument that he should order the federal government to halt implementation. From Mackinaw Policy Center located in Michigan

 

Gee Senator do you think Senate Resolution 95 that Passed 20 to 17 in the Senate on November 10, 2011, to declare that the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act "violates the U.S. Constitution, including the Ninth and Tenth Amendments and the constitutional principles of federalism and dual sovereignty on which this nation was founded," and urge its repeal or invalidation.  fits that description?

 

I guess those that voted yes on SB 693, Senate Resolution 95 and HB 5014 thought of everything when it came to implementing Obama Care in Michigan

That would be you Senator but lets give credit where credit is due!

 

Other Senators who voted Yes for on SB 693, Senate Resolution 95 and *HB 5014(with the exception of Meekhof)

Jansen Pappageorge

Hansen Richardville

Booher Hildenbrand Jones

Caswell Kahn

Emmons Marleau 

*Meekhof Green

 

Oh here is some courage Senator... "Second, as I noted (Health policy expert John Graham of the Pacific Research Institute) in a recent article, states can also stop federal exchanges by threatening to pull the licenses of health insurers which intend to participate in them (p. 58 of this version). The law defines a “qualified health plan” as one that is “licensed and in good standing in each State…”, and only qualified health plans can participate in exchanges.

 

Hey with Republicans like this who needs Democrats?!

 

If we do not begin to set up the IT network then the Feds will take over.

 

Health policy expert John Graham of the Pacific Research Institute wrote on Sept 22, 2011 "State politicians are no longer fooled by the argument that if they do no collaborate to establish state-based exchanges, the federal government will enter their state and do it for them. Recent close reading of the law has debunked this notion. As written, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has (at least) two clauses that will prevent this from happening ...The likelihood of exchanges being up and running by January 2014 is vanishingly close to zero. Indeed, they may not exist at all except in very few states — whether or not President Obama wins re-election."

 

Oh and guess what Senator? The Health Care Exchange IS already taken over by the Feds

1. The federal government controls exchanges.

2. The federal government controls the doctors and other providers that are allowed to participate in an exchange-offered plan.

[States] will surrender [their] 10th amendment sovereignty by establishing an exchange According to Jack McHugh Mackinaw Policy Center in your own state

 

You would have us help the Federal take over by not acting!!!???

 

Evidently Senator Jones, the only ones helping the Feds are those who are helping to implement a Health Care Exchange here in Michigan. That would be you.

 

So you see Senator, us ordinary citizens DO understand "why we had to do what we did."

 

And the coup de gras...

 

You will damage your movement by spreading lies.

 

Forgive me Senator Jones if I decline to take this "advice" to heart

 

 

 

Thank you for all you do for Michigan and our Republic,

 

Joan Fabiano

Organizer

Grassroots in Michigan

[e-mail]

MIGrassroots on Twitter

Grassroots in Michigan on FaceBook

MIdWGrassroots on Twitter

 

Have you missed some issues of the Grassroots in Michigan Newsletter?

You may access all editions of the Grassroots in Michigan Newsletters HERE