webfact Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 Trump taps 'Obamacare' foe, champion of privatizing Medicare By STEVE PEOPLES and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR WASHINGTON (AP) — Reaching deep into conservative territory, President-elect Donald Trump chose Georgia Rep. Tom Price to oversee the nation's health care system on Tuesday, picking a fierce "Obamacare" critic who also has championed efforts to privatize Medicare. Trump selected another veteran Republican, Elaine Chao, to lead the Department of Transportation. Both have long ties to Washington. Price, picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services after more than a decade in Congress, helped craft House Speaker Paul Ryan's plan to privatize Medicare — a position Trump opposed in the campaign. Chao, who was the first Asian-American woman to serve in a president's Cabinet, is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The selections came as Trump spent Tuesday with advisers in his Manhattan skyscraper, racing through meetings with prospective administration hires as high-profile vacancies loom — none bigger than secretary of State. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, on the shortlist for the nation's chief diplomat, was to have a private dinner with the incoming president. At the same time, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein delivered $3.5 million to the state of Wisconsin to guarantee a recount in one of the states that fueled Trump's unexpected victory. Stein, who is also pursuing recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan, has raised concerns that the results may have been hacked. Trump has assailed the Green Party effort as a scam and separately has made unsupported claims of voter fraud in other states. Meanwhile, Price's selection raised questions about the incoming president's commitment to Medicare, among other popular entitlement programs he repeatedly vowed to preserve before the election. The Georgia congressman led GOP efforts on Capitol Hill to transform Medicare into a voucher-like system, a change that if enacted, would likely dramatically reduce government spending on the health care program that serves an estimated 57 million people. Trump did not address Price's position on Medicare in a statement released by his transition team. The team did not respond to subsequent questions about it. "Chairman Price, a renowned physician, has earned a reputation for being a tireless problem solver and the go-to expert on health care policy, making him the ideal choice to serve in this capacity," Trump said. "He is exceptionally qualified to shepherd our commitment to repeal and replace Obamacare and bring affordable and accessible health care to every American." Trump, in a 2015 interview promoted on his campaign website, pledged not to cut expensive entitlement programs that Republicans have fought for years to cut to help reduce the federal deficit. "I'm not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican. And I'm not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid. Every other Republican's going to cut," Trump told the Daily Signal. He later changed his mind on Medicaid, embracing the GOP concept of turning the program over to the states with a fixed amount of federal "block grant" funding. Like any Cabinet official, Price would carry out the wishes of the president. And a sweeping Medicare initiative would have to go through Congress with some Democratic support, which would be unlikely. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders charged that Price "has a long history of wanting to do exactly the opposite of what Trump campaigned on." "Rep. Price has a long history of wanting to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. What hypocrisy!" Sanders said in a statement. Like Price, Chao is well-known in Washington, having led the Department of Labor for several years under President George W. Bush. Her record at the Labor Department suggests she would bring a light hand to safety enforcement as transportation secretary. Under Chao at Labor, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration didn't issue a single significant new safety regulation for four years. Mine safety inspectors were cut and inspections reduced. Whether it's integrating drones into the national airspace, deploying self-driving cars or "some other new technology, she's not going to be especially inclined to second guess the industry when they say that this will be safe," said Thomas McGarity, a University of Texas law professor and author of "Freedom to Harm," a book about the Labor Department that includes Chao's tenure. Both Price and Chao would require Senate confirmation. Major Cabinet vacancies remain. The president-elect summoned Romney for dinner Tuesday night to discuss the secretary of state job for a second time. He also met with Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, having met with former CIA director David Petraeus the day before. After his meeting, Corker told reporters, "The world needs to know that the secretary of state is someone who speaks fully for the president," a possible jab at Romney, who aggressively opposed Trump's candidacy. Transition aides said Trump was likely at least a few days away from a decision. Even as he weighed crucial Cabinet decisions, Trump appeared distracted by outside issues — or eager to create distractions himself. He tweeted that "nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag." He warned that those who do should face "perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!" Trump offered no context for his message. The Supreme Court has ruled that flag burning is protected by the First Amendment, and Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday he doesn't support Trump's approach. "I support the First Amendment," he said. Trump's team also announced that Seema Verma has been chosen to be administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ___ AP writers Catherine Lucey and Jonathan Lemire in New York and Julie Pace, Joan Lowry and Erica Werner in Washington contributed to this report. -- © Associated Press 2016-11-30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 I still can't believe that Trump would be so foolish as to try to privatize Medicare. But the appointment of Tom Price is not a good sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 An inflammatory post has been removed. Continue and suspensions will be given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Apparently also, in Price's first term as a congressman, he authored a bill that proposed giving every human zygote from the moment of conception full personhood rights under the Constitution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 6 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said: I still can't believe that Trump would be so foolish as to try to privatize Medicare. But the appointment of Tom Price is not a good sign. Agreed. Fraud, waste and administrative fees eat up a few percent of Medicare. And that's considered criminal. Insurance companies, meanwhile, siphon off 25-50% for administrative costs, management fees and shareholder return. And that's on top of fraud and waste. But that's okay... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Just now, impulse said: Agreed. Fraud, waste and administrative fees eat up a few percent of Medicare. And that's considered criminal. Insurance companies, meanwhile, siphon off 25-50% for administrative costs, management fees and shareholder return. And that's on top of fraud and waste. But that's okay... Actually, under Obamacare, I believe that insurance companies had to keep administrative costs under 1 percent. Maybe under 3 percent? At any rate, when Obamacare is abolished, they will have to go back to having much higher administrative costs. The reason for this is simple. Once again, they are going to be looking for ways to not honor claims due to pre-existing conditions or things like not disclosing that you were or are a smoker. Or any little thing they can find. All that activity was rendered moot under Obamacare. Also, Obamacare mandated the use of massive data to find which therapies made sense for which conditions. It saved a lot of money. Tom Price wants to go back to the individual doctor knows best and can do whatever he likes even if, god forbid, that lines his pockets considerably more than would now be the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 15 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said: I still can't believe that Trump would be so foolish as to try to privatize Medicare. But the appointment of Tom Price is not a good sign. Trump neither cares about nor understands policy. Everything is delegated. Trump does not do policy, he does provocative tweets. Welcome to the new normal, the governance of the United States a la reality tv show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Just now, Briggsy said: Trump neither cares about nor understands policy. Everything is delegated. Trump does not do policy, he does provocative tweets. Welcome to the new normal, the governance of the United States a la reality tv show. That's true. Unfortunately the extreme right wing people behind Trump know exactly what they're doing. So he'll do a few things they don't like, such as getting Carrier to stay in Indiana, but the other stuff, like the 35% tariff on imported cars, won't happen. And I'm waiting to see what will happen with Medicare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 (edited) 3 hours ago, ilostmypassword said: That's true. Unfortunately the extreme right wing people behind Trump know exactly what they're doing. So he'll do a few things they don't like, such as getting Carrier to stay in Indiana, but the other stuff, like the 35% tariff on imported cars, won't happen. And I'm waiting to see what will happen with Medicare. Call me an optimist, but I'm hoping Trump will surprise us all and become the poacher-turned-gamekeeper. His huge ego won't allow him to go out as a failed president, he has proven that he has no qualms about firing people and reversing bad choices, he knows how the system is being gamed, and he's the first president in my lifetime that isn't beholden to any political machines or special interests for his election or his post-retirement speaking money. Not that I'd bet that way. But he could be just what the country needs. Or a disaster of biblical proportions. Hellfire and Brimstone bad. Edited November 30, 2016 by impulse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beats56 Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 I don't know why the US can't have something like the Canadian medical plan. Every one says it is free but it is not. It's in your taxes...you just don't see it. Go to the hospital for something and you walk out without a bill you have to pay. Of course there can be wait times for some surgeries but at least we don't get enormous bills. People get afraid to go to a hospital if they know they got to pay. So they won't go. That's not good for anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 5 minutes ago, impulse said: Call me an optimist, but I'm hoping Trump will surprise us all and become the poacher-turned-gamekeeper. His huge ego won't allow him to go out as a failed president, he has proven that he has no qualms about firing people and reversing bad choices, he knows how the system is being gamed, and he's the first president in my lifetime that isn't beholden to any political machines or special interests for his election or his post-retirement speaking money. Not that I'd bet that way. But he could be just what the country needs. Or a disaster of biblical proportions. Hellfire and Brimstone bad. To be the gamekeeper, you need some knowledge of the terrain. Trump clearly has virtually none. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Just now, Beats56 said: I don't know why the US can't have something like the Canadian medical plan. Every one says it is free but it is not. It's in your taxes...you just don't see it. Go to the hospital for something and you walk out without a bill you have to pay. Of course there can be wait times for some surgeries but at least we don't get enormous bills. People get afraid to go to a hospital if they know they got to pay. So they won't go. That's not good for anyone. Well, the USA is going in the opposite direction now that Tom Price will be in charge. He's a doctor himself and a very strong proponent of setting condtions so that doctors can earn even more with less restraints than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beats56 Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 2 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said: Well, the USA is going in the opposite direction now that Tom Price will be in charge. He's a doctor himself and a very strong proponent of setting condtions so that doctors can earn even more with less restraints than ever. Thats too bad.. 3 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said: Well, the USA is going in the opposite direction now that Tom Price will be in charge. He's a doctor himself and a very strong proponent of setting condtions so that doctors can earn even more with less restraints than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgordo38 Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 8 hours ago, webfact said: Chao, who was the first Asian-American woman to serve in a president's Cabinet, is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. ?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morch Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, elgordo38 said: ?????? Draining that swamp.... Mitch McConnell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_McConnell Which States Give Their US Senators the Lowest Marks? http://editions.lib.umn.edu/smartpolitics/2015/11/29/which-states-give-their-us-senators-the-lowest-marks/ Members' fortunes see steep declines http://www.politico.com/story/2009/06/members-fortunes-see-steep-declines-023693 Elaine Chao https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Chao https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Chao#Criticism Edited November 30, 2016 by Morch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 There's a provision in Obamacare that has immensely helped black lung miners. Before it was enacted, it was extremely difficult for miners to collect from mine owners if they suffered from black lung. With Obamacare, it became pretty easy to do so. Of course, now with Tom Price in charge, how long do you think it will be before the same coal miners and their families who overwhelmingly voted for Trump, will be tossed back onto the trash heap? These people have managed to turn their vote into a particularly excruciating form of Hara Kiri. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgMech Cowboy Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 $3.5 million to fund a recount. I can think of the millions of people who could have been helped with education and jobs that this money could have gone to. What an absolute waste of money and selfish endeavored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunroaming Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 6 hours ago, impulse said: Agreed. Fraud, waste and administrative fees eat up a few percent of Medicare. And that's considered criminal. Sounds similar to the NHS in Britain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 2 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said: $3.5 million to fund a recount. I can think of the millions of people who could have been helped with education and jobs that this money could have gone to. What an absolute waste of money and selfish endeavored. Millions of people would have been helped with 3.5 million dollar. Let just say that by millions you meant the bare minimum to qualify: that would be 2 million people. So each person would have gotten education and jobs for $1.75 per person? You, sir or madam, or a genius. Please share with the world your formula for saving humanity at $1.75 per person. And it's certainly fortunate that Donald Trump does not spend his money wastefully or ostentatiously but conserves every dollar he can to help those millions of people. With his money and your ideas, the world is as good as saved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgMech Cowboy Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 29 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said: Millions of people would have been helped with 3.5 million dollar. Let just say that by millions you meant the bare minimum to qualify: that would be 2 million people. So each person would have gotten education and jobs for $1.75 per person? You, sir or madam, or a genius. Please share with the world your formula for saving humanity at $1.75 per person. And it's certainly fortunate that Donald Trump does not spend his money wastefully or ostentatiously but conserves every dollar he can to help those millions of people. With his money and your ideas, the world is as good as saved! I guess the sarcasm of the wasted money was lost on you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunroaming Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 6 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said: I guess the sarcasm of the wasted money was lost on you. Sarcasm? Well it certainly went way over my head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 1 hour ago, dunroaming said: Sarcasm? Well it certainly went way over my head! Mine, too. But as I said, this person is clearly a genius. So it's not surprising that we don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 5 hours ago, Beats56 said: I don't know why the US can't have something like the Canadian medical plan. Every one says it is free but it is not. It's in your taxes...you just don't see it. Go to the hospital for something and you walk out without a bill you have to pay. Of course there can be wait times for some surgeries but at least we don't get enormous bills. People get afraid to go to a hospital if they know they got to pay. So they won't go. That's not good for anyone. Perhaps because the insurance companies and pharmaceutical industry have very deep pockets and can hire the most effective lobbyists to ensure their interests prevail , ( a veiled way of saying that things are done their way because they pay for things to be done their way). Perhaps the swamp is being topped up rather than drained? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Oldies ... take to the streets and join the resistance. If you voted for trump you've been SCAMMED! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhd Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 the problem in all the world is not healthcare there is no healthcare, nobody cares it is SICK-CARE, pills, pills & pills the side effects, well, you can see KANYE WEST acting out on lexapro ... people are anxious : pills people are sad : pills people are overhappy (bi-polar) : pills people have pain : pills people feel sick (from what they eat) : pills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 the problem in all the world is not healthcare there is no healthcare, nobody cares it is SICK-CARE, pills, pills & pills the side effects, well, you can see KANYE WEST acting out on lexapro ... people are anxious : pills people are sad : pills people are overhappy (bi-polar) : pills people have pain : pills people feel sick (from what they eat) : pills Yeah. Whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silurian Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 This Tom Price guy loves to push his very conservative reproductive beliefs around. If he is the new Health Secretary it will be a dark time for women's health issues in the US. Trump's Health Secretary: Fire Women For Birth Control http://www.opposingviews.com/i/health/trumps-health-secretary-women-fired-birth-control Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 This Tom Price guy loves to push his very conservative reproductive beliefs around. If he is the new Health Secretary it will be a dark time for women's health issues in the US. Trump's Health Secretary: Fire Women For Birth Controlhttp://www.opposingviews.com/i/health/trumps-health-secretary-women-fired-birth-control It's a dark time for everyone except rich white straight men. The con man president has arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilostmypassword Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Price apparently has a very detailed plan for the replacement of Obamacare. Here is a good summary: It would replace the law with a plan that does more to benefit the young, healthy, and rich — and disadvantages the sick, old, and poor. Price’s plan provides significantly less help to those with preexisting conditions than other Republican proposals, particularly the replacement plan offered by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI). The biggest cut to the poor in Price’s plan is the full repeal of the Medicaid expansion, a program that currently covers millions of low-income Americans, which Price replaces with, well, nothing. http://www.vox.com/2016/11/28/13772342/trump-tom-price-obamacare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 15 hours ago, Jingthing said: It's a dark time for everyone except rich white straight men. The con man president has arrived. Woohoo! Sorry, couldn't help it. I hope you're wrong. Like I was wrong about Obama's transparency promises. But in reverse... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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