Florida’s Democrat Senator Bill Nelson threw in his lot early in favor of the ineptly-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, currently going through its last, tortured votes in the Senate. His price: an exception that allows Florida Medicare recipients signed on to Medicare Advantage to stay in the program. Retirees on Medicare in every other state will lose that option. Nelson’s little prize to secure his vote – derisively dubbed 
‘Gator Aid’ by opponents of the bill – is rather minor, compared to the outrageous ‘goodies’ extracted by other Democrat Senators from Majority Leader Harry Reed’s piñata.
If the purpose of this bill is to achieve fair health care reform for all Americans, the shameful spectacle of granting privileges and exceptions from its provisions for specific states makes a mockery of its supposed goal. While some will try to justify the outrageous and unscrupulous backroom deals by arguing that they were necessary to the enactment of some health care reform, such reasoning is unsound. A sapling that starts out crooked will never straighten itself. If this health care reform takes hold with all its inequities, it will never become a piece of fair and just legislation. Actually, the way it has been cobbled up in the Senate illustrates why the Federal government should not be put in charge of universal health care, as this bill effectively does: where there are politicians, there will always be politics involved. The last thing we need is for health care to become another political football for Congress to play with.
Of course, aside from Nelson’s Gator Aid, there were other trinkets handed out:
Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu benefitted from the ‘Louisiana purchase’ by receiving an extra $100 million in Medicaid benefits for her state. Most other states, including Florida will be forced to add enrollees to their Medicaid programs, but will receive no Federal funds to pay the added costs.
One exception to the above will be the ‘cornhusker kickback’ that bought Nebraska’s Ben Nelson’s vote for a similar $100 million Medicaid payoff.
Connecticut’s Christopher Dodd also got his $100 million payoff, dubbed the ‘U con’ for the building of a new hospital in his state.
Montana’s Max Baucus got Medicare coverage for every miner exposed to asbestos, but only if they worked at a mine in Libby, Montana.
The tragedy and the irony behind this ill-conceived piece of legislation is that, instead of providing health insurance for everyone and lowering the cost, it will accomplish exactly the opposite. By forcing individuals to either pay for insurance costing thousands of dollars per year or pay a much lower fine, and requiring insurers to cover pre-existing conditions without increasing rates, healthy people will just pay the fine. When they get sick, they’ll buy insurance and pay the same as if they were healthy. The insurer will be required to cover their pre-existing condition. The obvious result will be that only the sick will be insured, making premiums eventually skyrocket. In the end, government subsidies will pay for most medical care and the taxpayer will have to foot the bill. But, of course, we won’t find out until 2014, when any benefits are supposed to kick in. The taxes, fines and price increases will commence immediately upon the health care reform boondoggle becoming law.
(Above right: Sen. Bill Nelson's official photo).
Bill Nelson sells health care reform vote for a splash of Gator Aid
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Comments
Its time for Florida voters to send this clown to his retirement! Good ole boy politics is KILLING this country! I think Bill would look good in a checkered suit jacket selling used cars on a small lot somewhere in Miami.
He traded medicare advantage for the lives of unborn children. As a senior I cant accept that!
We in Florida are working on it, True_Conservative. I emailed his senate address & called his Tampa office this morning. He and his staff refuse to address this nonsense. He's been pretty harmless this year; mainly focusing on legislation to keep released pythons in the Everglades from eating tourists, but he has really (REALLY) annoyed the voters with this crap. Nelson is a tin plated piece of lead.
I can see the excuse now...he only saw the 3 counties while in orbit!
WHERE ARE THE LAWYERS/ACLU WHEN THE RIGHTS OF SO MANY ARE BEING STOLEN?
Nothing worse than a cheap DC hoe. It makes one want to think of ways to avoid taxes, i.e. jail, quit working and cheat like them. Disgusted doesn't begin to describe our feeling. I represent five voters in this family.
Lets finally get this man Nelson out of office,this was a nasty deal he pulled in allowing only three counties to receive funds for Medicare Advantage Programs.
Lets get him out once and for all.
After reading Sen Dill Nelson's press release today I see the back peddling has already begun on Day-One, well it doesn’t matter now Sir what You think, it only matters how You Vote! And once again, You have betrayed your constituency, just as You have with the $787 Stimulus bill they had rejected.
You have decided to betray the millions of seniors in Florida by allowing a $500 Billion Dollar cut to the Medicare budget, that’s means $50 Billion a year will now be cut from the Medicare budget and make no mistake, everyone on Medicare is going to be affected.
A bill is only as good as the language inside it, not what it theoretically represents.
Enjoy the rest of you term Senator, it will be Your last.
I changed my party affiliation from Dem. to Republican after i realized the Democrats do not listen to the people. There is too much crooked politcs. The Washington bunch do not represent the best interests of this country. They are selling us out. Bill Nelson will not get my vote.
Senator Nelson has embarassed me and the State of Florida with his vote. He has sold out the seniors of this State and took a bribe to get extra money into NASA's budget. Hey NASA, if you take him up again because of the money he got for you, please do us in Florida a favor and leave him up there!
We do not need or want President Obama's health care reform.We do not want the federal government handling our health care. The government can fix health care? Just look at medicaid & medicare-they are broke. Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae-they are broke. Social security & U.S.Postal service-they are broke. Amtrak is broke. We are 1.6 trillion dollars in debt. The government cannot fix anything. Need I say more?
Time for this guy to get out of the Senate. He's drinking Obama's coolaid. He's backing the wrong horse and is bad for his constituency. Can't wait to vote for any sensible Republican candidate.
A YES vote means a NO vote for you. I have never got out and politic, but will now. I also attended a tea party...will do it again. You sold the people of Florida out. You sold me out. We don't need your or obama
I read somewhere that 68% of Americans would vote out the incumbents if they could vote right away. The incumbents know their time is up so they are living it up while they still can!
ACLU is too busy protecting Nazis and Commies to notice our constitutional right being taken away.
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