The Latest in the Health Care Reform Bill

Over the last few months, those of us at Silkin Management Group who have been contributing articles for our blog sites have been watching the progress of the various health care legislation proposals that have travelled through the House of Representatives and Senate.  You can easily find earlier writings on this subject on the various Silkin Management Group blog sites.

As most everyone knows by now, the Senate passed its first major voting hurdle on December 20 by confirming the needed 60 votes to pass their version of the legislation. What I found especially fascinating, but not at all surprising, was the numerous “pay offs” made to various Senators to get their vote.  These “payoffs” benefited specific states and constituencies while leaving out the majority of the rest of the people of the country.   In my mind, this is politics as usual: if you need votes to pass a piece of legislation, give the elected official special perquisites that will make him look good with his constituents and assure him of re-election. Democracy in action.

Gosh, I thought the health care legislation was to help everyone in the country. That’s what we were told. Where did I go wrong?  OK, enough snide comments on the obvious politics as usual. It doesn’t seem to matter which party is in control, they both end up doing the same thing.

I read n article in the New York Times that got me thinking about this.  You can link to that article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/health/policy/21healthcare.html?th&emc=th

Here are just a few of the special benefits given out:

• Money for people exposed to asbestos from a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana which secured the vote of Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana (who happens to be the chairman of the Finance Committee.
• Additional Medicaid money for the state of Nebraska in order to secure the vote of Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson.
• $100 million to an unnamed “health care facility” affiliated with an academic health center at a public research university in a state where there is only one public medical and dental school.  Who is this for?

There are several others you can read about in the NY Times article.

As small business owners, Silkin Management Group clients must learn to live on their own production, management expertise and capabilities.  Our programs are designed to help them do so as we all know that we aren’t getting the government handouts.

For more information about Silkin Management Group contact us at: info@silkinmanagementgroup.com or call 800-695-0257.  You can also visit our website: www.silkinmanagementgroup.com

Jack Hennessy

Consultant, Silkin Management Group