Juice: National politics

White House: Health reform helps Florida

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:46:05 -0500

The White House is lobbying hard for passage on Saturday of a sweeping health-reform bill while defending proposed cutbacks to the popular Medicare Advantage program. In an interview today, Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House health-reform office, said the bill headed for a climactic vote in the House would make sure that Floridians like her father-in-law can find affordable health insurance.

Nancy-Ann DeParle

She said her father-in-law, who lives in Jacksonville, faces insurance costs of $5,000 a month because of a heart condition. And her brother, a former resident of Ocala, was denied coverage because his daughter had health problems. “This legislation will make those kinds of problems a thing of the past,” DeParle said. She acknowledged that proposed cuts to Medicare, notably Medicare Advantage plans run by HMOs, would likely pinch some extra benefits, such as gym memberships. These plans on average cost 14 percent more than reimbursements to Medicare doctors, she said. Medicare Advantage plans are especially popular in South Florida, drawing nearly half the Medicare patients in Miami-Dade County and roughly a third of those in Broward and Palm Beach counties. “There are other parts of Florida where there aren’t so many of these plans rich with benefits,” she said. “People in traditional Medicare, they are paying an additional premium of a hundred dollars a year to pay for Medicare Advantage for the ones who have that,” she said. “You have to question the fairness. And it’s just not affordable to the government.” “These are additional costs that we are not getting much value from.” DeParle noted that the House bill would expand coverage of prescription-drug costs under Medicare and would add another five years of funding to the program’s trust fund. Her comments were part of an aggressive campaign by the White House to promote health-reform legislation, President Obama’s top domestic priority. When the House bill comes to a vote, South Florida members will divide along party lines, with Democrats voting “yes” and Republicans voting “no.” The Senate is still considering its own version of reform.

Bob Graham video lampoons swine flu vaccine

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:25:26 -0500

“So why are we still producing vaccine in chicken eggs?” Bob Graham wants to know, in a light-hearted video making the rounds through cyberspace. The former Florida senator and governor is trying to make the point that American scientific technology lags behind the demands of 21st century health and national-security needs. His video starts with black-and-white depictions of typewriters, a young Elvis Presley and other scenes from 1955 when he graduated from high school in Miami. America was growing its flu vaccine in chicken eggs, he notes. Flash ahead to the 1970s, when his former Senate colleague Jim Talent graduated from high school. America was still making vaccine in chicken eggs, Talent says. Flash ahead again to the present day, and sure enough we’re still using the chicken-egg method, the former senators tell us. Graham and Talent – who lead the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism – are poking fun at the slow and faltering attempts to deter swine flu. But it’s no joke, they say, that our primitive methods indicate a lack of readiness to protect the nation from a variety of potential risks and attacks. They decided to use an entertaining 21st century way to make the point. Enjoy it.

Senate, finally, approves aid for the jobless

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:47:20 -0500

After weeks of fuss and bother, the Senate voted 98 to 0 tonight to extend benefits for the unemployed and tax credits for homebuyers. One has to wonder why it took so long to reach this unanimous conclusion. The House passed a similar bill in September to extend benefits by an extra 13 weeks for high unemployment states. Six weeks later, the Senate decided to pass a more generous bill that adds 14 weeks of jobless benefits for all states, plus 6 more weeks for high unemployment states like Florida. The bill also extends the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers through April 30 and adds a $6,500 credit for buyers who have been in their residences for five years or more. The House plans to accept the Senate version, pass it on Thursday and rush it to President Obama to be signed into law. Why did it take so long? Republicans wanted to consider amendments to crack down on illegal immigration and prevent ACORN, the controversial community-organizing group, from getting federal funds. Democratic leaders balked. Under the Senate’s arcane rules, it took three procedural votes to shut off delays before the matter could come to a final vote. When it did, nobody dared vote against it. An estimated 250,000 Floridians are expected to get extra unemployment benefits.

Senators urge lenders to give drywall victims a break

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:35:16 -0500

Senators from Florida, Louisiana and Virginia today urged mortgage lenders to suspend or reduce home payments for victims of tainted imported drywall. In a bit of jawboning, the six senators introduced a resolution encouraging lenders to give a break to those afflicted by health problems apparently associated with the building material. Some residents have fled their homes, complaining of structural corrosion and odors as well as headaches, rashes, burning eyes and nosebleeds. Federal agencies are struggling to find the exact cause of these health problems but have not been able to establish a link to the imported Chinese drywall. The resolution, if passed by the Senate, amounts to a request, not a demand with enforcement powers. It was introduced by Florida Senators Bill Nelson and George LeMieux, Louisiana Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter and Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb. Their three states reflect the vast majority of complaints received by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Klein: Preserve Medicare HMO benefits

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:10:11 -0500

Eager to please his senior-citizen constituents, South Florida Congressman Ron Klein is trying to preserve extra benefits for Medicare patients enrolled in HMO plans. His proposed amendment to the House health-care overhaul bill would allow those already enrolled to continue getting such extras as low co-payments, coverage for dental and vision care and fitness-club memberships. Florida Senator Bill Nelson persuaded the Finance Committee to add a similar version to the Senate bill, for competitive markets like South Florida. Both members are trying to protect popular benefits that patients don’t want to lose. Critics of Medicare Advantage plans point to evidence that they are on average 14 percent more expensive than fee-for-service reimbursements to Medicare doctors. A potential loss of these goodies – part of more than $500 billion of reduced Medicare spending over 10 years to help pay for reform – has prompted widespread anxiety and anger among senior citizens. Medicare Advantage plans, usually run by HMOs, are especially popular in South Florida. Nearly half of Miami’s Medicare patients and about a third of those in Broward and Palm Beach counties have MA plans. “This amendment is about keeping the promise that if you like your health-insurance plan, you can keep it,” said Klein, a Democrat from Boca Raton. “Seniors who are currently enrolled in private Medicare Advantage health plans should not have to lose sleep about what will happen to their benefits.” Klein’s amendment would put off any changes to Medicare Advantage for one year. And it would grandfather-in benefits for enrollees in places like South Florida.

GOP victories bode well for Crist

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:11:14 -0500

Tuesday’s elections brought good news for Florida Governor Charlie Crist and his bid for a U.S. Senate seat.

McDonnell elected

The results reinforced mainstream Republicans who play down right-wing ideology and position themselves as relatively moderate problem-solvers. That plays well for Crist, who calls himself a “common-sense conservative.” Republican Chris Christie’s victory in the governor’s race in New Jersey showed that the GOP can win in a Democratic state that overwhelmingly backed Barack Obama last year. Republican Bob McDonnell’s victory in the Virginia governor’s race showed the value of stressing concrete solutions to long-standing problems, notably crowded roads. McDonnell’s record is plenty conservative, but he steered away from ideological causes and projected a more moderate image while campaigning in northern Virginia. Democrats found a glimmer of good news with the election of Bill Owens in a special congressional election in New York, where they captured a seat held by Republicans since the 19th century. Voters rejected Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, who had forced the moderate Republican candidate out of the race. Results in all three states bode well for Crist. He has been assailed by many of the conservative activists who backed Hoffman in New York. Many are also backing Marco Rubio, a former legislator from Miami, who is counting on a surge of conservative support to try to defeat Crist in the Republican primary for a Florida Senate seat next year.

Hoffman rejected

The lesson of this year’s most closely watched elections is that pragmatic Republicans who appeal to independents and some Democrats are well positioned for the 2010 elections. The morning after, Crist took an anti-Washington, outsider’s stance. For now, he is showing his conservative and sharply partisan side. “Last night's election results are a clear indication that Americans want less government and more accountability,” he said in a prepared statement today. “They are tired of the ideas coming out of Washington, such as government-run health care.” “This election has sent a clear message to the Obama administration, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi,” he said. “Enough is enough.”

Florida officials: Health reforms would be costly

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:20:03 -0500

By Josh Hafenbrack Tallahassee Bureau TALLAHASSEE – Federal health care overhaul proposals in Congress could add between 1.4 million and 1.69 million people to the state’s Medicaid rolls and cost state taxpayers more than $600 million annually by 2015, state officials said in a report released today. The health-care proposals in the U.S. Senate and House would expand eligibility for Medicaid, the state-federal program that provides health care for poor and disabled, but it comes with a cost. Under the Senate plan, Florida’s Medicaid rolls would grow from about 2.7 million to 4 million people by 2015, according to a report by the state Agency for Health Care Administration. The total cost would be $4.2 billion – with the state picking up $608 million of that, the report said. The federal government would pay for the rest. Florida’s costs for the Medicaid expansion would rise even more after that under the Senate plan -- to $819 million by 2019, the report calculates. The figures are being presented this afternoon in Tallahassee, where legislators are gathered for committee hearings on the budget. Medcaid accounts for about one-quarter of state spending. And even without the federal change to Medicaid eligibility, state lawmakers will have to find another $1.6 billion in next year’s budget just to keep current programs running. The House health-care plan would cost the state even more, the ACHA report says. Under that plan, enrollment would mushroom by 1.69 million by 2015, costing $7.4 billion overall. The state would have to pay $1 billion of that total, with the federal government picking up the rest.

Eric Eikenberg will lead Crist campaign

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:45:41 -0500

Charlie Crist today named his former chief of staff Eric Eikenberg to be his campaign manager in Florida’s U.S. Senate race. Many South Floridians will remember Eikenberg, 33, who served for four years as chief of staff to former Republican Congressman Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale.

Eric Eikenberg

Eikenberg made a point today of referring to “Charlie Crist’s brand of common-sense conservatism.” Governor Crist wants to burnish his conservative credentials while trying to fend off a challenge for the Republican nomination from Marco Rubio of Miami, a former legislator who is attacking from the Right. Eikenberg is familiar with this dynamic after working for Shaw, a conservative in the old fashioned sense who tried to follow a somewhat independent, moderate path while representing a district that became increasingly Democratic. Shaw, a 26-year veteran in Congress, never quite fit neatly into the rigid ideological divide in the House. But he got along well enough with the likes of Tom DeLay and other conservative leaders to become a subcommittee chairman. Shaw’s panel wrote portions of the welfare-reform bill that passed Congress and was signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton. He gained some national attention for advocating Social Security reform, but in a novel way that differed from George W. Bush’s proposals. Shaw was unseated by Democrat Ron Klein, who successfully tied the incumbent to the Republican implosion of 2006. Crist faces a similar balancing act. He must draw enough conservative voters to win the Republican primary, yet have enough appeal to moderates and independents to win the general election. Eikenberg, a highly capable and experienced manager at a young age, should be a real asset.

The Legislature’s biggest benefactor from Scott Rothstein will return donations

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:01:12 -0500

By Josh Hafenbrack The Legislature’s biggest benefactor from Scott Rothstein -- state Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale – said today she’d return any political donations from the lawyer accused of misusing funds from clients, the latest money-in-politics scandal to surface in Broward. “I’m numb,” Bogdanoff said in Tallahassee, where legislators are gathering this week for committee hearings. “Broward’s been a little bit beaten up – I mean, we’re in trouble. Your mouth drops open and I’m just numb, I’m numb from all of this.” This year, Bogdanoff has received $11,000 from Rothstein and his various political fundraising arms, coming via 22 checks at the state maximum, $500. She is running for a state Senate seat.

Crist v. Rubio watchers look to N.Y.

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:36:49 -0500

Marco Rubio (AP photos) That leaves Conservative Hoffman, an accountant who has never run for public office, to face Democrat Bill Owens in a district long controlled by Republicans. A Siena College poll released today indicates that the conservative has pulled ahead of the Democrat 41 percent to 36 percent, with 18 percent undecided. That’s a lot of undecided. Why should this matter to Floridians? Many of the conservative activists who hounded Scozzafava – pelting her with negative ads and a barrage of criticism -- have made no secret that they will focus next on Crist. Florida’s Republican governor angered conservatives by showing a willingness to work with Democrats on some issues and by backing President Obama’s campaign to enact the economic-stimulus bill. Rubio, a conservative former legislator from Miami, hopes to push Crist aside to win the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez. Rubio already has drawn support from many of those promoting Hoffman. The New York House race indicates that the GOP is moving ever rightward, rejecting moderate candidates even in the Northeast, one of the last redoubts for that brand of Republicanism. One big question is whether moderate Republican voters will follow this conservative path. Scozzafava encouraged her supporters to vote as they wish but endorsed the Democrat on Sunday, saying: “In Bill Owens, I see a sense of duty and integrity that will guide him beyond political partisanship. He will be an independent voice devoted to doing what is right for New York." The special election on Tuesday will fill the seat vacated by Republican John McHugh, who was named by Obama to be secretary of the Army. The House race is one indication of the likely direction of the Republican Party and its moderate voters. It may also have implications for Florida.

Miami House members laud Honduran political deal

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:10:32 -0500

Three Cuban-American House members from Miami today praised an agreement to end the political impasse in Honduras, which clears the way for presidential elections on Nov. 29. Interim leaders and deposed president Manuel Zelaya reportedly have struck a power-sharing deal, brokered by U.S. officials, that may allow him to return to power for three months while the election unfolds.

Manuel Zelaya

The deal should end the international isolation and denial of foreign aid that Honduras has endured since Zelaya was thrown out of power. A new president will be inaugurated on Jan. 27. Neither Zelaya nor interim president Roberto Micheletti is running. “This agreement is an extraordinary example of political maturity and of profound respect for the sovereignty of the Honduran people,” said Congressmen Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart in a joint statement. Their colleague Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said: “International recognition of Honduras’ November elections should never have been in doubt. But I am gratified that the U.S., the OAS, and others may finally render their full support to these elections and refrain from further impeding the Honduran democratic process.” "All U.S. assistance to Honduras, cooperation and visas should be immediately restored." All three House members are Republicans from Miami. All three backed the interim government, saying Zelaya had tried to undermine the Honduran constitution to remain in power.

LeMieux pitches crackdown on health-care fraud

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:04:21 -0500

Calling South Florida “ground zero for health-care fraud,” Senator George LeMieux today introduced a bill that would require criminal background checks for doctors and other providers. LeMieux’s first bill since coming to the Senate in September would also set up a predictive modeling system – much like the ones used by credit-card companies – to prevent federal reimbursements to fraudulent operators.

Sen. George LeMieux

“Why can’t we do the same things credit-card companies are doing with health care?” the Florida Republican said on the Senate floor this morning. “Why can’t we say that a health-care claim will not be paid when a red flag goes up?” “Right now we are on a pay-and-chase system. We pay these people to provide health care, allegedly, a lot of whom are not providing health care. A good portion of them are criminals. Frankly, we go after them and barely ever capture the money back. “If we put this in place, we stop the fraud before it happens.” The bill would create the government position of Chief Health Care Fraud Prevention Officer. Based on competitive bids, a private firm would be hired to set up a computer modeling system to spot questionable claims for reimbursement. LeMieux noted that a credit-card company recently contacted him to verify his purchase of a television set in the Washington area, apparently because it looked suspicious since his last address was in Tallahassee. He said a similar verification system would help stop health-care fraud. His bill would require background checks for providers and suppliers affiliated with federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. He cited South Florida examples to pitch the bill, including the case of a wheelchair sales operation that netted $20 million of fraudulent profit. “It has gotten so easy to steal money from the federal government that organized crime has gotten involved,” he said.

FPL hires Butterworth in rate hike bid

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:22:46 -0500

Losing the PR battle, Florida Power & Light is going to the mattresses in the company's bid for a rate hike: They're bringing in well-respected former Attorney General Bob Butterworth as an all-purpose adviser. FPL's statement announcing it had "engaged the services" of Butterworth included a striking mea culpa: "Certainly there are some things we would like to have changed about the way in which we approached this case," the company said. "We recognize that we have not been sufficiently sensitive to perceptions no matter how sincerely we have felt that our proposal was positive and constructive for our customers and the state." FPL is clearly trying to leverage some goodwill from Butterworth's public record, which includes the tenure as attorney general and, most recently, as Gov. Charlie Crist's Department of Children and Families secretary until last year. Butterworth is " a man of high integrity who has demonstrated his ability to bring people together under difficult circumstances," FPL said. "He has a long history of service to the people of Florida and has always acted with the best interests of the state in mind." "We’ve asked General Butterworth to provide us with advice and feedback about this rate proceeding specifically and the regulatory process in general, along with his recommendations for how we can improve and, to the extent possible, to help move the process forward in a constructive, objective manner," FPL said. The decision on FPL's request for $1.3-billion rate hike is in the hands of the Public Service Commission, a five-member board expected to vote on the matter in January. Crist has come out strongly against the rate hike.

Benson to take on Kottkamp for AG

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:55:05 -0500

Two weeks ago, Holly Benson resigned as secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration to clear the way for her to run for attorney general next year. Today, she made it official: she'll take on Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp in next year's Republican primary. "I am running for Florida's Attorney General because I love Florida and because we need people in government who understand and live by the principles that make this state great," said Benson, who made the announcement in her hometown of Pensacola. "At a time when government needs to be at its most effective and responsible, people are deeply troubled that government is even more out of touch, more out of control and is expanding its power, while abandoning the principles that make Florida a great place to live, work and raise a family," she said. Benson was asked by Gov. Charlie Crist to resign her AHCA post, which she assumed in 2008, when it became clear she'd be taking on the governor's 2006 running mate, A former three-term state representative from Pensacola, she's a graduate of Dartmouth and the University of Florida law school and a former bond attorney. If she gets by Kottkamp in the primary, she'll face the winner of a Democratic primary battle between Sens. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach and Dave Aronberg of Greenacres. The state Democratic Party was quick to condemn her candidacy: "As Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Benson did nothing to help the millions of Floridians who don't have access to quality, affordable health care. Benson's experimental Medicaid privatization scheme only served to benefit Republican Party donors while hurting Florida's families during these hard economic times," the party's statement read. "And if making it harder for Floridians to bring their kids to the doctor, should they get sick, wasn't bad enough, Benson had the nerve to claim that, 'Just because you're poor doesn't mean you're unhealthy, it just means you have a lot more time to go running.'"

Nelson to Obama: Press China on drywall problems

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:45:56 -0500

Florida Senator Bill Nelson asked President Obama today to seek China’s cooperation in the investigation of health problems in U.S. homes that contain Chinese drywall. Obama plans to meet with Chinese President Hu during a visit to China Nov. 15 to 18.

President Hu

Nelson says he got a cool response from Chinese officials when he visited China in August. Since then, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that a team Chinese engineers has provided technical assistance. Nelson had hoped the commission and other agencies would identify the connection between the imported drywall and health problems before Obama makes his first trip to China. But the commission reported today that initial testing did not reveal the cause of breathing problems, headaches and other ailments in homes containing the drywall. Nelson wrote to Obama: “Our two countries must work together to remedy this situation and establish policies to make sure that contaminated building materials are not exported to the United States, and that the responsible parties help remediate the harm done.”