Thursday, March 18, 2010

Barker's Newsbites: Thursday, March 18, 2010


Well... not exactly a hangover morning... but let's just say close...

Happy Newsbiting...!!!
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8 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011367936_walgreens18m.html

Effective April 16, Walgreens drugstores across [Washington] state won't take any new Medicaid patients, saying that filling their prescriptions is a money-losing proposition — the latest development in an ongoing dispute over Medicaid reimbursement.

In a news release, Walgreens said its decision to not take new Medicaid patients stemmed from a "continued reduction in reimbursement" under the state's Medicaid program, which reimburses it at less than the break-even point for 95% of brand-name medications dispensed to Medicaid patents.

Walgreens follows Bartell Drugs, which stopped taking new Medicaid patients last month at all 57 of its stores in Washington, though it still fills Medicaid prescriptions for existing customers at all but 15 of those stores. [Walgreens] will continue filling Medicaid prescriptions for [their] current patients [as well].

Along with Walgreens and Bartell, the Ritzville Drug Company in Adams County announced in November that it would stop participating in Medicaid.

"Washington state Medicaid is now reimbursing pharmacies less than their cost of participation," said Jeff Rochon, CEO of the Washington State Pharmacy Association.

Pharmacies that continue to fill Medicaid prescriptions at the current state reimbursement rate are "at risk of putting themselves out of business altogether," he said.

March 18, 2010 at 8:19 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/17/tehran-aiding-al-qaeda-links-petraeus-says/

Iran is assisting al Qaeda by facilitating links between senior terrorist leaders and affiliate groups, [Army Gen. David H. Petraeus] the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East told Congress on Tuesday.

On Tehran's ties to al Qaeda, Gen. Petraeus said the group "continues to use Iran as a key facilitation hub, where facilitators connect al Qaedas senior leadership to regional affiliates."

The comments reinforce concerns of both military and intelligence officials about Iran's backing for the group behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

A U.S. counterterrorism official said al Qaeda members are located in Iran, and "and the Iranian government knows it."

"Al Qaeda members also make their way through Iran to Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the Iranian government knows it. Thats just unacceptable," the official said.

A National Counterterrorism Center report said Iran is unwilling to "bring to justice" senior al Qaeda members it holds and "has refused to publicly identify those senior members in its custody."

Gen. Petraeus said Iran is also working to undermine U.S. and international efforts to stabilize Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of the region. He noted that in Afghanistan, Iran appears to have "hedged" its tacit support for the Kabul government headed by President Hamid Karzai by "providing opportunistic support to the Taliban."

In Iraq, Iranian Islamist "Qods Force" personnel are working both politically to influence Iraqi politics and to provide explosives and other military support to Shi'ite militias.

"The Qods Force also maintains its lethal support to Shia Iraqi militia groups, providing them with weapons, funding and training," Gen. Petraeus said.

March 18, 2010 at 9:07 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/03/cuccinellis_office_confirms_vi.html

A spokesman for Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II said this afternoon that Virginia will file suit against the federal government if the health care "reform" bill is approved by the U.S. Congress.

Virginia last week became the first state in the country to pass a state bill declaring it illegal for the government to require individuals to purchase health insurance, a key part of bills under consideration on Capitol Hill.

March 18, 2010 at 9:08 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0LSHNfmnWDnZ_JylqiFxeT5GKEQD9EGLNDO0

Idaho took the lead in a growing, nationwide fight against health care overhaul Wednesday when its governor became the first to sign a measure requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government if residents are forced to buy health insurance.

Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states.

Last week, Virginia legislators passed a measure similar to Idaho's new law, but Otter was the first state chief executive to sign such a bill...

"What the Idaho Health Freedom Act says is that the citizens of our state won't be subject to another federal mandate or turn over another part of their life to government control," Otter said.

March 18, 2010 at 9:08 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/18/cbo-feels-crush-of-health-care-requests/

President Obama's agenda has so overloaded Congress that its legislative gatekeepers - the analysts who score each bill and the auditors who weed out waste and fraud - can't keep up.

Repeated requests from lawmakers seeking to have their health care reform plans evaluated have overwhelmed the Congressional Budget Office, where some health analysts are putting in 100-hour workweeks.

Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office, Congress' chief investigative arm, says it needs an additional 144 staffers just to track waste and abuse from the $862 billion Recovery Act that was enacted last year.

* YOU FOLKS SHOULD READ THE FULL ARTICLE; IT DETAILS HOW TOTALLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, FLORIDA DEMOCRAT, CHAIRWOMAN OF THE LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE THAT OVERSEES THE CBO AND GAO IS. IT'S SIMPLY STUNNING.

March 18, 2010 at 9:08 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=36091

House Democrats are trumpeting a new Congressional Budget Office report saying that the “reconciled” Senate version of the Obama healthcare bill will save $120-$130 billion in the first ten years, and more after that.

The Washington Post and Politico are blaring headlines about these claimed savings.

However, House Budget Committee Ranking Republican Paul Ryan (WI) issued the following statement:

“The Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that there is currently no official cost estimate. Yet House Democrats are touting to the press – and spinning for partisan gain – numbers that have not been released and are impossible to confirm. Rep. James Clyburn stated he was “giddy” about these unsubstantiated numbers. This is the latest outrageous exploitation by the Majority – in this case abusing the confidentiality of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office – to pass their massive health care overhaul at any cost.”

I just asked a highly-placed Senate source about the numbers, and why the Republicans weren’t talking about the bizarre assumptions – savings over time that are assumed but won’t happen, rosy scenarios about cost reductions and tax revenues and the like -- that are the only foundation on which CBO could have reached their conclusions.

The short answer is that the Republicans (at least the Senate Republicans) haven’t been allowed to see the report yet.

Maybe Pelosi deems them to have seen it.

UPDATE: In a letter sent to Speaker Pelosi this morning, CBO Director Doug Elmendorf remarked:

"Although CBO completed a preliminary review of legislative language prior to its release, the agency has not thoroughly examined the reconciliation proposal to verify its consistency with the previous draft. This estimate is therefore preliminary, pending a review of the language of the reconciliation proposal, as well as further review and refinement of the budgetary projections.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 3/18/10, P.1)

March 18, 2010 at 12:34 PM
Rodak said...

saying that filling their prescriptions is a money-losing proposition

NATIONALIZE THE F**KERS!

March 19, 2010 at 7:42 AM
William R. Barker said...

Exactly what one would expect from you, Rob - a call for the government to simply "take" what it pleases.

Yeah... theft... you must have been a hell of a role model to your kids as they were growing up.

(*SMIRK*)

Oh... and yeah... of course it wouldn't occur to you to wonder where the money would come from to continue "running the business" at a loss as a government entity.

Yeah... Fannie and Freddie worked out so well...

(*SMIRK*)

Let me guess... "raise taxes" would be your... er... "solution."

(*SNORT*)

BILL

March 25, 2010 at 4:03 PM

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