The Blue Dog Democrats are barking at Pelosi:
Herseth Sandlin and 39 conservative Blue Dog colleagues sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on July 9. In it, they said any health care reform bill must be accompanied by means to pay for it. It must work to lower cost and increase value, it must not create financial hardship for small businesses, it must reflect bipartisanship and it must address challenges in delivering health care in rural communities.
Herseth Sandlin also said legislation should reduce or eliminate a long-standing disparity in Medicare reimbursement among regions of the country. South Dakota is among 17 states where health care providers receive lower reimbursement, she said.
"The bottom line for me is South Dakota has lived with plenty of inequity the past number of years. This is our opportunity to address that inequity," she said.
The Blue Dog letter apparently galvanized House leadership. Pelosi spoke to the caucus Tuesday, and House leaders have held marathon sessions with Blue Dogs in recent days.
Why would anyone think that government health care should be expanded after it crisis that has been created with Medicare and Medicaid? And then throw in the Indian Health Service as another indication of the government’s inability to provide services. Time for the Blue Dogs to do more than just bark.
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