Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce

A Weekly e-Newsletter from
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)

December 18, 2009

Dear Friends,

This week, the Senate continued its debate on the Democrats’ $2.5 trillion Senate health care legislation. Negotiations between moderate and liberal Democratic senators as well as between Democratic senators and the White House have continued behind closed doors with no specific details about any of the potential ‘deals’ that might have been reached.

It has obviously been frustrating for senators on both sides of the aisle, considering the fact that our health care system accounts for one-sixth of the U.S. economy and the consequences of this bill will reach every American.  The unintended consequences of this legislation are disastrous to small businesses and family budgets.

I also have serious concerns regarding the impact of the Senate health care bill on Medicare.  If the Administration plans to raise nearly $500 billion in health reform revenues by curtailing waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare, I would like to know why this waste, fraud and abuse has not been stopped sooner. I also find it troubling that Senate Democrats would create new programs such as the government-run public option with these Medicare “savings” rather than make a commitment commit to preserve and improve Medicare and prevent the impending 2017 bankruptcy.  It not only is it the smart thing to do, it’s also the right thing to do because our nation owes it to American seniors to keep our promises.

In addition, I have heard from many Georgians who have concerns about the constitutionality of certain provisions within the Democrats’ health care reform legislation. I feel these concerns are legitimate, and I believe this legislation would certainly face challenges in our courts if it becomes law.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is reportedly drafting yet another health care bill that could be substituted for the pending bill. As of today, Senator Reid still has not revealed the text of his new version. It’s impossible for the public to judge the merits of the plan when the Democrats refuse to make available the text of the legislation to members of Congress and the public. It’s essential to have an open and honest debate on health care reform, and this process has been anything but transparent.

Vote to Eliminate Tax Increases from Health Care Bill
On Tuesday, I voted for an amendment that would have removed from the health care bill all tax increases for individuals with an adjusted gross income of less than $200,000 and married individuals with an adjusted gross income of less than $250,000.  Unfortunately, Senate Democrats defeated the motion by Senator Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, to send the bill back to the Senate Finance Committee with instructions to remove the tax increases by a vote of 45-54.

The pending health care legislation includes $493.6 billion in tax increases. By 2019, over 42 million taxpayers earning under $200,000 a year would see their taxes increase even after receiving the premium tax credits in this bill.

At a time when our economy is struggling to recover from one of the worst recessions in our nation’s history, it is astonishing that Democrats want to increase the tax burden of millions of Americans.

Medicare Part D
Many private health insurance plans have limits on how much they will cover for prescription drugs. Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are no different. The Medicare prescription drug plan is the first federally funded insurance program for prescription drugs. Many seniors have signed up for the coverage and have saved money through these plans.

Some seniors have been caught in the so-called ‘doughnut hole.’  The doughnut hole is a gap in coverage that occurs when the beneficiary spends more than $2,700 and must pay 100 percent of drug costs until they reach $4,350. Once the beneficiary reaches this limit, the program pays all costs except for nominal cost sharing. This is known as catastrophic coverage.

I am working with my colleagues to see that every senior has access to affordable health care and that this financial burden is eliminated.  Some options to help with these costs are listed on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services webpage at www.cms.hhs.gov.

Sunday Vote Against ‘Omnibus’ Spending Bill
Last Sunday, I voted against a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill that included the Commerce-Justice-Science, Financial Services, Labor-HHS-Education, Military Construction-VA, State-Foreign Operations and Transportation-HUD appropriations bills for fiscal year 2010. It contained nearly $447 billion in discretionary spending, which is an average increase of 10 percent over fiscal year 2009 levels.

While the Senate approved the conference report by a vote of 57-35, I believe that this type of spending, especially when combined with the $787 billion stimulus and the proposed $2.5 trillion health care bill, is unsustainable and ultimately creates debt that will fall on the backs of future generations and inevitably will lead to higher taxes on all Americans.

The practice of rolling several appropriations bills into one massive bill at the end of the year and voting on it with little debate has become all too common over the past 20 years.  That’s why I have introduced legislation to reform the federal budget process by converting it from an annual spending process to a two-year cycle, with one year for appropriating federal dollars and the other year devoted to oversight of federal programs.

As members of Congress, we are entrusted with the responsibility of spending taxpayer dollars wisely. Our current budget and spending process does not help us meet that responsibility.  Instead, it creates an atmosphere in which waste is all too common. Biennial budgeting would help encourage fiscal responsibility at a time when all of us agree we must focus more attention on the nation’s bottom line.

Cap and Trade
This week, the United Nations is hosting the annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark.  President Obama is at the conference and has emphasized a commitment by the United States to carbon emissions caps that are roughly in line with the Waxman-Markey climate change bill that passed the House on June 26, 2009. The president did not set a deadline for specific Senate action on the climate bill.

Any agreement under discussion this week would have to be approved by Congress, and the Senate is not expected to consider the Waxman-Markey bill. I strongly oppose the House-passed bill and will work to ensure that the Senate does not pass a bill that would raise the cost of energy to all Georgians or negatively impact the American economy. Senator Reid has said it will be next spring before the Senate debates a climate change bill.

What’s on Tap?

Today, the Senate has resumed consideration of the Defense appropriations bill.  A vote on final passage of the bill is expected around 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Following passage of the defense appropriations bill, it is expected that the Senate will continue with the health care bill.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson