It feels these days like the Russia question was a pebble kicked from the top of a mountain that has now turned into a landslide or epic proportions. The question now is just how much of our political landscape will be effected by it's path.
This all started on the campaign trail when then presidential hopeful Trump made comments about Russia and Putin that were oddly complimentary. Russia is an ally of sorts but, even with the end of the Cold War, a deep rivalry still exists between our two superpowers. His comments drew ire from many as it seemed a faux pas to be praising a nation so highly that is often ideologically at odds with our own. Still, his comments were overlooked or excused for a variety of reasons and the nation moved on.
In the post election aftermath Russia floated to the surface once again, this time with information that seemed to suggest that Russia interfered in the elections in favor of Trump. This was where the whispering really began that Trump allied himself with Russia in order to win the election, an accusation he vehemently denied and continues to deny. US intelligence found conclusively (as shown in the referenced article) that Russia did interfere in the election and two out of three intelligence agencies had high confidence that it was done in favor of Trump. However, making the leap from working in favor of Trump and working with Trump requires a lot more evidence.
As early as the inauguration investigation into Trump associates colluding with Russia had begun. This investigation was officially confirmed by James Comey in March while he still headed the FBI. This initial investigation included Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, who previously resigned due to questions about his connections with Russia and is now being investigated on both the Federal and State level for various reasons.
Things really heated up after Michael Flynn resigned from his position as national security adviser less than a month into the Trump presidency. True to the theme for today his resignation took place after he provided inaccurate information to White House staff about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador. Essentially he lied in an attempt to cover up information he had talked about which was inappropriate for him to be discussing with a foreign official in the first place. This was the first definitive evidence of a member of the Trump collective having inappropriate relations with Russia and has only served to intensify scrutiny.
Next on our downhill slide comes the firing of FBI director James Comey on May 9th. This move was well within the President's power, but the timing and reasoning have been drawn into serious question. That lack of consistent reasoning behind the move added to the fact that Comey was leading the investigation into the Russian probe has made a lot of people wonder if Trump wanted to remove some of the pressure being applied to him over his and his associate's ties to Russia. This theory seemed to be confirmed days later when news broke about a possible conversation, and supporting memo documentation, between Trump and Comey in which the President asked the then director to end his investigation into Michael Flynn, which was mentioned earlier. If true this action dips into the realm of hindrance of prosecution, a serious crime.
All of the above has culminated in the appointing of Bob Mueller, a former FBI director, to serve as special counsel on the Russian investigation. While not the independent commission demanded by Democrats the special counsel does have a greater amount of autonomy in his investigation than the investigation previously held. Even the choice of investigator is encouraging as Congress members on both sides of the table have lauded him as being fair and justice minded.
Most recently the Russian probe has penetrated Trump's inner circle with the investigation now looking into Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law and one of his senior advisers. Like Flynn and Manafort before him, Kushner is under scrutiny for meetings he had with the Russian ambassador in December as well as a Russian banker.
While no charges have been filed we have come a long way in the last year from the grumbling about Trump's apparent pro-Russia stance. If you believe there's no such thing as coincidence then it seems almost impossible at this point that there wasn't some level of collusion between Trump's team and Russia during the 2016 election. As the saying goes, "if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck..." It adds fuel to the fire when Trump makes claims, such as the Obama wire-tapping allegation which was proved conclusively to be false, that appear to be almost diversion tactics to draw attention away from the conversation about Russia. The question now becomes more of a matter of how far does the collusion go and was it willfully done or just a gaff on the part of a political novice. If Trump himself was knowledgeable about what went on will we ever know the truth or will one of his devoted cronies fall on his sword to spare the President the embarrassment? Americans have a right to know the truth. We don't live in Oz where we're charged with the directive to "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Hiatus Over
I've been on a bit of a hiatus the last few weeks as I have been so overwhelmed and depressed with everything that has been going on recently. I've not given up the fight, but it is hard to remain optimistic in the face of so many things that seem to be dragging our nation apart.
Two days ago, on May 26th, there was a particularly heinous act that occurred in Portland, OR that has made me feel more than ever before just how angry our nation has become. The fact that two men who were trying to do the right thing by standing up for another person should have their lives ended so violently is a tragedy of epic proportion. Sadly, outbursts like those of the perpetrator in this case are becoming more and more common. Thankfully most of these cases do not end in death, as in the tragic case in Portland, but the reality is that they should not be happening at all.
People have been emboldened to hate, openly and unabashedly, any who disagree or are different from themselves. Our President may be the face of our nation but we owe it to the world to be better than his flippant references to violent acts would suggest. Whether it is racial, religious, or ideological, our nation as a whole needs to check itself in its treatment of those who are different from us before our entire society devolves into chaos.
Freedom of speech is a right, but it comes with the burden to defend that right for others, even when they disagree or are different from us. No voice should be silenced by the fear of violent reprisals. And we are not defenders of freedom when we allow others to be harassed and threatened without coming to their aid. Those two individuals on the train in Portland who lost their lives died acting as the truest American you can be and should rightfully be honored as heroes. If only there were more brave souls like that in our world today.
That's all I have for tonight, I'll get into Russia, Comey, Kushner, the budget proposal, Trump's overseas trip, and all of that other political chaos another day.
P.S. in the last month a full half of the hits on this blog have been from someone in Russia. Whoever my Russian friend is let me just say, let freedom ring.
Two days ago, on May 26th, there was a particularly heinous act that occurred in Portland, OR that has made me feel more than ever before just how angry our nation has become. The fact that two men who were trying to do the right thing by standing up for another person should have their lives ended so violently is a tragedy of epic proportion. Sadly, outbursts like those of the perpetrator in this case are becoming more and more common. Thankfully most of these cases do not end in death, as in the tragic case in Portland, but the reality is that they should not be happening at all.
People have been emboldened to hate, openly and unabashedly, any who disagree or are different from themselves. Our President may be the face of our nation but we owe it to the world to be better than his flippant references to violent acts would suggest. Whether it is racial, religious, or ideological, our nation as a whole needs to check itself in its treatment of those who are different from us before our entire society devolves into chaos.
Freedom of speech is a right, but it comes with the burden to defend that right for others, even when they disagree or are different from us. No voice should be silenced by the fear of violent reprisals. And we are not defenders of freedom when we allow others to be harassed and threatened without coming to their aid. Those two individuals on the train in Portland who lost their lives died acting as the truest American you can be and should rightfully be honored as heroes. If only there were more brave souls like that in our world today.
That's all I have for tonight, I'll get into Russia, Comey, Kushner, the budget proposal, Trump's overseas trip, and all of that other political chaos another day.
P.S. in the last month a full half of the hits on this blog have been from someone in Russia. Whoever my Russian friend is let me just say, let freedom ring.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
H.R.1628 - American Health Care Act of 2017
Well here I go, I'm slogging in to break down the biggest piece of legislation I've tackled so far. It's passed the House but the Senate is still questionable. This bill is thankfully going viral right now over some of the heavier hitting items but, as with any large legislation, there is a lot more packed in here than first meets the eye. Here is a point by point breakdown of HR 1628:
Title I- Energy and Commerce
Subtitle A—Patient Access To Public Health Programs
- Sec 101- Ends funding of the Prevention and Public Health Fund beginning fiscal year 2019
- Sec 102- Gives an additional $422 million to Community Health Centers for fiscal year 2017
- Sec 103- States may not use Federal funding for payments to "prohibited entities"- defined as tax exempt organizations that provide abortions for reasons other than rape, incest, and health of the mother AND received more than a total of $350 million from Federal and State Medicaid in fiscal year 2014
Subtitle B—Medicaid Program Enhancement
- Sec 111- Ends certain Medicaid provisions as of December 31, 2019
- Sec 112- Ends the Medicaid expansion effective December 31, 2019, caps Federal reimbursement at 80%, and ends the Essential Health Benefit requirement
- Sec 113- Eliminates DSH (payments to hospitals who treat indigent patients) cuts for states that did not adopt the Medicaid expansion
- Sec 114- Reducing Medicaid costs by:
1) Disenrolling those who receive a large lump sum of money either from lottery or inheritance
2) Repeals retroactive enrollment which allows individuals to be covered up to three months prior to their date of their application to prevent gaps in coverage
3) Allowing states to withhold payment for medical assistance until "the presentation of satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality"
4) Removes a provision that allowed states to set a higher benchmark for ineligibility of coverage for nursing facility and long term care based on the individual's home value
- Sec 115- Providing additional funding to non-expansion states to balance funding that was penalized under the ACA
- Sec 116- Increases frequency of Eligibility Redeterminations to at least once every 6 months
Subtitle C—Per Capita Allotment For Medical Assistance
- Sec 121- This section is extraordinarily hefty and adds an entire new section (1903A) to the code for calculating Federal payments to States. These payments are designated per capita with breakdowns for different types of enrollees and how much will be allocated. It also breaks down penalties for States for failing to report the breakdown of enrollees and if a State has "excess aggregate medical assistance expenditures"
Subtitle D—Patient Relief And Health Insurance Market Stability
- Sec 131- Repeals the cost sharing subsidy effective December 31, 2019
- Sec 132- Adds Title XXII to the Social Security Act effecting the following:
1) Establishes a "Patient and State Stability Fund" to be effective from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2026
2) Funds to be used by States for:
a) helping high-risk individuals with no employer health care enroll in the individual market
b) provide incentives to "entities" to stabilize premiums on the individual market
c) reducing the cost of providing health insurance to people with a high rate of health service utilization on the individual and small group markets
d) promoting participation and insurance options on the individual and small group markets
e) promoting access to preventative, dental, vision, addiction, and mental health services
f) providing payments to health care providers for services specified by the Administrator
g) providing assistance to reduce out-of-pocket costs
3) States must apply for funding with a stated plan of what the funding will be used for which will be considered a "state health care program"
4) Allocates $15 billion in 2018 and 2019 and $10 billion from 2020-2026 from the Treasury, it also sets out how the funds will be divided among states and a minimum requirement for state contributions to above programs
- Sec 133- Establishes a penalty of 30% of the premium rate to be assessed to individuals with a lapse of coverage greater than 63 days during the previous 12 month period. This penalty will be added the the individual's monthly premium rate for the first 12 months under a new plan.
- Sec 134- Ends the Essential Health Benefit Package beginning December 31, 2019
- Sec 135- Increases the allowable age variance in premiums from the current level of 3 to 1 up to 5 to 1
Title II—Committee on Ways and Means
Subtitle A—Repeal And Replace Of Health-Related Tax Policy
- Sec 201- From December 31, 2017 to January 1, 2020 there will be no limit to the increase in Excess Advance Payments
- Sec 202- Conforming amendments:
1) Changes the definition of "qualified health plan" to exclude plans that were grandfathered or grandmothered (transitional plans offered as of January 1, 2014) in and those that provide for abortion in cases other than rape, incest, or health of the mother
2) Allows abortion coverage to be purchased separately
3) Credits may not be given for plans that were not purchased on an exchange
4) Modifies the applicable percentage to tax credits, giving a sliding scale base on income and age
- Sec 203- Repeals the premium tax credit
- Sec 204- Small Business Tax Credit to end on December 31, 2019 and disallows abortion with the usual caveat
- Sec 205- Zeros out the individual mandate
- Sec 206- Zeros out the employer mandate
- Sec 207- Excise tax on high cost employer health care will not apply from December 31, 2019 to January 1, 2025
- Sec 208- Allows the use of Health Flexible Spending Accounts for over the counter drugs
- Sec 209- Reduces penalty on Health Flexible Spending Account funds used for non-medical purposes
- Sec 210- Repeals cap on contributions to Flexible Spending Accounts
- Sec 211- Repeals tax on medical devices
- Sec 212- Repeals elimination of deduction for Medicare Part D Subsidy
- Sec 213- Returns income threshold for medical deductions to 7.5%
- Sec 214- Repeal of Medicare tax increase (current documents do not appear to be different from proposed changes)
- Sec 215- sets out a tax credit for those with health care coverage not provided by an employer with the following provisions:
1) Tax credit will be in the amount of $166/month for those under 30, twice that for those over 60, and graduated in between
2) Social Security benefits received will be added to Adjusted Gross Income for the purpose of determining the amount of the credit
3) Yearly tax credit not to exceed $14,000 and only to be totaled based on the 5 oldest individuals
4) Health insurance that qualifies for the tax credit must not allow for abortion except for the previously stated exceptions
5) Married couples required to file jointly in order to receive credit
6) Tax credit may be applied directly and in advance for health insurance costs
7) Tax credit will be reduced by the value of any advance payments made on the individual's behalf
8) Credit may be payed into a health savings account
9) Credit will be withheld from those with "seriously delinquent tax debt"
10) Strikes reference to the Basic Health Program from the tax code
- Sec 216- Increases allowable contributions to Health Savings Accounts to the total of the yearly deductible and out of pocket limitations
- Sec 217- Allows both spouses to make catch-up contributions to the same Health Savings Account
- Sec 218- Health Savings Accounts established within 60 days of opening a high deductible health plan shall be considered to be opened at the same time as the health plan
Subtitle B—Repeal Of Certain Consumer Taxes
- Sec 221- Repeals tax on branded prescription drug providers and importers
- Sec 222- Repeals tax on health insurance providers
Subtitle C—Repeal Of Tanning Tax
- Sec 231- Repeals tax on indoor tanning services
Subtitle D—Remuneration From Certain Insurers
- Sec 241- Repeals tax on luxury health insurance plans
Subtitle E—Repeal Of Net Investment Income Tax
- Sec 251- Repeals 3.8% tax on individuals making more than $200,000 ($250,000 if married) and on certain investment income
Title I- Energy and Commerce
Subtitle A—Patient Access To Public Health Programs
- Sec 101- Ends funding of the Prevention and Public Health Fund beginning fiscal year 2019
- Sec 102- Gives an additional $422 million to Community Health Centers for fiscal year 2017
- Sec 103- States may not use Federal funding for payments to "prohibited entities"- defined as tax exempt organizations that provide abortions for reasons other than rape, incest, and health of the mother AND received more than a total of $350 million from Federal and State Medicaid in fiscal year 2014
Subtitle B—Medicaid Program Enhancement
- Sec 111- Ends certain Medicaid provisions as of December 31, 2019
- Sec 112- Ends the Medicaid expansion effective December 31, 2019, caps Federal reimbursement at 80%, and ends the Essential Health Benefit requirement
- Sec 113- Eliminates DSH (payments to hospitals who treat indigent patients) cuts for states that did not adopt the Medicaid expansion
- Sec 114- Reducing Medicaid costs by:
1) Disenrolling those who receive a large lump sum of money either from lottery or inheritance
2) Repeals retroactive enrollment which allows individuals to be covered up to three months prior to their date of their application to prevent gaps in coverage
3) Allowing states to withhold payment for medical assistance until "the presentation of satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality"
4) Removes a provision that allowed states to set a higher benchmark for ineligibility of coverage for nursing facility and long term care based on the individual's home value
- Sec 115- Providing additional funding to non-expansion states to balance funding that was penalized under the ACA
- Sec 116- Increases frequency of Eligibility Redeterminations to at least once every 6 months
Subtitle C—Per Capita Allotment For Medical Assistance
- Sec 121- This section is extraordinarily hefty and adds an entire new section (1903A) to the code for calculating Federal payments to States. These payments are designated per capita with breakdowns for different types of enrollees and how much will be allocated. It also breaks down penalties for States for failing to report the breakdown of enrollees and if a State has "excess aggregate medical assistance expenditures"
Subtitle D—Patient Relief And Health Insurance Market Stability
- Sec 131- Repeals the cost sharing subsidy effective December 31, 2019
- Sec 132- Adds Title XXII to the Social Security Act effecting the following:
1) Establishes a "Patient and State Stability Fund" to be effective from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2026
2) Funds to be used by States for:
a) helping high-risk individuals with no employer health care enroll in the individual market
b) provide incentives to "entities" to stabilize premiums on the individual market
c) reducing the cost of providing health insurance to people with a high rate of health service utilization on the individual and small group markets
d) promoting participation and insurance options on the individual and small group markets
e) promoting access to preventative, dental, vision, addiction, and mental health services
f) providing payments to health care providers for services specified by the Administrator
g) providing assistance to reduce out-of-pocket costs
3) States must apply for funding with a stated plan of what the funding will be used for which will be considered a "state health care program"
4) Allocates $15 billion in 2018 and 2019 and $10 billion from 2020-2026 from the Treasury, it also sets out how the funds will be divided among states and a minimum requirement for state contributions to above programs
- Sec 133- Establishes a penalty of 30% of the premium rate to be assessed to individuals with a lapse of coverage greater than 63 days during the previous 12 month period. This penalty will be added the the individual's monthly premium rate for the first 12 months under a new plan.
- Sec 134- Ends the Essential Health Benefit Package beginning December 31, 2019
- Sec 135- Increases the allowable age variance in premiums from the current level of 3 to 1 up to 5 to 1
Title II—Committee on Ways and Means
Subtitle A—Repeal And Replace Of Health-Related Tax Policy
- Sec 201- From December 31, 2017 to January 1, 2020 there will be no limit to the increase in Excess Advance Payments
- Sec 202- Conforming amendments:
1) Changes the definition of "qualified health plan" to exclude plans that were grandfathered or grandmothered (transitional plans offered as of January 1, 2014) in and those that provide for abortion in cases other than rape, incest, or health of the mother
2) Allows abortion coverage to be purchased separately
3) Credits may not be given for plans that were not purchased on an exchange
4) Modifies the applicable percentage to tax credits, giving a sliding scale base on income and age
- Sec 203- Repeals the premium tax credit
- Sec 204- Small Business Tax Credit to end on December 31, 2019 and disallows abortion with the usual caveat
- Sec 205- Zeros out the individual mandate
- Sec 206- Zeros out the employer mandate
- Sec 207- Excise tax on high cost employer health care will not apply from December 31, 2019 to January 1, 2025
- Sec 208- Allows the use of Health Flexible Spending Accounts for over the counter drugs
- Sec 209- Reduces penalty on Health Flexible Spending Account funds used for non-medical purposes
- Sec 210- Repeals cap on contributions to Flexible Spending Accounts
- Sec 211- Repeals tax on medical devices
- Sec 212- Repeals elimination of deduction for Medicare Part D Subsidy
- Sec 213- Returns income threshold for medical deductions to 7.5%
- Sec 214- Repeal of Medicare tax increase (current documents do not appear to be different from proposed changes)
- Sec 215- sets out a tax credit for those with health care coverage not provided by an employer with the following provisions:
1) Tax credit will be in the amount of $166/month for those under 30, twice that for those over 60, and graduated in between
2) Social Security benefits received will be added to Adjusted Gross Income for the purpose of determining the amount of the credit
3) Yearly tax credit not to exceed $14,000 and only to be totaled based on the 5 oldest individuals
4) Health insurance that qualifies for the tax credit must not allow for abortion except for the previously stated exceptions
5) Married couples required to file jointly in order to receive credit
6) Tax credit may be applied directly and in advance for health insurance costs
7) Tax credit will be reduced by the value of any advance payments made on the individual's behalf
8) Credit may be payed into a health savings account
9) Credit will be withheld from those with "seriously delinquent tax debt"
10) Strikes reference to the Basic Health Program from the tax code
- Sec 216- Increases allowable contributions to Health Savings Accounts to the total of the yearly deductible and out of pocket limitations
- Sec 217- Allows both spouses to make catch-up contributions to the same Health Savings Account
- Sec 218- Health Savings Accounts established within 60 days of opening a high deductible health plan shall be considered to be opened at the same time as the health plan
Subtitle B—Repeal Of Certain Consumer Taxes
- Sec 221- Repeals tax on branded prescription drug providers and importers
- Sec 222- Repeals tax on health insurance providers
Subtitle C—Repeal Of Tanning Tax
- Sec 231- Repeals tax on indoor tanning services
Subtitle D—Remuneration From Certain Insurers
- Sec 241- Repeals tax on luxury health insurance plans
Subtitle E—Repeal Of Net Investment Income Tax
- Sec 251- Repeals 3.8% tax on individuals making more than $200,000 ($250,000 if married) and on certain investment income
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
A Glimmer of Hope
It's nice to see Democrats and Republicans coming together sometimes. I doubt anyone is happy but all sides seem satisfied with the most recent Congressional Spending Bill. Seeing the word bipartisan attached to anything right now gives me hope for the future but especially when it comes attached to such a difficult subject as federal spending. It is particularly promising to see Republicans supporting spending increases to departments Trump had slated for substantial cuts. Granted, should the bill pass, it is only a temporary fix, but it would give us almost six months in which to hopefully grow some common ground and pave a rational way forward without Trump's all or nothing approach to spending.
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