April 8, 2010
PART OF A SERIES: Rand Paul’s Tea Party Bus Tour Visits Ashland
Paul Echoes Many of His Dad’s Beliefs
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Ashland, KY (HNN) – Too, often, a candidate for office tells would be constituents about finding federal dollars to solve local problems, problems compounded by numerous other unfunded federal mandates that constrict individual freedoms.
Enter Dr. Rand Paul, a Bowling Green, Ky. ophthalmologist who’s following his father, Ron’s, political footsteps. Mounting an internet fund raising campaign, the Kentucky physician will be attempting to win the seat held by long-time Kentucky Republican Jim Bunning.
Like his dad, he stands strongly on a conservative interpretation of the Constitution. He would return power(s) to local and state entities, where elected officials have a greater chance of understanding regional issues and interacting with constituents.
Rand Paul’s bus pulled in Tuesday morning for a grassroots meet and greet at Tim Horton’s on Winchester Avenue in Ashland. No bells, no whistles, no speeches. He answered questions from the public and the press with astute knowledge and composure. Nor did he have literature proclaiming his Republican ‘super star’ endorsements; they range from Steve Forbes to former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Other endorsements have come from Concerned Women for America (CWA), Republican Liberty Caucus, Gun Owners of America and Freedom Works.
TEA PARTY TIDAL WAVE
Unhappiness with the Obama government should drive the 2010 elections in a similar manner that opposition to President Bush swept in Democrats in 2008. “There’s a tea party tidal wave coming,” the candidate stated. Paul, though, must overcome four Republican challengers including a formidable one ---- Secretary of State Trey Grayson. The power of the incumbent’s office in relationship to elections spurred a short discussion of Florida’s hanging chads, too.
TEST THOSE ON WELFARE FOR DRUGS
During his visit, he opened additional provocative doorways. For instance, he responded , “yes” to a suggestion that welfare recipients be required to undergo drug testing. “It’s not an infringement of rights if you make it part of the contract. You don’t have to take the benefits, but, if you want to, you voluntarily submit to drug testing,” Dr. Paul stated. He compared this to putting in an application for employment at a private corporation. “It’s not an infringement on your civil rights to have drug testing [if you apply for a job at Ashland Oil because] you do not have to apply for a job there.”
He explained if you want government assistance you “should prove you are looking for a job.” Unfortunately, “we have gone the opposite way. I read an article the other day. We are now giving food stamps to single people. Yuppies in Baltimore get organic ice cream on their food stamps,” Paul said.
***
HEALTH CARE: No one asks the cost of Procedures; no competition….
Dr. Paul has a small practice with three employees. So, when he speaks of health insurance he does so from a perspective as a physician and a small businessman.
“There’s going to be pressure for more [government] revenue. Nobody in Kentucky believes, and I don’t believe, [there will be] a trillion dollar health care plan and it won’t add anything to the [national] debt. The Congressional Budget Office said it would be revenue neutral, but they scored it based on assumptions they were forced to use by Congress that there would be $500 million in savings from Medicare.”
Those statistics have fatal flaws. Seemingly stirring déjà vu from (for instance) Huntington’s retiree insurance crisis, Paul told why the federal program is “short of money” and “every year cuts doctor’s fees: There used to be seven workers for one retiree, now there are one worker for one retiree.“
HNN: How would you deal with the uninsured, or the ‘patchwork’ system of going to the ER for routine medical treatment, when you are uninsured?
PAUL: A third of the 46 million uninsured are eligible for Medicaid, but they do not bother to get it because it’s easier to go to the emergency room. We had a solution for part of the fix. As for providing insurance for those who do not have insurance, we need to encourage [uninsured] young people to buy higher deductable insurance and [open] health savings accounts.
I did health saving accounts for my employees because on every economic level I believe health savings accounts can work. I was at a big muti-speciality clinic and I paid $10,000 for my employees insurance and they paid $2,000. I asked them to come with me [to a small practice] and told them it’s going to be a $1,500 deductable. I gave them a $2,000 raise. I pay all their premiums. They came out $4,000-5,000 ahead. You can get family coverage with a $1,500 deductable in the $4,000 range.
Now, they have more money personally, but they make more decisions, like they ask for generic drugs and they ask the price of things. There’s no price competition. For Medicare patients [A doctor] charges the same as every doctor in the country because he is set by law. Same as me, I charge the same as every ophthalmologist in the country. Every doctor is the same; the agreement with Blue Cross is a $20 co-pay.
NO TRUE MEDICAL MARKETPLACE
HNN: Thus, you charge higher rates to cover those without insurance?
PAUL: Some of it is that. The problem is the consumer (patient) doesn’t care about the price , and the doctor is not concerned either. It’s all prearranged. Interestingly , in my practice, the only people who care about the price are those who do not have insurance or those who have a health savings account. But that’s [only] five percent of what I do. There’s no true marketplace in medicine; consequently, prices rise.
This reform will [not] keep prices down, prices will rise.
BILL HIRES 16,500 IRS AGENTS TO COLLECT INSURANCE PREMIUMS
SPECTATOR: The federal government has proven it cannot run anything effectively. How do we divest ourselves, social security’s broke, Medicaid is broke, Medicare is broke, now we want a health plan.
PAUL: Instead of more government, we need more capitalism. Instead of more federal control, we need more competition. When you increase access [to health care], you increase overall expense. The new bill hires 16,500 IRS agents to collect insurance premiums.
They play games with statistics. They say Medicare has a 2% overhead compared to private insurance at 20%. They do not count the payroll Medicare Tax premiums collected by the IRS in the administration of Medicare.
PHYSICIAN: All physicians have had all Medicare reimbursements suspended as of April 1, 2010. They have cut 21% of reimbursements to doctors and hospitals. Hopefully, they will go back in session and patch it again.
PAUL: If we are going to keep the same system of cuts for hospitals and doctors, let’s throw Congressmen and Senators in there also. They get an automatic cost of living pay increase every year. What you will really get is a shortage of family doctors . A popular family doctor will quit seeing Medicare patients because private insurance patients pay more.
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Paul Echoes Many of His Dad’s Beliefs
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Ashland, KY (HNN) – Too, often, a candidate for office tells would be constituents about finding federal dollars to solve local problems, problems compounded by numerous other unfunded federal mandates that constrict individual freedoms.
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Like his dad, he stands strongly on a conservative interpretation of the Constitution. He would return power(s) to local and state entities, where elected officials have a greater chance of understanding regional issues and interacting with constituents.
Rand Paul’s bus pulled in Tuesday morning for a grassroots meet and greet at Tim Horton’s on Winchester Avenue in Ashland. No bells, no whistles, no speeches. He answered questions from the public and the press with astute knowledge and composure. Nor did he have literature proclaiming his Republican ‘super star’ endorsements; they range from Steve Forbes to former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Other endorsements have come from Concerned Women for America (CWA), Republican Liberty Caucus, Gun Owners of America and Freedom Works.
TEA PARTY TIDAL WAVE
Unhappiness with the Obama government should drive the 2010 elections in a similar manner that opposition to President Bush swept in Democrats in 2008. “There’s a tea party tidal wave coming,” the candidate stated. Paul, though, must overcome four Republican challengers including a formidable one ---- Secretary of State Trey Grayson. The power of the incumbent’s office in relationship to elections spurred a short discussion of Florida’s hanging chads, too.
TEST THOSE ON WELFARE FOR DRUGS
During his visit, he opened additional provocative doorways. For instance, he responded , “yes” to a suggestion that welfare recipients be required to undergo drug testing. “It’s not an infringement of rights if you make it part of the contract. You don’t have to take the benefits, but, if you want to, you voluntarily submit to drug testing,” Dr. Paul stated. He compared this to putting in an application for employment at a private corporation. “It’s not an infringement on your civil rights to have drug testing [if you apply for a job at Ashland Oil because] you do not have to apply for a job there.”
He explained if you want government assistance you “should prove you are looking for a job.” Unfortunately, “we have gone the opposite way. I read an article the other day. We are now giving food stamps to single people. Yuppies in Baltimore get organic ice cream on their food stamps,” Paul said.
***
HEALTH CARE: No one asks the cost of Procedures; no competition….
Dr. Paul has a small practice with three employees. So, when he speaks of health insurance he does so from a perspective as a physician and a small businessman.
“There’s going to be pressure for more [government] revenue. Nobody in Kentucky believes, and I don’t believe, [there will be] a trillion dollar health care plan and it won’t add anything to the [national] debt. The Congressional Budget Office said it would be revenue neutral, but they scored it based on assumptions they were forced to use by Congress that there would be $500 million in savings from Medicare.”
Those statistics have fatal flaws. Seemingly stirring déjà vu from (for instance) Huntington’s retiree insurance crisis, Paul told why the federal program is “short of money” and “every year cuts doctor’s fees: There used to be seven workers for one retiree, now there are one worker for one retiree.“
HNN: How would you deal with the uninsured, or the ‘patchwork’ system of going to the ER for routine medical treatment, when you are uninsured?
PAUL: A third of the 46 million uninsured are eligible for Medicaid, but they do not bother to get it because it’s easier to go to the emergency room. We had a solution for part of the fix. As for providing insurance for those who do not have insurance, we need to encourage [uninsured] young people to buy higher deductable insurance and [open] health savings accounts.
I did health saving accounts for my employees because on every economic level I believe health savings accounts can work. I was at a big muti-speciality clinic and I paid $10,000 for my employees insurance and they paid $2,000. I asked them to come with me [to a small practice] and told them it’s going to be a $1,500 deductable. I gave them a $2,000 raise. I pay all their premiums. They came out $4,000-5,000 ahead. You can get family coverage with a $1,500 deductable in the $4,000 range.
Now, they have more money personally, but they make more decisions, like they ask for generic drugs and they ask the price of things. There’s no price competition. For Medicare patients [A doctor] charges the same as every doctor in the country because he is set by law. Same as me, I charge the same as every ophthalmologist in the country. Every doctor is the same; the agreement with Blue Cross is a $20 co-pay.
NO TRUE MEDICAL MARKETPLACE
HNN: Thus, you charge higher rates to cover those without insurance?
PAUL: Some of it is that. The problem is the consumer (patient) doesn’t care about the price , and the doctor is not concerned either. It’s all prearranged. Interestingly , in my practice, the only people who care about the price are those who do not have insurance or those who have a health savings account. But that’s [only] five percent of what I do. There’s no true marketplace in medicine; consequently, prices rise.
This reform will [not] keep prices down, prices will rise.
BILL HIRES 16,500 IRS AGENTS TO COLLECT INSURANCE PREMIUMS
SPECTATOR: The federal government has proven it cannot run anything effectively. How do we divest ourselves, social security’s broke, Medicaid is broke, Medicare is broke, now we want a health plan.
PAUL: Instead of more government, we need more capitalism. Instead of more federal control, we need more competition. When you increase access [to health care], you increase overall expense. The new bill hires 16,500 IRS agents to collect insurance premiums.
They play games with statistics. They say Medicare has a 2% overhead compared to private insurance at 20%. They do not count the payroll Medicare Tax premiums collected by the IRS in the administration of Medicare.
PHYSICIAN: All physicians have had all Medicare reimbursements suspended as of April 1, 2010. They have cut 21% of reimbursements to doctors and hospitals. Hopefully, they will go back in session and patch it again.
PAUL: If we are going to keep the same system of cuts for hospitals and doctors, let’s throw Congressmen and Senators in there also. They get an automatic cost of living pay increase every year. What you will really get is a shortage of family doctors . A popular family doctor will quit seeing Medicare patients because private insurance patients pay more.
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
