Wisconsin: Republican's midnight shenanigans fuck over cancer patients
These bastards are the devil incarnate ...
http://www.bluecheddar.net/?p=38564
“Poison pill” amendment added to WI cancer treatment parity bill
An amendment written by Rep. Pat Strachota was added to the cancer treatment parity bill SB300 last night after midnight in the Wisconsin Assembly.
The amendment was added to SB300 despite the fact that 28 state senators out of 30 very recently passed the bill with no amendment and that a bipartisan majority of at least 66 of the 99 Wisconsin Assembly members were signifying support for what members called “The Clean Bill”.
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Peter Barca directed an emotional and pleading speech to his GOP colleagues after listing the names of the cancer survivors who testified at a SB300 public hearing, saying, “I would get down on my hands and knees and plead with you if I thought it would make a difference”.
After the amendment was adopted with a 54 to 40 vote, Robin Vos gave a long speech about how he honors family members at a cancer “Hope Walk”. He said many people on his side are “philosophically opposed to mandates on insurance policies” regardless of the discussion because they think more options leads to cheaper prices and he called Strachota’s amendment changes “reasonable”.
and more ....
http://uppitywis.org/blogarticle/wisconsin-republican-political-strategy-we-were-against-being-it
Wisconsin Republican political strategy: We were against being for it, before we were for being against it
But public outcry -- led by blistering newspaper stories detailing what was not about to happen -- makes them reconsider. Fitzgerald suddenly, at the last minute, schedules the measure and it passes the Senate easily. Fitzgerald, whom a day or two earlier was talking all about how the bill was unnecessary because "Obamacare" covered the problem (yes, the hated Obamacare that in the nominal GOP mindset doesn't solve any problems, except when it's convenient to claim that it does), even did a complete 180 and voted in favor. Despite the fact that his brother Jeff, a former Assembly leader and now lobbyist, apparently was pushing to dump the bill on behalf of insurers.
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And Vos came around -- although not really. Yesterday, in a past-midnight move, he moved the bill to the floor and it passed, but in significantly altered form. Thus it would have to return to the Senate for further consideration. But of course as it turns out that will be very hard, since the Senate is wrapping up its session by the end of the month and the schedule is just so very, very packed. This from Republicans who can move complicated tax legislation through both houses in under a week, when they want the measure, there's little public criticism and they feel like it.
With their gyrations on the chemotherapy bill they nice-sounding headlines about passage and stuff. And yet no bill! And Walker can always claim he'd have signed it if it came to his desk, which everyone in GOP leadership is still working hard to make sure won't become necessary.
Hey, Repubs, nifty little ju jitsu moves, there. The bill will still die, but you can claim you supported it and voted for it. After, of course, you didn't support it, and really never did support it, and still don't support it. But if the firestorm of public criticism continues, you can still pass a watered down version that will lead to cancer patients unnecessarily dying for lack of sufficient medication, and still try to claim you're all about quality health care in Wisconsin.
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