That's right, we should thank the Governor... the one who re-directed the tobacco settlement money in question... what was his name again?

GKnight, his name is Tom Corbett. It couldn't possibly be Ed Rendell, because, you know, he's a Democrat. Therefore he is a god.

Common fellas, Ed Rendell was righteous. He saw the light. He gave it to a more worty cause like the teachers union pension fund to the tune of $121 million.

Yes, by all means, let's ignore the fact that Rendell is the one who stole the money away from AdultBasic, leaving it unfunded. We'll give him a free pass on running this state & just about every program into the ground for 8 years. Instead, let's blame Corbett for not having $4 Billion dollars or a magic wand to fix everything Rendell ruined.

What he should do instead is keep tobacco settlement dollars with health care as directed by law (see "Misusing Money: Tobacco Funds Should Go to Health Care," May 23 Perspectives); scrap the rightly criticized Liberty Loan Fund idea, which takes health care dollars and uses them to set up a new pot of "walking around money" for business; and make restoring adultBasic a priority.

So let's see if I have this right. Rendell diverting the tobacco settlement money was bad, but Corbett doing it is good.

Add to that - that the "paltry" $200 million or so that could be collected from a tax on Marcellus Shale - is considered by some on here as not enough to make that big of a difference in our state budget. So why bother enacting it at all when it could be used for something as unimportant as adultBasic.

Nope, I am not in favor of diverting the $220 million of the Tobacco Settlement Money towards the $2 Billion Liberty loan Fund. However, that has not yet occurred, as the budget has not yet been passed. And, the current situation we find ourselves in with regards to AdultBasic is the handiwork of the Rendell administration. Let Corbett face the music on his budget, once we see what actually comes down. If he "re-directs" tobacco money, I will be the first to slam him.

Sally - Not so fast, Gknight makes a salient point that is lost between the tobacco settlement fund and funding of Adultbasic. In case you didn't know, we are still in last years budget. Ed Rendell was quick to give away $1 billion during the holiday season, like to the Port Authority none the less. Likewise, I will be the second (after Gknight) to slam him. What angers me is the state legislature sitting on the sidelines to let this happen.

Add to that - that the "paltry" $200 million or so that could be collected from a tax on Marcellus Shale - is considered by some on here as not enough to make that big of a difference in our state budget.

$200 million < $4 billion

Got it.

$200 million < $4 billion

Got it.

Where did I say the $200 million would solve the state's budget deficit? Got it?

But what cash strapped state would reject the chance to enhance its revenue by $200 million particularly if those providing the revenue are not opposed to it?

Only a Norquist contract signing con like Corbett.

To recover what's not absorbed by governments, providers and health systems are forced to raise the cost of services charged to insurance companies, which then pass on those costs to policyholders through higher premiums (a "hidden health care tax"). Families USA estimates this "hidden health care tax" to be $1,017 per year for a family plan.

I love how all the lefties here are excoriating Corbett (despite the fact they're blaming the wrong Governor) while completely ignoring the fact that we ALL pay for this care, both through our taxes & through higher premiums.

Interestingly enough, this is the EXACT problem created by Medicare which has caused healthcare costs to increase exponentially over the last 2 decades. Yet what do our leaders propose as a solution? A terrible plan whereby we will increase gov't coverage & shortchanging providers, which means taxpayers will pay more & we'll all pay higher premiums.

The new healthcare law is only going to exacerbate the problems of the flawed Medicare system. It will be interesting to see if anyone bothers to acknowledge the reality of the situation or if the usual suspects continue to ignore it, only presenting it selectively in the context of blaming Corbett.

So why bother enacting it at all when it could be used for something as unimportant as adultBasic.

Where did I say the $200 million would solve the state's budget deficit? Got it?

Never said that. As usual, a lib taking everything out of context and making stuff up, which is why you don't have allot of credibility here.

BTW, had to do a little math check there for ya. Just checkin' if you understood the problem. PghGirl412 understood it.

Liquidate those investments yet?

Liquidate those investments yet?

Yep, sent it to moveon.org, MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, and Ed Schultz.

$200 million < $4 billion

Got it.

Where did I say the $200 million would solve the state's budget deficit? Got it?

Never said that. As usual, a lib taking everything out of context and making stuff up, which is why you don't have allot of credibility here

Yeah, we ALL "got it" that $200 million is less than the $4 billion state deficit. So, if your point wasn't that it wasn't enough to solve the state's deficit then what was your point?

Don't blame me when your posts are obtuse. They make you seem confused.

To recover what's not absorbed by governments, providers and health systems are forced to raise the cost of services charged to insurance companies, which then pass on those costs to policyholders through higher premiums.

I do find it amazing that this argument is only used by the left when you talk about health care.
Here is the path the uncompensated money follows:
providers raise costs -> insurers raise premiums -> consumer pays more

Yet they deny this exact same principal, model and fact when it is applied to corporate and company taxes.
taxes increase -> company raises prices -> consumer pays more

What do both uncompensated costs in health care and higher taxes do to a company's bottom line? It decreases their profit margin and they will ALWAYS find a way to prevent a loss of profit margin by passing that difference onto the consumer.

The left denies that the higher taxes on companies will be passed onto the consumer via higher prices. You can't have it both ways and only accept the model when it benefits your policies and agenda.

Funny...

Republicans say:

Corbett's dealing with an economic problem that Rendell created.

Meanwhile, Democrats say:

Obama's dealing with an economic problem that Bush created.

Who's going to be the first one to own up to this hypocrisy?

Funny !!!!!!

Corbett's actually doing something about fixing Rendell's problems.

Obama actually is exacerbating the problems from Bush.

Corbett's actually doing something about fixing Rendell's problems.

Obama actually is exacerbating the problems from Bush.

So true, Obama is on his 3rd budget now and that is certainly sufficient time to make at least a dent in the problems that were passed on from Bush but that hasn't really happened yet.

While Corbett just submitted his 1st budget.

...
written by Ironman, June 24, 2011 - 09:51 AM

Funny !!!!!!

Corbett's actually doing something about fixing Rendell's problems.

Obama actually is exacerbating the problems from Bush

Just another republican right wing lie that those who repeat it ad infinitum, ad nauseum think makes it true. Yawn.

The stock market went from 6000 to 12,000 points since Pres. Obama took office.

Wall Street profits are back to 2007 levels.

Went from 750,000 job loses per month when he took office to 15 months of positive job growth.

Stimulus kept the economy from going into full blown depression and saved or created jobs.

Saved the auto industry (despite howls from republicans that it wouldn't work). This translated into saved jobs.

Oil production is up 11% since he took office.

$175.6 billion of goods were exported in April, up 1.3% from March and is the most ever exported.

This all contrasts sharply to the decade of decline under the failed policies of the bush administration where he went to war (one a war of choice) at the same time he gave two tax cuts (both unfunded and both adding big time to the debt) and expanded government (Homeland Security)and added a big, expensive entitlement program (also unfunded) with Medicare part D.

Oh, and those tax cuts that were supposed to create jobs - unemployment went from 4% to 8.1% under bush.

We are still trying to clean up bush's mess and the public polls show that Americans realize this (I mean informed Americans) that this is the mess Pres. Obama inherited.

So I just have to laugh at the the lies you cons continue to perpetuate. Not an ounce of credibility.

pghgirl wrote, "Interestingly enough, this is the EXACT problem created by Medicare which has caused healthcare costs to increase exponentially over the last 2 decades."
Now, this is simply not true. You have written this before, and I corrected you. Medicare, is one of the most efficient parts of our healthcare system. It uses over 95 cents of every dollar towards actual healthcare. The private for profit Insurance Companies, can only muster 67 cents of the healthcare dollar for actual use. The rest, is "administration" fees. And since the for profit sector is the biggest part of the costs, it is also the biggest waste of money. So get off your talking point, it is wrong.

Now, this is simply not true.

Yes, it is. You only focus on how efficient Medicare is (or how efficient you believe it to be). It has nothing to do with how Medicare runs, but rather how they pay providers. And the bottom line is they DON'T reimburse providers enough to cover the cost of treatment.

Providers lose money so some can't treat Medicare patients. Others continue to treat them but can only do so by adding the unpaid portion of Medicare recipients' treatment to the cost of providing care to other patients.

In other words, even though I'm not on Medicare, I'm paying for it in multiple ways -- once through taxes & then a second time when I pay my insurance premiums deductible or co-pay & also when I pay any uncovered or unreimbursed medical expenses (for instance, if you don't have vision coverage but you go to an optometrist who treats Medicare patients, you will pay more because that doctor is forced to raise prices on everyone else to cover their LOSSES for accepting Medicare).

You can deny it all you want but it's reality. The reason our healthcare costs so much is because Medicare doesn't reimburse enough to cover provider costs. Period. AZrgue until you are blue in the face but you will still be 100% wrong on this.

Geez, underpaying is standard procedure, Doctors know exactly what Medicare pays, but private for profit insurance companies are who you are talking about. it is standard prcedure dear, in advantage plans as well as standard policies. BUt it is NOT Medicare you're talking aabout.

Well Erin you sure hit the nail on the head. Now I can speak about this personally since I am one of the 42,000 people tossed off adultBasic. Governor Corbett who says what Governor Rendell did was wrong when Rendell dipped into the Tobacco Settlement Fund, and you know I agree with Corbett. But wasn't Governor Corbett, the Pennsylvania Attorney General when Governor Rendell went a dipping in the Tobacco Fund?

Now I think neither of these guys should have touched this money. Auditor General Jack Wagner is totally correct when he said this money should be used for the specific items the LEGISLATURE set out in LAWS in place.

When I heard Governor Corbett shut down adultBasic so he could swipe $220 million to fund the Liberty Loan Fund I was astounded! Isn't the financial market awash with cash? Aren't interest rates like ZERO right now? And if these businesses can't get loans, you have to ask why? Are they RISKY LOANS? Or are they just sweetheart loans to Corbett's buddies?

Now for me, I have a policy that Corbett "negotiated" for "me" to even get accepted. Something called SPECIAL CARE. You get 4 doctors visits and limitations that prevents you from attending to potential health risks.

So WE have go without care, skip care, or maybe delay care. This will just make a small health issue grow worse. Then when it blows up into some large then we show up in emergency rooms and drive the cost up!

I tried to buy a policy YEARS ago very similar to adultBasic called Keystone Blue HMO, I was denied just because I take Coumadin. I was denied for Complete Care as well for the same reason.

If you take ONE pill in this country you will find yourself UNINSURABLE!

I was hoping I would be able to have good health insurance until 2014 when the Affordable Care Act will allow me to actually BUY a health insurance policy in those exchanges.

But Corbett wants to kill the Affordable Care Act, his Republicans in Congress want to END Medicare, and he wants to fund RISKY loans to business in the Liberty Loan Fund with money that is mandated by law to go to health care!

I guess when you're Governor laws passed in Harrisburg can be ignored! That's what Corbett is doing!