My new hobby: Reading the healthcare bill

[ConstipatedVigilante]

There is an awful lot of talk about the Health Care bill, formally known as "Affordable Health Care for America Act (or HR 3962)", and informally known as "Obamacare." There is a lot of conjecture about what's in the bill, and Nancy Pelosi actually said that "We have to pass the bill so you can see what's in it."

I've decided to make it a small (and yes, incredibly mundane) hobby of mine to look through the bill and find out what it actually addresses, specifically the more ridiculous regulations and earmarks. As I have only just started, here are some rather interesting things that I have found thus far:

1
Section 1901: SEC. 1901. REPEAL OF TRIGGER PROVISION.
Subtitle A of title VIII of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–173) is repealed and the provisions of law amended by such subtitle are restored as if such subtitle had never been enacted.

For your convenience, the mentioned section of Public Law 108-173:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi...=108_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ173.108.pdf

Essentially, this states that Congress is no longer required to keep track of whether Medicare is going over-budget or is in-line with current economic trends (e.g., GDP, health-care expenditures).

2
SEC. 241. HEALTH CHOICES ADMINISTRATION; HEALTH
16 CHOICES COMMISSIONER.
17 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is hereby established, as an
18 independent agency in the executive branch of the Govern19
ment, a Health Choices Administration (in this division
20 referred to as the ‘‘Administration’&#8217.
21 (b) COMMISSIONER.—
22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall be
23 headed by a Health Choices Commissioner (in this
24 division referred to as the ‘‘Commissioner’&#8217 who1 shall be appointed by the President, by and with the
2 advice and consent of the Senate.
3 (2) COMPENSATION; ETC.—The provisions of
4 paragraphs (2), (5), and (7) of subsection (a) (relat5
ing to compensation, terms, general powers, rule6
making, and delegation) of section 702 of the Social
7 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 902) shall apply to the
8 Commissioner and the Administration in the same
9 manner as such provisions apply to the Commis10
sioner of Social Security and the Social Security Ad11
ministration.

I took the liberty of looking up the provision of the Social Security act (42 U.S.C. 902) that corresponds to compensation:
(2) The Commissioner shall be compensated at the rate provided
for level I of the Executive Schedule.

From Wikipedia: Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level I is $199,700.

So, this bill creates a new branch in the Executive branch to regulate this law, which is paid as well as the Social Security Administration.


Edit: Just FYI, the reason there are so many numbers in the law code are because the line numbers corresponding to the section are noted.

 

[CycloWizard]

These are just easily verifiable facts, so don't expect many responses. Most posters in this forum are only interested in discussing things when there are no facts available to contradict them.

I'm always appalled that unelected officials who are rubber-stamped into office get huge salaries with no oversight. How many friends of politicians have such positions in the executive branch of the federal government now, I wonder? We're going to pay someone $200k/year to run meetings of a commission of similarly-paid people with arbitrary powers not given in the constitution. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[MotF Bane]

Trying to cure insomnia?

 

[PeshakJang]

Who actually writes these things? All these Democrats said they are too busy to read such a big bill, so they have staffers read it... WHO actually writes it?

 

[OutHouse]

Who actually writes these things? All these Democrats said they are too busy to read such a big bill, so they have staffers read it... WHO actually writes it?

i have wondered that myself. ***POOF*** 2,000 page bill just magically appears on the house floor.

I want to know as well. how much time does it take to write such a bill and who did it.

 

[Trianon]

Trying to cure insomnia?

More likely constipation

 

[QuantumPion]

I believe a majority of the health care bill was written by the Tides foundation, a liberal lobby group funded by George Soros.

 

[manimal]

I believe a majority of the health care bill was written by the Tides foundation, a liberal lobby group funded by George Soros.

what facts to you have that warrant this?