Family Drug Court Receives Grant

It is a program designed to bring drug-addicted parents back together with their children after treatment. And it got a major boost in funding after having to scrape from wherever it could. Butler County's Family Drug Court received a 2.5 million dollar federal grant which will be split out ($500,000/year) over five years.

The Enquirer has more...

Since June 2006, existing staff from various agencies have carved out time to serve on a “treatment team” that coordinates drug treatment, counseling, parenting classes and weekly court visits – much more intensive work than on other cases. “The goal is to reunify the children with their parents who are sober and clean,” said Ron Craft, the court’s judge.

About a dozen parents of 23 total children are enrolled. Because of the new funding, the program might be able to double the number of people served, Craft said.

“This is major,” Butler County Commissioner Chuck Furmon said Thursday. “Two-and-a-half million dollars is really going to make this program go.”

It is a good progam doing good things.

Boehner: SCHIP Proposal Expands Government-Run Health Care, Includes Hidden Earmarks & Aids lllegal Immigrants

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today made clear his strong opposition to legislation to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), saying the program should focus on the needs of low-income children, not adults or upper-income children who already have private sector health care.

In classic “Washington-style math,” the bill could classify 1,516 Ohio as rich and poor at the same time. According to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation, 1,516 families could pay the Alternative Minimum Tax – intended to prevent the very rich from skipping out on paying taxes – and qualify at the same time for SCHIP – intended to provide healthcare to children of low-income families.

Boehner issued the following statement regarding the SCHIP proposal:

“Republicans support renewing SCHIP to help states provide health care to low-income children, which is exactly why we’re opposing this disappointing bill today. Using this critical program to provide government benefits to adults, illegal immigrants, and upper-income families who can afford private health insurance is bad policy. Federal funds targeted for low-income children should benefit low-income children. Period.

“Republicans created this program in 1997 for exactly this purpose – as a means to help children in low-income families – not as a first step towards a massive expansion of government-run health care for all Americans. The children this program is intended to serve deserve better, as do American taxpayers. Unfortunately, this bill also includes hidden earmarks and opens the door for illegal immigrants to enjoy taxpayer-funded health benefits.

“Throughout this process, some lawmakers have sought to ensure a presidential veto rather than avoid it, putting politics first instead of focusing on the needs of low-income children. Having ignored repeated calls from House Republicans to work together on commonsense solutions for America ’s neediest children, the majority has now produced a fatally-flawed bill that deserves to be vetoed. With only five days until the program’s September 30th expiration date, I’m hopeful we can put politics aside and focus on the 6.6 million low-income children who need quality health insurance. Republicans remain committed to renewing SCHIP and providing low-income children with the health care they need.”

There are anywhere from 236,000 to 245,000 children in Ohio who currently have no health coverage. But nearly 165,000 of those childrens’ parents have not signed them up for the program, despite the benefits it would provide. What’s more, studies and surveys repeatedly have shown that opening up eligibility to government-funded programs like SCHIP leads to a decline in those who participate in private insurance despite preferring private health insurance.

NOTE: Republicans have repeatedly called for House Democrats to work together on bipartisan solutions that focus on helping low-income children obtain quality health care benefits. As recently as September 19th, Leader Boehner and Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) requesting that she back an 18-month extension of the SCHIP program sponsored by Energy & Commerce Ranking Republican Joe Barton (R-TX). The extension would give both Republicans and Democrats ample time to reauthorize the program in a more responsible fashion and in the same bipartisan spirit that marked the creation of the program in 1997.

House-Passed Medicare Bill Would Cut Additional Billions in Funding for Home Oxygen Beneficiaries; Ohio's Seniors to Face Significant Medicare Cuts

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ohio will be severely impacted by provisions in the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 (CHAMP), legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on August 1, 2007 that will cut additional billions in funding for Medicare beneficiaries on home oxygen therapy and directly impact 21,500 of the state's senior citizens who receive this critical therapy in their homes. If enacted into law, the bill will cut almost $2 billion in Medicare funding for home oxygen therapy over the next 5 years -- $81.2 million in Ohio alone.

The House-endorsed bill will cap Medicare funding at 18-months for home oxygen therapy, a benefit on which more than one million Americans nationwide rely. Nationally, nearly half of the more than 1 million seniors who rely on this benefit will be affected by these cuts.

The Council for Quality Respiratory Care, a coalition of the nation's leading home oxygen providers and manufacturers, strongly opposes any further cuts to Medicare funding for home oxygen therapy. Peter Kelly, Chairman of the Council and CEO of Pacific Pulmonary Services, Inc., urged congressional leadership to eliminate these Medicare cuts from final legislation when the House and Senate meet to reconcile their respective bills. According to Kelly, "Congress has already made sweeping changes to the home oxygen benefit as part of both the Medicare Modernization Act and the Deficit Reduction Act, changes that take effect in 2008 and 2009 and that will cut Medicare home oxygen funding by 19 percent. We are deeply concerned that further Medicare cuts at this time would deal a destabilizing blow to the home oxygen therapy benefit and the Medicare beneficiaries who are dependent upon it for their care."

Recent research shows that "access to services such as home oxygen...can decrease the need for hospitalization" of Medicare patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bacterial pneumonia. The study, conducted by researchers at the Center for Studying Health System Change and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, was published in the June edition of the journal Medical Care.

A state-by-state breakdown of the Medicare cuts concludes that Florida, Texas, California, Ohio and Michigan, states with the largest number of home oxygen beneficiaries, will feel the greatest impact of the proposed cuts. The CQRC data is based upon recent analysis of the Congressional Budget Office's scoring of Medicare spending reductions from the 18-month rental cap.

The Council for Quality Respiratory Care is a group of the nation's leading home oxygen therapy providers and manufacturers, representing a majority of the more than one million Medicare patients who depend on the home oxygen benefit for their care in order to live in an independent environment. The Council was formed to work closely with policymakers and their staffs to facilitate a deeper understanding of the clinical, operational, and service- related complexities associated with the provision of this life-enhancing benefit.

Boehner: 20 Simple Reasons to Oppose the Democrats' SCHIP Bill

From some $193 billion in Medicare cuts to new tax hikes on working families, from new benefits for illegal immigrants to its new ‘Hillary-Care’ plan for government-run health care, there is a lot to oppose in the Democrats upcoming bill to dramatically expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Republicans support renewing SCHIP to aid children in low-income families, but all the Democrats delivered with this bill is a poorly-crafted, partisan proposal that works against seniors, working families, and taxpayers.

Following are the Top 20 Most Egregious SCHIP provisions that House Democrats won’t tell you about:

Massive ‘Hillary-Care’ at Taxpayer’s Expense. The Democrats’ bill would help achieve their longtime goal of bureaucratic government-run health care.

3.2 million Seniors in 22 States will lose Medicare Advantage benefits.

Cuts Medicare Advantage for Seniors by $157 billion, resulting in higher co-pays, a loss in specific health care benefits, less quality and choice of programs, and fewer choices among doctors.

Cuts Medicare Part A for Seniors by $8.8 billion, including rehabilitation facilities, and long term care hospitals.

Includes Medicare Cuts of $6.5 billion to skilled nursing facilities.

Cuts Medicare Part B for Seniors by $9.6 billion, including payments for oxygen and brachytherapy.

Includes Medicare Cuts of $3.6 billion to the end-stage renal disease program for seniors.

Includes Medicare Cuts of $7.5 billion to home health and more cuts to end-stage renal programs.

Provides Benefits for Illegal Immigrants. Opens the door for SCHIP and Medicaid benefits for illegal immigrants by eliminating the requirement that persons applying for such services show proof of citizenship or nationality.

Removes Legal Immigrant Waiting Period for Benefits. The Democrats’ bill eliminates the current five-year waiting period required for legal immigrants to receive government health benefits.

Includes Stealth Tax Increase on Private Health Care Plans. The Democrats’ bill includes a stealth tax increase that will drain money from the Medicare trust fund and increase taxes on every American with a health insurance plan.

Dramatically Increases Tobacco Taxes. The Democrats’ bill hikes the cigarette tax by 45 cents per pack, once again proving that Democrats are harming low-income families they claim to want to help.

Expands Massive Entitlement With No Regular Scrutiny. The Democrats’ bill creates a permanent entitlement program without requiring Congress to review the program on a regular basis, thus encouraging irresponsible spending with no checks and balances.

Eliminates Income Eligibility Restrictions for SCHIP. The Democrats’ bill allows anyone to be eligible for free health care through a program that was intended to serve low-income children.

Shifts 2.1 Million Kids with Private Health Care to Government-Run Hillary-Care. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Democrats’ bill would shift some 2.1 million children who are currently in private health care plans to government-run health care.

Guts Key Fiscal Responsibility Measure to Keep Medicare Spending in Check. The Democrats’ bill repeals the requirement in the Medicare prescription drug law requiring Congress to consider reforms to control runaway spending.

Allows 25-Year-Old “Children” to Receive SCHIP Benefits. A “child” can be 25 years old under this children’s health insurance program.

Allows States Access to Unlimited Waivers to Enroll Adults. This bill does nothing to rein in the numbers of waivers given to states allowing them to enroll hundreds of thousands of childless adults, who are simply taking away limited resources from low-income, uninsured children.

Restricts Beneficiaries’ Access to Wheelchairs. Under the Democrats’ bill, seniors will be unable to purchase a wheelchair for the first month after they are prescribed one.

Allows Planned Parenthood to Determine Eligibility for Medicaid. The Democrats’ bill allows pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood to determine eligibility for Medicaid services and provide Medicaid services.

Why would anyone, Republican or Democrat, vote for this bill?

Rep. Combs Wants Salvia Classified as a Controlled Substance

Salvia is sometimes called the legal LSD and it causes some pretty intense hallucinations as evidenced by a number of videos on YouTube.

State Rep. Courtney Combs (R-Fairfield) wants to see the drug classified as a controlled substance in Ohio.

"I don't understand why people want to do that, why do you want to feel that way, why do you want to be out of control."

That is why he, like many other politicians in Columbus, is putting his name on the bill. Six other states have already banned the use of salvia.

WKRC has more here.

State Sen. Gary Cates (West Chester) Wants a Smoking Ban Exemption for Cigar Bars

State Senator Gary Cates of West Chester has SB No. 195 on the table asking for an exemption to the smoking ban to "allow smoking in cigar bars and in outdoor seating areas of restaurants that are at least 20 feet away from an entrance, exit, or window of the restaurant."

It looks to be a rather reasonable compromise. The Cincinnati Enquirer had an article about Anthony's Cigar Bar and how this legislation might save that business from going under.

WCPO calls the exemption "unlikely" in the headline, but offers no evidence in the actual article. The piece ends with this:

Both Cates as well as Varacalli say they receive plenty of positive feedback on their attempt for an exemption.

They claim it comes from both smokers and non-smokers alike.

Some people feel the issue goes beyond smoking, to an issue of civil liberties, especially at an establishment which patrons know features tobacco, even before they walk through the doors.

While I am not a smoker, I do view this ban as a violation of your right to choose how to live your life. The nanny-state has plenty of adherents though, and it will be interesting to see how this legislation fares. At least we'll get a real debate...

Butler County Offers Basic Health Care Coverage

Butler County Commissioner Greg Jolivette says he feels like a proud father seeing this program finally come to fruition as the county offers basic health insurance to those making less than $30,000.

WCPO reports:

HealthShare Select is meant to cover people who are working and haven't had any health insurance for at least six months.

Employers don't have to make any contributions to the health plan, except for being willing to set up a payroll deduction for their employees.

For payments of $76 a month for individuals and $187 a month for families, it would offer basic health insurance that would cover routine medical costs like doctor and emergency room visits. All with little or no money to pay out of pocket.

When someone covered by the plan goes to the doctor and is charged more than $55, the patient is expected to pick up the slack. The whole goal is to reduce the number of uninsured patients at area emergency rooms and doctor's offices.

The plan was designed to pay for itself using no taxpayer dollars and will be managed by Horan Associates. Employers are also not required to contribute.

If no subsidies are required, I'm excited about the service; but if this program ultimately becomes yet another government handout, I will not be pleased. I have yet to see where exactly the funds are coming from...I assume that the plan's fee is expected to foot the bill.

WLWT covers what isn't covered:

The program, which goes into effect Sept. 1, covers only basic medical care, such as doctor’s visits and checkups.

Major medical emergencies are not covered under the plan, which is available to workers who earn less than $30,000, even those who have pre-existing medical conditions.

It looks like an interesting program...and no, I don't qualify...

UPDATE: The Enquirer picks up the story and has this quote in it:

"If a doctor's visit costs $75 and the plan's limit is $55, we'd like the doctor to agree not to bill the patient for the remaining $20," Jolivette said.

Uhh...why not? Isn't the doctor entitled to that money? It is what the cost of the visit actually is...

It is precisely this sort of back-door negotiating that is causing inflated prices in the first place... And if the doctor would agree to this, why isn't his cost $55 to everybody?