Kelly

Nay

Aye

Aye

Aye

Present

Aye

Aye

Aye

Aye

On 7/13/2021 at 9:47 PM, SeattleConservative said:

The truest Texan on the site.

I posted my thing about being a Republican in the wrong thread so I owe Seattle a compliment. Sorry to be late. He’s super funny in Discord and I love the Rowe/Roe antics. 
 

6 hours ago, Jack said:

A closeted Republican who's great at playing on both sides of the aisle. Good negotiator and great at choosing the best bills.

Jack is our fearless leader on team red and he’s been a great mentor for me. 

Hal Rogers. 

That’s the plan. 

I’m registered Republican. I’ve prolly voted for more Democrats than Republicans though since 2016 was the second election/first presidential election where I could vote. 

Nay

Nay

Aye

So the top Democrat priorities this session are Socialized medicine, gun control, and reparations?! It’s no wonder they lost the Senate with an agenda like that. 

Mister President,

If the member from California would like to grandstand about how much she dislikes the NRA, that’s what her press office and morning business are for. I’d be happy to listen the the gentle lady talk about gun control in either of those forums. But in the middle of a debate about national security and fighting ISIS is not the time or the place. Eradicating radical Islamic terrorism is an urgent matter and it saddens me to see members of the minority slowing down this legislation to propose new gun control measures. If this is how Democrats would like to use the time for debate, I’ll be voting for cloture. 
 

I yield. 

Aye

Aye

“Weekend out of Washington” #2: Catastrophic Coverage and Healthcare Freedom Act

Senator Kellyjean Howard spent another weekend doing events promoting the Catastrophic Coverage and Healthcare Freedom Act.

On Friday, she met with doctors, nurses, and patients at Woodford Family Physicians in Versailles, KY. The following is an excerpt from her remarks:

“When I heard the Democrats bringing up their line about how Universal Catastrophic Coverage would make colonoscopies and mammograms more expensive, I couldn’t believe my ears. I know better than anyone in the Senate that colonoscopies save lives because I’m only here today because I got an early cancer diagnosis from a routine colonoscopy. There’s no way in hell I’d ever endorse a healthcare plan that makes it harder to get cancer screenings. That’s why the Medical Affordability commission is so important. It allows for negotiations to reduce the costs of medical devices like scopes, making colonoscopies cheaper. We also get rid of the medical device tax, which was a part of Stormcare that directly targeted patients who require medical equipment. Under our plan, the costs of preventative medicine will go down

Unfortunately, healthcare isn’t just preventative medicine. Sometimes, that colonoscopy or mammogram comes back with bad news. That’s when Universal Catastrophic Coverage really kicks into high gear. We set a cap for how much a patient can pay in medical bills in a year. So if you get bad news like I did and end up needing additional care like chemo and radiation, you can rest easy knowing that you’re protected from medical bills you can’t pay. Under our plan, nobody is forced into bankruptcy by sky high medical bills. So they can just focus on getting well again. 

Thanks for taking the time to hear about how Senate Republicans are fighting for your healthcare. And for the love of God, please don’t skip your regular colonoscopies.”

On Saturday, Senator Howard spoke with Medical Mutual of Ohio employees in the lobby of the Rose Building in Cleveland Ohio. 

“People say that nowadays, Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on anything. But that’s not entirely true. We both agree that StormCare has failed. That’s why both parties proposed legislation to scrap StormCare and reform our healthcare system. 

This week, The Senate will debate two very different Healthcare bills. I’m here today to warn you about one of those bills. The Democrats have proposed what they call the “Healthy Americans Act.” It’s nothing but a direct assault on the millions of Americans who work in healthcare. Their legislation would completely ban all for-profit insurance companies, displacing millions of workers just like you all across the country. I wish I was exaggerating when I tell you that the Democrats have just proposed the biggest job killing legislation in my lifetime. They know that StormCare was a flop. But instead of fixing it, they are doubling down on government overreach and pushing a complete and total takeover of our nation’s healthcare system. I don’t have to tell you how bad that would be for our country. Imagine if the people at the DMV were in charge of making sure everyone could see a doctor when they got sick instead of you fine people. 

Republicans have proposed a better way. We want to save our insurance companies and our healthcare system from the tyranny that Democrats see as the natural progression StormCare. With Universal Catastrophic Coverage, Insurance companies are guaranteed that none of their customers will end up costing them millions in payouts. Because the government is taking on a small portion of the risk from your customers. You guys are free to do what you do best—offering Americans a more secure and affordable way to cover their medical costs. Our plan would significantly reduce the red tape that StormCare created around the kinds of plans insurers can provide. It’s a win-win plan and I’m proud to support it.”

Sunday after church, Senator Howard addressed a group of students in the College of Health Professions at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. 

“Working in healthcare is such a noble calling. I know I couldn’t do it. I get squeamish at the sight of blood. So before I start talking about politics, I want to thank you all for your decision to dedicate your careers to helping others. 

While I was in Washington the other day, I got to hear the story of a woman named Jamie. Jamie is in her early thirties and as of two years ago, she was in good health. She got an insurance plan under StormCare because she was forced to. And she paid the premiums that were just higher than she could really afford. Then, Jamie was in a horrible car wreck. She needed several surgeries to fix her broken arms and legs. She’s needed physical therapy to learn to walk again. And she’s needed in home nursing care to help her while she recovered. She thought that with insurance from StormCare, she’d at least be ok financially, but she wasn’t. As the medical bills came in, she quickly found that many of her needs weren’t covered by insurance and that she’d have to pay out of pocket. Since her car wreck, Jamie’s had to declare bankruptcy and forgo some of her physical and occupational therapy simply because she couldn’t pay for it. As future medical professionals, you guys don’t want anything coming between your patients and what’s best for them medically. But under StormCare, all too often, financial concerns complicate decisions that should be purely medical. That’s why Senator Broussard and I are so proud of our Healthcare bill. We are working to make medical bankruptcies a distant memory and to help people like Jamie get the care they need. With Universal Catastrophic Coverage, no American will ever pay more than ten percent of their income in a year. It’ll be impossible to get overwhelmed by medical bills you have no ability to pay back. And your patients can focus on getting better instead of worrying about their bank accounts. 

Thank you all for your dedication to making this country healthier.”

Hal Rogers

Mister President,

I’m really curious why the gentleman from North Carolina believes that taxing land lets the wealthy off the hook. I’m a banker by trade and I’m more the comfortable financially. I’ve met my share of one percenters. And something that they all have in common is that they own land. For some it’s expensive houses. For others, myself included, it’s rental properties. And for others it’s their businesses. Many rich people don’t own corporations and pay corporate taxes. Many of us don’t have salaried jobs paying income tax. Most of America’s wealthiest families make their income off of what they own instead of what they do. The land value tax only taxes landowners. That means it exempts people who don’t own their homes. And those people tend to be the ones who are living hand to mouth. The land value tax is probably one of the most progressive taxes we could levy to make healthcare more affordable. And despite the Democrats attempts to paint it as a handout to the rich, for the millions of American renters, this is a massive tax cut. 
 

I yield. 

Mister President,

This legislation calls for the complete destruction of the health insurance industry. It would eliminate nearly two and a half million American jobs. Therefore,

I move to strike Section 103 in its entirety. 
 

I also move to strike Section 104 in its entirety. 
 

I yield. 

Shelby Collins-nurse:

“Senator, do you support the Healthy Americans Act?“