Walgreens: no new Medicaid patients as of April 16

Walgreens will stop taking new Medicaid patients in Washington state as of April 16, saying it loses money filling their prescriptions.

By Janet I. Tu

Seattle Times staff reporter

Effective April 16, Walgreens drugstores across the state won't take any new Medicaid patients, saying that filling their prescriptions is a money-losing proposition — the latest development in an ongoing dispute over Medicaid reimbursement.

The company, which operates 121 stores in the state, will continue filling Medicaid prescriptions for current patients.

In a news release, Walgreens said its decision to not take new Medicaid patients stemmed from a "continued reduction in reimbursement" under the state's Medicaid program, which reimburses it at less than the break-even point for 95 percent of brand-name medications dispensed to Medicaid patents.

Walgreens follows Bartell Drugs, which stopped taking new Medicaid patients last month at all 57 of its stores in Washington, though it still fills Medicaid prescriptions for existing customers at all but 15 of those stores.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011367936_walgreens18m.html

Via Gateway Pundit:

While defending the 'Louisiana Purchase' in an interview today with Fox News' Bret Baier, he said the money from the 'Louisiana Purchase' will go to help the earthquake in Hawaii.

At the same time Dems are considering hardball tactics to get health care legislation over its final hurdles, Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office is urging members to tout "sunshine" rules that promote government accountability.

Today, the House takes up a measure requiring federal agencies to use simple language in writing official documents; a proposal to ensure e-mails are preserved by federal archivists; and a bill that would require members to use the money left in their annual office accounts to pay down the debt.

The good-government proposals come as GOPers cry foul over Pelosi's suggestion the majority could use so-called "deem and pass" measures to force the Senate health care bill through the House without an actual vote.

http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/03/dems_touting_su.php

President Obama defended a controversial healthcare provision today that opponents say is intended to buy the vote of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).

The so-called "Louisiana purchase" would give extra Medicaid funding to any state in which every county has been declared a disaster area. Louisiana would qualify due to Hurricane Katrina. Hawaii may also qualify due to the recent earthquake.

Obama said today that while the provision has been called a "special deal," it's simply the right thing to do.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/87449-obama-defends-louisiana-purchase

House Democratic leaders on Wednesday night said the long-awaited Congressional Budget Office score of the reconciliation bill will not come out until Thursday, forcing an acknowledgement that a Saturday healthcare vote is likely off the table.

But leaders are still hoping for a score on Thursday, and are still preparing for a possible vote before the end of the weekend.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/87517-no-cbo-score-wednesday-saturday-healthcare-vote-unlikely

Conrad: Parts Of Health Care Fix Might Not Meet Reconciliation Test

Brian Beutler | March 17, 2010, 3:20PM

One of the key issues bedeviling House Democrats who are still on the fence about health care reform is the unpredictability of the Senate. They wonder whether the Senate will be able to pass a reconciliation bill--making needed changes to the comprehensive health care bill--that hasn't been riddled with holes by Republican procedural bullets.

Today, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)--chair of the Senate Budget Committee--didn't provide them much peace of mind.

Conrad addressed a meeting of Senate Democrats to explain the reconciliation process to them. On his way out, I and several other reporters caught up with him. I asked whether the package being assembled by House and Senate Democrats will survive the Byrd rule, which requires a reconciliation bill to amend tax or entitlement law, without increasing the deficit.

"We haven't finished the process of going through things that are Byrd-able," Conrad said.

"Is it a close call on some of them?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," Conrad said.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/conrad-parts-of-the-health-care-fix-bill-might-fail-reconciliation-test.php

(AP) – 2 hours ago

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter on Wednesday became the first state chief executive to sign a measure requiring his attorney general to sue Congress if it passes health reforms that force residents to buy insurance. Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states nationwide.

Constitutional law experts say the move is mostly symbolic because federal laws supersede those of the states. But the movement reflects a growing national frustration with President President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Democrats are hoping to pass a version of the reform by this weekend.

Last week, Virginia legislators passed a measure similar to Idaho's new law, but Otter was the first state chief executive to sign such a bill, according the American Legislative Exchange Council, which created model legislation for Idaho and other states. The Washington, D.C.,-based nonprofit group promotes limited government.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0LSHNfmnWDnZ_JylqiFxeT5GKEQD9EGKR7G1

Obama Invited to Give a New Gettysburg Address

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers 

One town is already banking on President Obama's re-election: Gettysburg, Pa. Looking ahead to July 2013, organizers of the 150th anniversary of the decisive three-day clash between Union and Confederate forces have extended an invitation for Obama to deliver his own Gettysburg address, we hear.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2010/03/17/obama-invited-to-give-a-new-gettysburg-address.html

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Wednesday that the House will likely vote on healthcare reform legislation could be held Sunday.

Hoyer's time frame fell within the range of a prediction made by Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who said earlier in the day that a vote would likely be held this weekend.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/87441-hoyer-health-vote-could-be-held-sunday

Obama Tells Fox News 'Procedural' Spat Over Health Bill Vote Doesn't Worry Him

FOXNews.com

President Obama is not worried about the "procedural" debate over whether House Democratic leaders should go ahead with a plan to approve health care reform without a traditional vote, he told Fox News on Wednesday.

The president, in an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, was responding for the first time to the controversy over a plan to use a parliamentary trick to allow the House to pass the Senate's health care bill without forcing members to vote for it directly. The esoteric procedure has drawn fierce protest from Republicans who say Democrats are trying to avoid accountability, but the president said there will be no doubt about where lawmakers stand on health care reform. 

Watch the Obama interview in its entirety on Special Report Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel. 

"I don't spend a lot of time worrying about what the procedural rules are in the House or Senate," Obama said. "What I can tell you is that the vote that's taken in the House will be a vote for health care reform. And if people vote yes, whatever form that takes, that is going to be a vote for health care reform. And I don't think we should pretend otherwise. And if they don't, if they vote against it, then they're going to be voting against health care reform and they're going to be voting in favor of the status quo.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/17/obama-tells-fox-news-procedural-spat-health-vote-doesnt-worry/

Followers of Sadr Emerge Stronger After Iraq Elections

BAGHDAD — The followers of Moktada al-Sadr, a radical cleric who led the Shiite insurgency against the American occupation, have emerged as Iraq’s equivalent of Lazarus in elections last week, defying ritual predictions of their demise and now threatening to realign the nation’s balance of power.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/world/middleeast/17sadr.html?pagewanted=all

National Debt Up $2 Trillion on Obama's Watch

Posted by Mark Knoller

The latest posting from the Treasury Department shows the National Debt has increased over $2 trillion since President Obama took office.

The debt now stands at $12.6 trillion. On the day Mr. Obama took office it was $10.6 trillion.

President George W. Bush still holds the record for the most debt run up on his watch: $4.9 trillion. But it took him over four years to rack up the first two trillion dollars in debt. It has taken Mr. Obama 421 days.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000576-503544.html

Oberstar will back final bill

Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, an ardent backer of the House abortion restrictions, will vote for the final package after a further review of the Senate's language, giving top Democrats a critical endorsement as they lean on their rank-and-file to back the Senate bill.

"I wanted to see the language, understand it better, have conversations with Sen. Nelson," Oberstar said Wednesday. "On balance, it does what we need to do."

For that reason, he's supporting the final bill. Oberstar had been a very vocal critic of the initial House language and agreed to back the legislation only after much stiffer restrictions had been added to it. The chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said he hasn't had any conversations with Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, the author of the House abortion restrictions, nor was he swayed by the arguments of an outside group.

http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0310/Oberstar_will_back_final_bill.html

Levin's Landmark Legal Foundation to File Immediate Challenge if House Dems Try to Pass Health-Care Without Actually Voting on It
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
By Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor
(CNSNews.com) – Conservative talk-radio host and attorney Mark Levin said he plans to file an immediate lawsuit if House Democratic leaders try to utilize a little-known maneuver under House rules to pass the health-care bill without actually having to vote on it.
 
“I cannot predict if we would win or lose -- this is not as simple as some would have you believe -- but I want to put the marker down right now and make it clear to members of the House of Representatives who think the quickest way to pass this is to adopt a rule that assumes that they voted on an underlying bill when they didn’t -- that is going to be challenged if they do it,” Levin said on his nationally syndicated radio show Tuesday evening.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/62939