The American Trial Lawyers Association

With all of the GOP opposition that has arisen as a result of President Obama's budget, you'd expect them to come up with some kind of alternative. And they pretended to do just that, until Representative John Boehner presented a proposal last week that was little more than a list of conservative values. Obama had responded to criticism of his budget by challenging the GOP to draft an alternate budget instead of simply criticizing his version. At a press conference last week, Boehner held up a blue packet and boldly stated, “here it is, Mr. President.” The Republican Road to Recovery, as the 19-page document is titled, is a three-part outline of where congressional Republicans stand on Obama's budget plan. Curbing government spending, creating jobs and lowering taxes, and controlling the debt are the foundations of the Republican's argument. Much of the “Road to Recovery” is specific criticisms of the Democrat budget and policies, like energy and health care reform. However, this packet was not a budget. There is no plan for government spending, nor are there tables illustrating how money will be allocated. When reporters received copies of the document, they realized that an alternative Republican budget wasn't going to be announced, even though the press conference was supposed to be the announcement of that budget.


In other news, Rick Wagoner, the CEO of GM, has decided to resign his post, as a result of intense pressure by President Obama. Politico reported that an unnamed White House aide confirmed that the president wanted Wagoner out, saying quote, “The Obama administration asked Rick Wagoner, the chairman and CEO of General Motors, to step down and he agreed.” Meanwhile, Obama and other administration officials have said they would demand deeper restructuring from General Motors and Chrysler before they would get any more government loans. Obama's auto task force has been working to solve the woes of US automakers, which have been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy in the economic recession amid a global downturn in car sales. General Motors and Chrysler have asked for another $21.6 billion dollars in aid, on top of the $17.4 billion dollars in emergency loans approved in December as they struggle to survive. Obama is set to deliver his automotive recovery package later today.


And finally today, insurance companies are working on new and exciting ways to prevent people from obtaining health insurance. Instead of the old methods of denying people who admit to health problems, the companies have resulted to hiring data mining companies to gather information on the prescription medications that applicants are taking. For example, if they find out that you're taking medication for depression, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, gallstones, and in some cases even acne, you're denied coverage. Small businesses are frequently finding health policies too expensive and are dropping coverage, sending even more people shopping for insurance. These issues are moving to the forefront as the Obama administration and Congress gear up for discussions about how to reform the healthcare system so that Americans won't be rejected for insurance. The thing that still seems so ironic to me is that health insurance is meant to help people when they are sick, yet you can't get insurance if you are sick. The solution to this problem is not going to come from private health insurance companies, and if we want to see more people covered, the government is going to have to step in and come up with a better plan.

Labels: Auto Industry, Boehner, Budget, CEO, Chrysler, Claim Denial, Debate, Farron Cousins, GM, GOP, Health Insurance, Obama, Rick Wagoner