Jindal As GOP Health Care Spokesman -- Look At His Record
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) has become a prominent critic of President Obama and the Democrats recently, appearing on TV and writing newspaper columns warning against a government takeover of health care. "When government bureaucracies drive the delivery of services -- in this case inserting themselves between health-care providers and their patients -- quality degradation will surely come," Jindal wrote in a recent column for the Wall Street Journal.
But underneath the air of expertise -- he's a former state health secretary -- it's important to consider that that there is a long-running ideological commitment here. The thing about Jindal is this: Over his public career, he has consistently opposed any expansion of government health care, and has even tried to cut, eliminate or partially-privatize existing programs.
For example, his budget plan this year calls for cuts to existing services; he used his line-item veto to force the closure of the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital; and he successfully opposed an increase in the state's relatively low cigarette taxes, which would have funded state healthcare.
And this also goes back to before he was governor, too.
When Jindal came in as Louisiana's Secretary of Health and Hospitals, the state's generous Medicaid programs was suffering from serious deficits, and he launched efforts to fix the problems with a pretty coherent message: Big cuts to programs, and even an attempted partial-privatization.
In one case, Jindal wanted to eliminate completely a program to assist people facing catastrophic health care costs. He said in 1996: "If you don't cut a program out entirely, you can't stop people from receiving these services." He later backed off and restored funding after the state legislature objected.
In 1997, Jindal came up with a creative solution to deal with the state Medicaid deficits: Shift Medicaid patients out of the directly-operated public system, and into a subsidized deal with HMO's. Jindal told the Baton Rouge Advocate why he'd picked a particular part of the state for the pilot program, to honestly demonstrate feasibility: "We purposely picked a region where it's not going to be easy but not going to be impossible."
But in 1998, the pilot program was scrapped after multiple HMO's pulled out and only one submitted an acceptable bid. The Advocate quoted Jindal's successor (serving under the same governor), who made the decision: "With all the turmoil and uncertainty in the managed care industry right now, we decided the most prudent thing to do right now is move in another direction."
So there you have it. Jindal opposes current proposals on public health care on their face, as an expansion of government. That's a valid opinion, but it's something to keep in mind during the overall health care debate. At the end of the day, there can only be so much bipartisanship if one side likes an increased government role and wants to police the private sector, and if the other side is against government action.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Jindal is fronting for the Scientologists. What patients human intervention when they can call on god to have their (health) demons exorcised? Hey, it works for Bobby.
July 31, 2009 1:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
So true. And if Republicans really cared about ending government run health care they would have voted for this amendment yesterday.
July 31, 2009 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's not forget another piece of Jindal's health resume - he was Assistant Secretary (for Planning and Evaluation) of Health and Human Services, appointed by George W Bush in 2001 until he went home to run for Governor in 2003.
In that role he was known in DC policy circles as someone always looking for ways to cut back government involvement in health care and opposing any expansion (think SCHIP, higher co-pays for Medicaid recipients, Medicare cutbacks, etc). He also played a leading role in building faith-based programs at HHS, and was part of the group of right wing ideologues (like Claude Allen) appointed at the sub-cabinet level to implement the more extreme items of the Republican base's agenda (part of Rove's strategy of playing to the extreme base).
July 31, 2009 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
My main man Huey P. Jindal!
Now that Sarah's MIA and Sanford's taken a hike, will he be the next darlin of the GOP?
I hope so
I grew up in Pointe Coupee Parish, just outside of BR. The paper of record is the Pointe Coupee Banner.
None of the family live there any more. My brother subscribes to the paper and reports from Texas:
July 31, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
According to Politico, Romney is a "GOP Heavyweight".
So my money's on the Mittster.
July 31, 2009 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Courtesy of the blue Louisiana blog Daily Kingfish, here is some more background on Jindal's background in "health policy":
http://www.dailykingfish.com/diary/1287/governor-pbjs-an-expert-in-health-care
July 31, 2009 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
At the end of the day, there can only be so much bipartisanship if one side likes an increased government role and wants to police the private sector, and if the other side is against government action....and adheres to programs that have already failed
July 31, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
These politicians voted Against the Nathan Deal Amendment, that would Prevent Health Care Benefits to Illegal Aliens. Simply put--it's not their BLOODY MONEY! So what! Do they care if taxpayers have to foot the behemoth bill, for anybody who snubs our laws and enters a sovereign country called America? The nationwide parasites are --CHEAP LABOR--businesses who could care less, because they pile up enormous profits. The corporate hierarchy have been having a field day--FOR DECADES. A foreign national gets hurt, their service manager or whoever the underling is, drives the maimed person and relinquishes any responsibility by dumping them on the emergency hospital entranceway. BINGO! nothing to pay!
Perhaps Americans should find some old shoddy clothes, no shave, no haircut and enter every emergency room in our country in the millions? Speak a lot of gibberish and carry no identification with a small splinter in their finger, a touch of a fever or any minor condition. By federal law the hospital will have an emergency on a--EMERGENCY. I am afraid Americans have been Lemmings going over a proverbial cliff, since who knows when? We just keep paying and paying even more to the IRS, to support--ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. Try getting free health care in any other country, other than societies in the European Union? A FAT CHANCE! We are literary being taxed to death, to give welfare to the business overlords. These legislators have already tried to weaken E-Verify, local police action 287(g) and now unwinding the 1986 Simpson/Mazzoli enforcement law--which worked, but again was never enforced.
Even our Democrats who are trying to engineer health care for every American---INCLUDED 20 PLUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR LARGE FAMILIES. Here are 29 Judas Iscariot's, who sold the American people out--for a lot more than 13 pieces of silver? HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR. Capps (D-CA), Eshoo (D-CA), Harman (D-CA), Matsui (D-CA), McNerney (D-CA), Waxman (D-CA), DeGette (D-CO), Murphy (D-CT), Castor (D-FL), Rush (D-IL), Schakowsky (D-IL), Braley (D-IA), Sarbanes (D-MD), Markey (D-MA), Dingell (D-MI), Stupak (D-MI), Pallone (D-NJ), Weiner (D-NY), Butterfield (D-NC), Space (D-OH), Sutton (D-OH), Doyle (D-PA), Gordon (D-TN), Gonzalez (D-TX), Green (D-TX),Welch (D-VT), Christensen (D-VI), Inslee (D-WA) and Baldwin (D-WI). I'm afraid I would be banned if I used the right epithet, when leaving a comment for these so called lawmakers?
These are the betrayers of--ALL--taxpayers. These 29 traitors gave illegal immigrants the right to pilfer your billfold and purse, while they sit in their Washington office collecting their 6 figure salaries. REMEMBER THEM AND THROW THEM OUT! DEMAND NO AMNESTY! NO FAMILY UNIFICATION KNOWN AS CHAIN MIGRATION! BUILD THE ORIGINAL FENCE! NO MORE HEALTH CARE OR ANY OTHER KIND OF BENEFITS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. CLOSE THE BORDER AND STATION THE NATIONAL GUARD. $2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS, JUST IN RETIREMENT BENEFITS? Learn uncorrupted facts at NUMBERSUSA. For myself and family! I am for any health care re-organization, as long as it doesn't smell of copious profiteering and corruption, like the majority of private insurers do?
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August 1, 2009 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Frankly I worked in a Hospital in East Texas run by the Texas University System. We took care of anyone who needed medical care and it helped many people of the area. Hospital care for the truly ill is not a political issue but one of humanitarian consequences. When I was young in the late 1930's my dad was hurt on his highway construction job, we had no insurance, he was severely injured with a head wound, in a couple of years he developed brain cancer at the site of injury and died without adequate care. Both my parents worked very hard. But no hospital care was available for him and he died in a few months. That sort of horror story prompted me to be a nurse. I was eventually in hospital administration and I daily thank God, that the sort of non-help my father suffered is now outlawed by federal legislation. A humane approach is needed in health care and I care less who is the needy recipient. If they need help, it needs to be given!!!! End of discussion! Actually, that is the Godly way of our care for others described in Scriptures.
August 2, 2009 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink