Steny Hoyer clarified that he has never smoked pot, so we'll have to find another explanation for that half-grin he's always flashing. Eric Holder wished Louie Gohmert luck with his asparagus, but Steve King's cantaloupes didn't get a shoutout. And corporations, including Koch Industries, are donating to GOP candidates despite reaping millions from Obamacare -- maybe they're frustrated by the reception on their Obamaphones? This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, April 8th, 2014:

*KOCH INDUSTRIES LOVES OBAMACARE* - Charles Babington: "*Several big corporations have reaped millions of dollars from 'Obamacare' even as they support GOP candidates who vow to repeal the law*. This condemn-while-benefiting strategy angers Democrats, who see some of their top congressional candidates struggling against waves of anti-Obamacare ads partly funded by these companies. Among the corporations is a familiar Democratic nemesis, Koch Industries, the giant conglomerate headed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch. They and some conservative allies are spending millions of dollars to hammer Democratic senators in North Carolina, Alaska, Colorado, Iowa and elsewhere, chiefly for backing President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., renewed his criticisms of the Kochs this week. In a Senate chamber speech, Reid noted that Koch Industries benefited from a temporary provision of the health care law. *The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program, Reid said, 'helped the company pay health insurance costs for its retirees who are not covered by Medicare.'* Reid asked sarcastically: 'So it's OK for Koch Industries to save money through Obamacare' even as Koch-related groups seek the law's repeal." [Associated Press]

*'Good luck with your asparagus' is today's hottest Hill trash talk*, Ryan Reilly reports: "Attorney General Eric Holder snuck in a diss against Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) at a congressional hearing on Tuesday, referring to when the conservative member of Congress said that Holder cast '*aspersions on my asparagus*.' Last May's malapropism, in which Gohmert likely used the vegetable instead of the like-sounding 'character,' became a viral moment. *After an intense back-and-forth with Gohmert at Tuesday's hearing, Holder quipped, 'Good luck with your asparagus*.' Holder was visibly angry after Gohmert said that being held in contempt was 'not a big deal' for the attorney general." [HuffPost]

*HARRY REID'S KRYPTONITE* - Jon Ralston: "Never before has a politician with so much disdain for the media, and so little understanding of it, ascended to such power. So when Reid’s normally top-notch team bungled the response to the FEC inquiry, they not only let what should have been a one-day story become a multi-day Reid-bashing extravaganza—they also revealed just how much trouble the majority leader can get himself into when his safety net fails him. The Senate majority leader has one of the savviest teams in the business, both in his office and on the campaign side. He needs it. *These folks usually protect Reid—who has no self-editing mechanism—or at least turn deep self-inflicted wounds into paper cuts. But not even his Praetorian Guard can insulate Reid when it comes to his weakness for family*, which was exposed a decade ago when the Los Angeles Times raised questions about his sons’ lobbying activities. (Reid has one daughter and four sons, all of whom are at least tangentially involved in Nevada politics.)" [Politico]

*HuffPost Haircuts:* Igor Volsky, Dave Jamieson, Deen Freelon (h/t/ Kate Sheppard).

*DAILY DELANEY DOWNER* - Several unemployed people whose benefits had been cut off joined Democrats outside the Capitol today to demand John Boehner let them have their unemployment benefits back. Charece Peterson came from Philadelphia with a sign that said, "*I am selling my clothes to survive!*" It was her second trip to Washington since benefits lapsed in December. The Philadelphia Unemployment Project, a group that advocates for jobless workers, helped coordinate her visit. Peterson, 38, told HuffPost she lost her nursing job last February and has only received one job offer since then -- for a home health care position paying less than the minimum wage. Unemployment, she said, has been demoralizing. *"You don't even want to get up in the morning,"* she said. [HuffPost]

Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill

*DOJ REVIEWING WHETHER JAMES CLAPPER LIED TO CONGRESS* - We can neither confirm nor deny that "least untruthful" is the greatest piece of bureaucratic jargon we've heard in quite some time. Ryan Reilly: "The Justice Department is reviewing materials sent by members of Congress asking for the prosecution of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper for lying to Congress, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday.But Holder said he was not in a position to confirm any investigation into Clapper forhaving told Congress in March of 2012 that the National Security Agency does not collect information on millions of Americans. That statement preceded the revelation last summer of the agency's large-scale phone records collection program Clapper later told NBC News in June he gave the 'least untruthful' answer possible about the NSA's surveillance program. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) asked Holder to disclose whether the department was conducting an investigation, citing a provision of DOJ guidelines that allows officials to disclose an investigation when it is of public interest." [HuffPost]

*RETIRED SEC LAWYER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST 'TIMID' WALL STREET ENFORCEMENT* - Bloomberg: "A trial attorney from the Securities and Exchange Commission said his bosses were too “tentative and fearful” to bring many Wall Street leaders to heel after the 2008 credit crisis, echoing the regulator’s outside critics. James Kidney, who joined the SEC in 1986 and retired this month, offered the critique in a speech at his goodbye party. His remarks hit home with many in the crowd of SEC lawyers and alumni thanks to a part of his resume not publicly known: He had campaigned internally to bring charges against more executives in the agency’s 2010 case against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) *The SEC has become 'an agency that polices the broken windows on the street level and rarely goes to the penthouse floors,' Kidney said, according to a copy of his remarks obtained by Bloomberg News*. 'On the rare occasions when enforcement does go to the penthouse, good manners are paramount. Tough enforcement, risky enforcement, is subject to extensive negotiation and weakening.' Kidney said his superiors were more focused on getting high-paying jobs after their government service than on bringing difficult cases. The agency’s penalties, Kidney said, have become 'at most a tollbooth on the bankster turnpike.'" [Bloomberg]

*WEED ADVOCATES HITTING THE HILL THIS WEEK* - Or at least it'll feel like a week... actually... how long has it been?...whoa. Time: "More than 100 marijuana-legalization advocates went to Washington to lobby lawmakers on a subject that has seen little action in Congress despite a rising tide of Americans supporting legalization for medical purposes. Medical-marijuana supporters flocked to Capitol Hill on Monday to push for legislation that would prohibit the federal government from restricting state medical-marijuana laws. “We’re doing this work,” said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a pro-medical-pot group that brought 152 people to Washington to lobby 300 members of Congress. “It’s not just a bunch of potheads [saying], Please let us do this.' The House bill would offer legal clarity to the growing number of states that are legalizing medical marijuana even as it remains illegal under federal law. New York might become the 21st state to legalize medicinal marijuana this year, but the Drug Enforcement Agency considers marijuana a drug on the same level as heroin, and the Justice Department under the Obama Administration hasn’t always been consistent in its level of prosecutorial restraint and its willingness to defer to state laws." [Time]

*We can only imagine this interaction was accompanied by a lot of awkward winking and earlobe tugging*: "House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer was asked to comment on Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's decision to sign a state marijuana-decriminalization law. 'The Legislature has passed it. Essentially, when you say they decriminalized it, as I understand, that means simply no consequence for a small amount and a fine for a larger amount,' Hoyer told a room of reporters Tuesday. 'It's clear that we have an awful lot of people in our prisons who are suffering from a criminal conviction, which have done things—I'm not going to ask for a show of hands. If I did, I could raise my hand, I just don't know how many others in the room could raise their hands." Laughter erupted in the room, with some asking for a clarification: *What are you raising your hand in saying? 'It was subtle,' Hoyer said. 'The use thereof, or the trying thereof, inhaling or not.' An attendee offered, 'experimentation,' to which Hoyer repeated, 'experimentation.'*" [National Journal]

No, Hoyer has not smoked pot.

*HUSBAND OF WOMAN WHO MADE OUT WITH VANCE MCALLISTER SPEAKS OUT* - Feel-good story all around. Not Scott Desjarlais feel-good, but a whole lotta fuzzy feelings, to be sure. CNN: "*The husband of the woman caught making out with Rep. Vance McAllister said the Louisiana Republican destroyed his life and marriage*. 'I’m just freaking devastated by the whole deal, man. I loved my wife so much. I cannot believe this. I cannot freaking believe it. I feel like I’m going to wake up here in a minute and this is all going to be a bad nightmare,' Heath Peacock told CNN Tuesday. On Monday, The Ouachita Citizen in West Monroe, Louisiana, published a surveillance video it says shows McAllister and his scheduler, Melissa Hixon Peacock, passionately kissing in his office last December. Heath Peacock said he didn’t know about the episode until Melissa called him a couple hours before the news broke. 'He has wrecked my life,' Peacock, 34, said of McAllister. 'We’re headed for divorce.' Heath and Melissa Peacock have been married for six years and have a 6-year-old son." [CNN]

Be sure to check out the local pastor who says it was wrong for someone on McAllister's staff to leak the video.

*GOP REP: EQUAL PAY PUSH 'CONDESCENDING' TO WOMEN* - Yeah! Women don't want to be mansplained into making as much money as men do! Mike McAuliff: "Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), the GOP conference's vice chair, made her comments flanked by her fellow leaders in the House at their weekly news conference, and suggested that the campaign for equal pay for equal work reflects a lack of understanding of women's contributions to the workforce. 'Please allow me to set the record straight. We strongly support equal pay for equal work, and I'm proud that I live in a country where it's illegal to discriminate in the workplace thanks to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964,' said Jenkins. 'Some folks don't understand that women have become an extremely valuable part of the workforce today on their own merit, not because the government mandated it.' Jenkins went on to belittle Democratic efforts on the issue. '*Many ladies I know feel like they are being used as pawns, and find it condescending [that] Democrats are trying to use this issue as a political distraction from the failures of their economic policy,*' Jenkins said." [HuffPost]

*Gimme 50ccs of good publicity, STAT*: "Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is challenging Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in a close Senate contest, put his professional background as a physician to use when he helped treat a passenger who had lost consciousness on a Monday Southwest Airlines flight. The Times-Picayune reports that Cassidy, along with another doctor on board, took the man's shirt off, laid him flat on the airline seats and helped him regain consciousness after being unable to detect a pulse. 'He even talked a little about the Senate race,' Cassidy told the paper." [HuffPost's Samantha Lachman]

*VOLUNTARY PART-TIME WORKERS ARE HAPPY* - Republicans would have you believe 40 hours per week is the only amount of work that can make people happy, but it's not. Carol Graham and Milena Nikolova: "In an analysis of Europe and the U.S., based on Gallup World Poll data, we discovered that *voluntary part-time workers were happier, experienced less stress and anger, and had higher job satisfaction than other employees*." Why don't we have a three-day weekend every week? No good reason. [Brookings]

*A little POLITICO-on-POLITICAL hate in this "Morning Joe" writeup*: "POLITICO’s Ben White and BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith brought an ongoing debate over Jeb Bush's presidential prospects to MSNBC’s 'Morning Joe' on Tuesday...MSNBC’s Chuck Todd threw out a trivia question for Smith and White, asking what 'Jeb' stands for. While White started responding in terms of the policies Bush stands for, Smith responded that Jeb is actually an acronym for 'John Ellis Bush.' 'Gotta know these things, these are little pieces of trivia,' Todd said. 'And this is his most fervent supporter here, and he doesn't know his name,' Smith said, referring to White. 'Who's the Jeb base? Look at that.'" [Politico]

*[DEL: Never :DEL] stop being you, Mississippi*: "Under Mississippi’s mandated sex-education curriculum, teachers are required to *instruct students that homosexual activity under the 'unnatural intercourse' statute is illegal*, and that a 'monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the only appropriate setting for sexual intercourse.' Since 2012, Mississippi has required all school districts to offer an abstinence-centered sex-ed curriculum, although 12 percent of districts have not yet implemented any sex-ed courses, according to a recent study by the Center for Mississippi Health Policy. The law also requires male and female students to be instructed in separate classrooms and prohibits condom demonstrations in schools." [HuffPost's Shadee Ashtari]

*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - Here is Momo, a lovable Border Collie.

*CAPITOL HILL WESTERN-THEMED GAY BAR TO CLOSE* - And unless Texas' congressional delegation throws a really weird Friday night party in Ted Cruz's office that we don't know about, Capitol Hill's gay cowboys will have to look for fun elsewhere. WCP: "Another death has come to Capitol Hill. *With the old Hawk 'n' Dove buried, dirt still fresh on the graves of 18th Amendment and Lil Pub, and Pour House and Top of the Hill in hospice, Remingtons has confirmed that it will close its doors after happy hour on Monday.* Was the bar, an utterly non-updated country western gay spot with some of the worst carpet in the Southeast quadrant, in need of a facelift? Sure. But when I stopped in on Saturday night to watch some guy belt out Man of La Mancha showtunes during karaoke, the decor was a nonissue. If you want to cram into a glossy box of cool people and sip a cocktail for the price of a dinner entree, there are plenty of places on 14th Street NW (and increasingly the Hill) that will take your $14. If you want to wear whatever the hell you want and chat with decent, friendly strangers over cheap beers, your options in my neighborhood are rapidly depleting." [WCP]

*COMFORT FOOD*

- Dad photobombs daughter's heartfelt rendition of "Let It Go" from "Frozen." [http://bit.ly/1hdj4Vj]

- A man asks pedestrians if they'd have sex with Paul Rudd... with Paul Rudd present. [http://bit.ly/1g3ZLtf]

- Pressing '0' is not actually the best way to bypass automated phone menus. [http://wrd.cm/1jYHnXC]

- ASL rap battles are the best rap battles. [http://bit.ly/1knSfks]

- The voice of Winnie the Pooh reads Darth Vader's lines. [http://youtu.be/eLXTDirrQ5w]

- The creators of "Archie" are going to kill off the titular comic book character. Dark. [http://cnn.it/1lHToRd]

*TWITTERAMA*

@aburnspolitico: Sean Eldridge, taking a page out of 2007, refers to @politico as "a D.C.-based blog" blogs.hudsonvalley.com/fray/

@timkrepp: Then they came for Remmington's, and I said nothing -- because I'm not a gay cowboy.

@indecision: "Obama is only pushing paycheck fairness to appeal to his base," said Republicans trying to appeal to their base.

*Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com), Ryan Grim (ryan@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e* Reported by Huffington Post 9 hours ago.

Express Scripts plans to ask clients, composed of national employers, health insurance plans and government agencies, to join a coalition that would stop using Sovaldi once a rival medicine is approved for the U.S., expected next year, said Steven Miller, chief medical officer of the company. Express Scripts' annual Drug Trend Report released Tuesday found spending on specialty drugs rose 14 percent in 2013 and predicted it will leap another 63 percent by the end of 2016 based mainly on prices for new pills to treat the 2.7 million Americans with hepatitis C. Treatment for inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, and for multiple sclerosis and cancer are responsible for 60 percent of the cost. If everyone with hepatitis C was treated with Sovaldi, the cost would exceed $300 billion - more than the U.S. currently spends on all prescription drugs, Miller said. U.S. lawmakers last month asked Gilead, the world's largest biotechnology company by market value, to explain how the company set the drug's price and what it is doing to ensure low-income patients can get it. Reported by SFGate 9 hours ago.

After spending nearly 5 minutes struggling to explain the White House's misleading gender gap stats, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney engaged in the Obama Regime's tried and true (but despicable) tactic of impugning the motives of Republicans.

In response to persistent questioning from ABC's Jonathan Karl, today, Carney compared Republican opponents of the Paycheck Fairness Act to “conservatives” who fought civil rights legislation.

"Republicans object to this strenuously using the same arguments that conservatives used when they objected to every bit of progress made on civil rights for women and minorities over the past many decades, Carney alleged. "They were wrong then, and they are wrong now."

Via White House Dossier: 

Carney's nasty little jibe was factually wrong on two counts

#1.  Republicans oppose the Paycheck Fairness Act because it would add new red tape and bureaucracy for businesses, invite lawsuits and end up hurting everybody.   Not because they hate women and minorities. 

#2 It wasn't "conservatives" or Republicans who objected to civil rights for minorities over the decades. It was liberal Democrats - as the history clearly shows.

Obama managed to keep race out of his statement about the gender “wage gap,”at the White House.  Republicans got off easy, only being described as anti-women and hostile toward working people.



I don’t know why you would resist the idea that women should be paid the same as men, and then deny that that’s not always happening out there.  If Republicans in Congress want to prove me wrong, if they want to show that they, in fact, do care about women being paid the same as men, then show me.  They can start tomorrow.  They can join us in this, the 21st century, and vote yes on the Paycheck Fairness Act.  (Applause.) 




On minimum wage, three out of four Americans support raising the minimum wage.  Usually when three out of four Americans support something, members of Congress are right there.  (Laughter.)  And yet here, Republicans in Congress are dead set against it, blocking a pay raise for tens of millions of Americans — a majority of them women.  This isn’t just about treating women fairly.  This is about Republicans seemingly opposing any efforts to even the playing field for working families.


Rush Limbaugh described Obama's totalitarian impulses on his show, yesterday, to make the point that the liberal Fascism we're seeing on display throughout the culture on issues like gay marriage and climate change, is being encouraged from the top.



It's Barack Obama who's running the never-ending campaign against these powerful, mean-spirited forces trying to undermine his good intentions and his good works.  He's the first president in my lifetime who's actually said of his opponents, "They don't care about you.  They don't have any good intentions." 

It's Barack Obama who last week went out to a group on the campaign trail and said he couldn't understand why Republicans "don't want people to have health insurance," smiling and laughing (impression), "I don't know! I don't know! I don't know why folks want to take health insurance away people. I really don't." Nobody does! The only person actually causing people to lose their health insurance is Barack Obama. 

By virtue of his own work. By virtue of his own policies.  But anybody who opposes him -- anybody who opposes, for example, Obamacare -- just wants to take people's health care away.  He always says, "I'll listen to anybody with good idea," but there aren't any good ideas outside of his.  He categorizes the Republican opposition as mean-spirited, cruel. They want to take everything away from you. 

They want to take away your Social Security. They want to take away your health care. They want to cut your food stamps. They want take away your benefits.  His entire presidency is built on slandering the opposition.  Not debating it. Not working together with people. Not being bipartisan, which he claims he wants to be.  No, no.  It's spent defaming, and this creates an open highway for his supporters to do the same. 


I remember being absolutely horrified in 2009, when I first noticed the president and his minions pitting Americans against each other in such a hyper partisan way. It's what leaders do in authoritarian, totalitarian regimes.  This is not how an American president is supposed to behave. Sadly, now in America, it is the new normal.  Reported by Breitbart 8 hours ago.

According to the latest Rasmussen poll published on April 8^th, only 23% of likely American voters now rate Obamacare as a success and 62% believe Republicans will repeal the law. The latest polling results are a very bad omen for 13 incumbent Democratic Senators in seats the Republicans believe they have a chance of winning in the November 2014 mid-term elections. 

The Rasmussen Organization surveys 1,000 “Likely Voters” each week on a number of topics. This week’s poll focused on healthcare to demonstrate Americans increasingly fear the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, is terminally flawed and voters believe it is bad for the nation and their personal wellbeing. 

The most recent poll of likely voters found only 27% strongly approve of the way Barack Obama is performing as president and 42% strongly disapprove of his performance. Although this -15% rating is historically abysmal even for a second term president, the polling for healthcare shows a greater rejection of President Obama’s “greatest accomplishment.”

An overwhelming 80% of likely voters rate the quality of their current healthcare as good or excellent. But the percentage of those same potential voters that believe the quality of health care will get worse under Obamacare increased 6% over the last month to 53%, its highest level over the last three years. Today, only 24% of potential voters predict quality will improve under Obamacare; 17% expect no change.

In the heady days of 2010 in the run up to Obamacare’s passage, many of the now vulnerable incumbent Democrat Senators promised Obamacare would save average families $2,500 per year. But 59% of likely voters now believe Obamacare will raise their personal costs for health care, while only 20% believe costs will go down and 16% believe costs will stay about the same. These polling numbers have not changed since the disastrous chaos in the Obamacare roll-out following last year’s government shutdown. 

Over three quarters of likely voters believe it is now at least somewhat likely the health care law will cost more than Obama projected. Half of those voters also continue to believe Obamacare will increase the federal deficit, while only 15% still believe it will reduce the deficit and 20% believe it will have negligible budgetary costs. 

The public in 2010 seemed willing to accept that the federal government should mandate every American must buy or obtain health insurance. But today only 40% of likely voters agree with an “individual mandate” and 46% disagree with any mandate.

The partisan divide over Obamacare has not changed over the last three years. About 51% of Democrats expect the quality of health care to improve under Obamacare, while 85% of Republicans believe that quality will get worse. The real change has been in the perception of independents, where 61% now expect quality of care to deteriorate. Republicans and independents both strongly believe the law will also push up health care costs, but just one third of Democrats believe costs will move higher. 

In the demographic category, women and voters under 40 are less critical of Obamacare than men and older voters. Blacks continue to be much more supportive of Obamacare than whites and other minority voters. 

Republicans need to gain 6 seats to take control of the Senate and they now claim Obamacare has made them extremely competitive against Democrat incumbents. Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran, Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told reporters Friday his party has “strong credible candidates” in races in “10, 11, 12, 13 states.” He added: “The map and opportunities have expanded dramatically in a year, in part because of the consequences of the Affordable Care Act.”

The author welcomes feedback and will respond to comments by readers.  Reported by Breitbart 8 hours ago.

Manila, Philippines, Apr 8, 2014 / 06:27 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- While disappointed that the country’s Supreme Court has upheld a controversial “reproductive health” law, the Catholic bishops of the Philippines voiced gratitude that the ruling also strengthened parental rights and religious freedom.

“Although the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the RH law, it has truly watered down the RH law and consequently upheld the importance of adhering to an informed religious conscience even among government workers,” said Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas of Lingayen Dagupan, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

He added in his April 8 statement that the court “stood on the side of the rights of parents to teach their children.”

The archbishop’s comments came in response to a decision by the Supreme Court of the Philippines to strike down portions of the controversial bill, including provisions allowing minors access to birth control without parental consent, requirements that religious healthcare facilities tell non-emergency patients about contraceptive options, and penalties for health care providers who refuse to provide information about contraceptives on the grounds of religious belief, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The court also struck down a portion of the law dealing with its implementation, which had narrowly defined abortifacient contraceptives as drugs which “primarily” induce abortions. Instead, the court determined that the law will recognize even contraceptives with a secondary abortion-inducing effect as abortifacient, and these will all remain illegal, the Philippine Star reports.

The legislation mandates government-sanctioned sex education for adults, middle school and high school students, as well as a population control program that includes fully subsidized contraceptives under government health insurance.

Opponents of the bill warned that it would contribute to a breakdown of the family, foster a contraceptive mentality and increase sexual immorality. They also voiced concerns over the health risks posed by artificial birth control.

Father Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life for the Philippines’ bishops conference, told CBC News that he saw the court decision as a “partial” victory, but “a major victory nonetheless.”

He particularly praised the strengthening the “independence” of Catholic hospitals and their right of conscientious objection.

However, he lamented that the bill still provides major government funding for contraceptives.

Archbishop Villegas said the Church cannot “see eye to eye” with the bill’s proponents but can work with them “for the good of the country.” He said the Church must “continue to uphold the sacredness of human life” and “safeguard the life of every human person from conception to natural death.”

He emphasized that the Church must “continue to teach what is right and moral.”

“We will continue to proclaim the beauty and holiness of every human person,” he said. “Through two thousand years, the Church has lived in eras of persecution, authoritarian regimes, wars and revolutions. The Church can continue its mission even with such unjust laws.”

Some opponents of the RH bill were more critical of the decision.

Father Shenan Boquet, president of Human Life International, called the decision “a great setback.”

“The real ‘losers’ in this decision are not the pro-life groups or the Catholic Church – which have been demonized throughout the entire debate over this law – but the Filipino people and their life-loving culture,” he said April 8. “It is women and children and the basic institution of the family that will suffer because of the implementation of this law.”

He contended that the bill’s backers used “deceptions” in order to “push through a massive population control agenda that will one day lead to legalized abortion-on-demand in the Philippines.”

“It breaks my heart that this is happening in such a strongly pro-life and Catholic country that has thus far been able to resist legalized abortion,” he said.

Father Boquet insisted that despite the ruling, “we will never lose hope, and will continue to fight the battle to defend life and family in this great country.”

Archbishop Villegas encouraged Catholics to maintain “respect and esteem for the Supreme Court.” He said Catholics should “move on from being an RH-law reactionary group” to become “truly Spirit-empowered disciples of the Gospel of life and love.”

“We have a positive message to proclaim,” he said. Reported by CNA 7 hours ago.

The portion of Americans without health insurance has fallen amid the Obamacare registration drive, two polls find. But the largest source of gains in coverage has been employer-sponsored plans. Reported by Christian Science Monitor 7 hours ago.

MarketOptimizer.org adds Latest Report on “CountryFocus: Healthcare, Regulatory and Reimbursement Landscape - South Korea” to its store. Inquire before buying this report at http://www.marketoptimizer.org/contacts/inquire-before-buying?rname=6252

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) April 09, 2014

High levels of access to healthcare insurance and reimbursement and increasing demand for healthcare services from a growing elderly population will drive the growth of the pharmaceutical market. However, an increasing focus on generics as a means of reducing healthcare expenditure will restrict the growth of the market in the forecast period.

In 2008, the South Korean pharmaceutical market was worth $15.4 billion and was estimated to grow to $18.6 billion in 2013. The pharmaceutical market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.9%, from approximately $19.3 billion in 2014 to $24.3 billion in 2020. The increasing elderly population and its associated disease burden combined with the launch of novel medicines have been fueling market growth. The South Korean pharmaceutical market is one of the largest in Asia. Therapeutic segments such as cardiovascular and oncology are expected to grow due to the increasingly large elderly population, which accounts for approximately 12% of the total population, as well as changes to food and lifestyle habits. The market growth is also expected to be influenced by various initiatives taken by the government (such as the Korean Small Business Innovation Research (or KOSBIR) program, organized by Korea Nanotechnology Initiative) to encourage R&D and sustain growth in the pharmaceutical industry (KETs Observatory, 2012).

Purchase a copy of this report at http://www.marketoptimizer.org/contacts/purchase?rname=6252 .

Additionally, to boost private investment, the government has designated 44 pharmaceutical companies: “Korea’s innovative pharmaceutical companies” (in accordance with the Act for Supporting and Raising Pharmaceutical Industry (2011) to provide special benefits such as tax reduction and exemption, preferential government research funding and the postponement of drug price cuts.

The government is focusing on the use of generics as a cost-containment tool to slow the rise of its healthcare expenditure. The country’s generic market increased from $3.5 billion in 2008 to an estimated $4.9 billion in 2013. The market grew at a CAGR of 7% between 2008 and 2013 (FAPA, 2011). In January 2012, South Korea’s generic pricing methods were revised, and according to the current method, the price of the first generic to reach the market is 59.5% of the branded drug price, while the branded drug’s price is lowered to 70% of the listed price before patent expiry for the first year from when the first generic is launched. After 12 months, the prices of all generics entering the market are lowered to 53.55% of the relevant branded drugs’ prices. This price reduction and generic erosion is expected to have a limiting impact on the growth of the pharmaceutical market.

Complete report is available at http://www.marketoptimizer.org/countryfocus-healthcare-regulatory-and-reimbursement-landscape-south-korea.html .

The South Korean medical device market was valued at $3.3 billion in 2008 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% to an estimated $6.3 billion in 2020. In 2013, the major segments of the medical device market were ophthalmic devices (17.6%), in vitro diagnostics devices (13.9%), nephrology and urology devices (10.5%), orthopedic devices (10.3%) and dental devices (10%), respectively. The market is driven by the factors such as increasing awareness regarding the early detection and diagnosis of disease, advancements in medical technology, and an increase in the elderly population.

Universal healthcare coverage and easy access to healthcare facilities and reimbursement are the distinguishing features of the Korean healthcare system.

The South Korean healthcare system offers universal healthcare coverage to all citizens. The healthcare system has two components, health insurance and medical aid. The public healthcare insurance system, also known as National Health Insurance (NHI), is the national health insurance provider. The NHI system covers approximately 97% of the South Korean population and the medical aid program covers the remaining population. The NHI system is sponsored by beneficiaries, contributions (such as premiums collected from the insured) and government subsidies; and the medical aid system is funded by general government revenue, which provides support to lower income groups.

The insured are mainly divided into two groups: insured employees and the insured self-employed. The employee insurance scheme covers spouses, descendants, brothers or sisters, and direct lineal ascendants of the insured person. The self-employed insured insurance scheme covers people who are not included in the insured employee category. The premiums for the self-employed are predetermined and set by the government based on income, property, living standards and rate of participation in economic activities. Foreigners working in South Korea are also required to apply for coverage under the NHI system. The Long-term Care Insurance Program was also introduced in 2008. This program is essentially for elderly people who are facing difficulties in performing their daily activities due to geriatric diseases.

Explore more market research reports on Healthcare at http://www.marketoptimizer.org/category/life-sciences/healthcare .

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MarketOptimizer.org (http://www.marketoptimizer.org/ .) is an online database of market research reports offer in-depth analysis of over 5000 market segments. The library has syndicated reports by leading market research publishers across the globe and also offer customized market research reports for multiple industries. Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.

There is yet another ObamaCare surprise waiting for consumers: from now until the next open enrollment at the end of this year, most people will simply not be able to buy any health insurance at all, even outside the exchanges. Reported by FOXNews.com 2 hours ago.

Transit union negotiators will not resume talks with SEPTA until it provides extensive documentation on health-insurance and pension costs, Transport Workers Union Local 234 president Willie Brown said Tuesday. Reported by philly.com 12 minutes ago.

In response to the recently announced one year additional delay in implementation of ICD-10, estimated to cost the healthcare industry $1 billion to $6 billion, PMIC, the nation's leading independent publisher of medical coding and compliance books, forms, data sets and software, announced the publication of ICD-9-CM 2015 to protect the reimbursement of physicians and hospitals until ICD-10 is implemented.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 09, 2014

On October 1, 2014, ICD-9-CM, the current HIPAA mandated diagnostic coding system, was scheduled to be replaced by ICD-10, a completely revised and far more extensive coding system. As recently as February 27, 2014, Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services assured the industry there would be no further delays in the implementation of ICD-10. But on March 31, the Senate voted to approve H.R. 4302, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, which was designed to create a temporary “fix” to the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR). Inserted into the bill was an additional section stating the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot adopt the ICD–10 code set as the standard until at least October 1, 2015.

Virtually no one in the healthcare industry, including HHS, knew this section was included in the bill, and the announcement of its passage created mixed reactions. Those who who had spent considerable time and money to be prepared were angry about the delay. Those who are not prepared were for the most part relieved that they now have at least another year to do so. The delay is estimated to create an additional $1 billion to $6 billion in costs to the industry.

Many physicians and other providers have not updated ICD-9-CM books and data sets in the past three years due to the planned implementation of ICD-10. But there have been significant changes to ICD-9-CM during those years and it is important that healthcare providers have a current edition of ICD-9-CM to protect reimbursement, reduce audit liability, and comply with HIPAA regulations.

PMIC is releasing ICD-9-CM 2015 to help its customers maximize reimbursement during the new transition period. The PMIC ICD-9-CM 2015 releases include:·     ICD-9-CM 2015 Physician Edition, Volumes 1 & 2 for physicians and other healthcare providers
·     ICD-9-CM 2015 Hospital/Payer Edition, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 for hospitals and payers
·     ICD-9-CM 2015 Home Health Edition, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 for home health agencies

The ICD-9-CM 2015 products are available in several formats including:

·     Print Books
·     Electronic books (e-Books) in PDF format
·     Data Sets

PMIC is including the ICD-9-CM 2015 in all of its specially priced coding book sets including:
CPT 2015, ICD-9-CM 2015, ICD-10-CM 2015 and HCPCS 2015. Customers may purchase coding packages or individual coding products dependent on their needs.

About Practice Management Information Corporation (PMIC)

PMIC was founded in 1986 and is the nation's leading independent publisher and value-added reseller of medical coding and compliance resources with a reputation for delivering choice, quality, service and value. Customers trust PMIC to provide complete, accurate and unbiased information. Reported by PRWeb 16 minutes ago.

The rules of the employee benefits game have been changed. Connecticut-based ebenefit Marketplace has launched a private exchange platform that will level the playing field.

(PRWEB) April 09, 2014

The first quarter of 2014 pushed health insurance brokers’ limits farther than they have ever been. Plan changes, carrier delays, employer education, employee confusion - saying they have been busy would be an understatement.

Not long ago, many brokers feared they wouldn’t even make it this far. It turns out…producers are adapting quickly to the post-reform world, though many challenges remain.

Carriers have put brokers on notice that the potential for bonuses and other incentives will soon be gone. Most have already prepared themselves for the decline in standard commissions, which are also sure to come. With compliance and performance targets that need to be met, health plans are putting the squeeze on producers in order to make room for these costs.

If that wasn’t enough, now more than ever, brokers are being asked to do more for less.

This is the largest change in our industry that most of us have ever seen. With change, there will be those that are prepared and will grow; there will also be those that wish these changes would all go away and be pushed out of their market space. One thing is for sure: many brokers will be acquired over the next few years — a clear sign of the pressure to achieve economies of scale while meeting the increasingly sophisticated demands of the market.

This year brings on a whole new set of challenges. Employers are educating themselves and asking tough questions, expecting their broker to help them make important health care delivery decisions. Double-digit increases are being seen nationwide, something employers cannot sustain.

Forty-five percent of employers have implemented, or plan to consider using, a private exchange for their full-time active employees before 2018, according to a new employer survey conducted by the Private Exchange Evaluation Collaborative.

Organizations that have the ability to invest in or develop their own private exchange will be few and far between. Trying to enter into the game this late puts many firms at risk with competitors who were quick to adopt a strategy early. The smart broker will align themselves with a strategic technology partner with the resources and experience to deliver systems that will ease the burden of administration and use technology to do more with less.

The Connecticut based technology provider ebenefit Marketplace provides firms nationwide with the tools and resources to run a private exchange branded for their organization and their clients.

“We don’t expect brokers and advisors to learn what we have entrenched ourselves in over the past years,” says Frank B. Mengert, Partner & Director of Exchange Technology at ebenefit Marketplace. “We provide one of the best private exchange technology solutions on the market…with no implementation fees…and we do all of the heavy lifting.”

The next few years will be challenging for producers as they attempt to retain their client base in an industry that is more competitive then ever. Rates are rates, and our business is now forged by the partnerships the smarter advisor brings to the table. Those that can play a strategic role in administration, as well as those who create craftier ways for employers to control costs through Defined Contributions, will be the ones that survive.

The producers left standing will not be the same brokers we see today. The days of spreadsheeting and once a year client visits are gone. Advisors of the future will leverage technology into their offerings to ensure compliance and remain competitive. Reported by PRWeb 19 hours ago.

For Comcast, the millions of dollars it has invested in Congress are definitely paying off. The company is finding a mostly warm reception in Congress for a proposed merger with Time Warner.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, the company has top proponents from both sides of the aisle in Pennsylvania like Senator Pat Toomey (R–PA), a long time supporter of the merger.

In response to a piece written by The Washington Free Beacon’s Matthew Continetti, who showed Comcast’s and Time Warner’s numerous connections to Democratic members of Congress, Toomey’s office replied, “Senator Toomey supports this merger because it’s good for Philly and Pennsylvania’s economy and job market.”

Comcast, the number one cable provider in the country, spent $18.8 million on lobbying members of Congress last year. The Philadelphia Inquirer notes the cable company outspent Google, ExxonMobil, Verizon and Boeing, among others. In fact, Comcast and its partners have given $2 million to candidates in both parties for this election cycle up to this point.

The top recipients of Comcast’s donations are: House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. Chris Coons (D – DE), Sen. Edward Markey (D – MA), Sen. Mark Pryor (D – AR), Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK), Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, and Rep. Greg Walden, (R – OR).

These contributions are in addition to the $1.3 million of Comcast’s donations to PACs and their associated individuals. The National Republican Congressional Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Republican National Committee, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee all top the list of contributions received from Comcast this year. Comcast’s contributions from 1989 through the present, remained relatively consistent between Republicans and Democrats depending upon which party held which chamber; who was representing Pennsylvania; or which member of Congress sat on a particular committee related to telecom issues.

Aides to Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Toomey, as well as Comcast told the Inquirer that it was unfair to assume a quid pro quo exists through campaign donations.

"It's demeaning to elected officials to suggest that their support can be bought," said David L. Cohen, Comcast's executive vice president and top government-affairs official. "There's never any quid pro quo."

Indeed, many U.S. companies, large and small, give donations to one or both political parties and sometimes receive little if only a thank you letter in return, which is why some wonder about Comcast’s extra step involving the company in helping the Obama administration promote and move legislation forward, like the health care reform bill.

In 2009, on the same day Comcast announced its acquisition of NBC Universal, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts sent President Barack Obama a letter proclaiming his support for the Senate health care bill and offered to help the administration, through his company, promote it and later implement it. The pairing of Comcast and NBCU was politically ideal for the administration, particularly after the rough roll-out of healthcare.gov.

Along with having MSNBC talking heads touting the merits of the Affordable Care Act, by September 27 2013, NBC News announced it would broadcast a special series of programs and reports meant to “help Americans get the most out of the Affordable Care Act.” The series appeared on network programming as “NBC Nightly News” and “Today,” as well as on social media and other online outlets.

However, when the bad news hit, NBC clammed up. On November 21, 2013, The Media Research Center’s blog Newsbusters pointed out that NBC News made no mention for 72 hours that millions of Americans would lose their health insurance and the resulting backlash towards the President and his party. On the other hand, CBS and ABC did report about the lost policies and that the administration was aware of the problems with Healthcare.gov as early as March 2013.

Comcast has plenty of friends within the administration and in Congress today. The Free Beacon pointed out recently that Harry Reid’s chief of staff is David Krone, Comcast’s former Vice President. Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen, a former aide to Governor Ed Rendell, and Time Warner Cable Executive Vice President Arthur Minson on Wednesday.

The merger has gotten support from key conservatives as well.

The Heritage Foundation is also supporting the merger, despite questions regarding Comcast’s management actively working against conservative policies.

“When there’s a merger or regulatory issue, I put aside whether it’s a Democratic firm—whether the CEO is Democratic or Republican or what their politics are. I think a lot of their politics are misguided, but that doesn’t color my view of the economics of the situation,” said the Heritage Foundation’s James Gattuso to Breitbart News.

However, other conservative groups released a coalition letter Tuesdsay morning aimed at Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee "demanding scrutiny of the merger because of the Obama Administration’s record of politicizing the Justice Department and engaging in Crony Capitalism."  Colin Hanna of Let Freedom Ring, a signatory of the letter, told Breitbart News, " A combined Comcast Time Warnershould not prejudicially restrict Blaze TV's access to cable subscribers. Since Comcast more than Time Warner is a content provider and content owner through its ownership of NBC and its various component parts, one could argue that Comcast might determine that it is in their competitive best interest to restrict such access." Reported by Breitbart 17 hours ago.

The nation's largest pharmacy benefits manager says that patients from the health care overhaul's new insurance exchanges have been more likely to use expensive specialty drugs for chronic conditions. The overhaul launched a major coverage expansion earlier this year with the debut of state-based health insurance exchanges. Reported by SeattlePI.com 17 hours ago.

Tax-time is an appropriate season to remember that it's our tax dollars that run the government - along with half a trillion dollars in borrowed money each year.

This year, your tax dollars are paying for all of the "traditional" things the government spends money on each year, including national defense, salaries of government employees, interest on the national debt, foreign aid, a dozen cabinet departments including education, energy, and commerce - and a new category this year: subsidies for your neighbors to get affordable health insurance policies.

All that government spending of our tax dollars does tend to mount up. According to TruthinAccounting.org, a non-profit that keeps track of both our acknowledged current national debt and the burden of future government payment promises, we now have an "official" national debt of more than $17.4 Trillion. And the ticking clock on their website shows that we have promised to pay a total of $75.9 trillion (or maybe it will be $76 trillion by the time you read this) to future Social Security and Medicare recipients, and in interest on our debt, along with military retirement benefits, etc., etc.

In other words, we owe a LOT of money! More than the government can raise in taxes. More than the government can make up by cutting spending. And probably even more than the government can "print" - at least, before the rest of the world catches on and decides to stop lending us money at affordable interest rates.

The only way out of our debt dilemma is a surge of economic growth. That's not an unrealistic possibility. We saw our budget deficits turn into a surplus in the 1990s as a wave of productivity brought on by technology spurred economic growth. It's possible that as we lurch toward energy independence a wave of low cost energy could push our economy to grow at much faster rates. A growing economy means less government spending on unemployment benefits and more income tax receipts.

In the meantime, Washington is playing a shell game. They are dividing the country - not between Democrats and Republicans, or liberals and conservatives. Instead, because of the burden of all this promised spending and increasing debt, Washington is dividing us between young and old. They are creating "Generation Warfare." Soon they will have us all fighting each other at the trough of government benefits.

*Generation Warfare*

What else can you call it when young people are coerced into buying expensive health insurance in order to subsidize the lower cost policies of their elders?
What else can you call it when young people are enticed to take out student loans at interest rates many times what the government pays to borrow - and then graduate into an economy that is not providing jobs so they can repay those loans?
What else can you call it when younger workers pay into a Social Security "trust fund" that is scheduled to move onto shaky ground long before they can expect to receive benefits - all to pay for someone else's parents and grandparents?

And from the seniors' side, isn't it generation warfare for the Fed to keep interest rates low (depriving seniors of the opportunity to earn interest in their retirement years), so that the government's unprecedented borrowing (a burden on the young) can continue?
And isn't it generation warfare to reduce the government's support for Medicare Advantage plans and limit Medicare reimbursements to physicians and hospitals, just when seniors most need the care?

*The Government vs. Us*

Whether you're a young graduating college student, a middle-aged worker hoping to keep a job, or a senior worrying about making ends meet, you're a victim of a government that thinks it knows what's best for you. Our government entices you to depend on it, whether for student loans, or healthcare, or food stamps, or disability insurance.

We have a system in Washington - built by both political parties - that survives by turning us against each other, individuals and generations. Instead of figuring out how to grow the economic pie, they are obsessed with dividing up the existing pie. Young and old are starting to pay the price for our dependency on government solutions.

Abraham Lincoln said: "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

It's something to think about as we approach Income Tax Day and send in your check to the government, or calculate how much you paid in withholding. Ironically, Tax Day is as far away from Election Day as you can get on the calendar. They - the Washington establishment - are counting on us not to notice, or not to remember, when it comes time to vote them back into office to make decisions that change the course of America for generations to come.

Dependency is no recipe for prosperity. And that's The Savage Truth. Reported by Huffington Post 16 hours ago.

CMS has extended the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance enrollment period for individuals (1) who have had difficulty signing up for a health insurance plan through an Affordable Insurance Exchange by March 31, 2014, or (2) who have not signed up by March 31 due to a wide range of circumstances. Reported by Mondaq 16 hours ago.

Patient Care, a Milwaukee-based company hired by employers to assist employees in navigating health insurance plans, will return to its roots by opening an office in New Orleans. CEO and president Jane Cooper founded the company in New Orleans in 2001, but after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 damaged the company’s office, she decided to relocate to Milwaukee because she liked the business environment and already had several Milwaukee-area clients. The company said Wednesday it will open a sales office… Reported by bizjournals 16 hours ago.

Employees with children are less likely to accept different jobs if they have to give up child care benefits.

Richmond, Va. (PRWEB) April 09, 2014

With so many parents working outside the home, finding adequate, affordable child care is a struggle for many families.

Experient Health, the health insurance arm of the Virginia Farm Bureau in Richmond, Va., appreciates that and in its latest Blog post in a community education series explains the benefits offering child care to employees can bring to businesses.

"Offering these benefits not only helps your employees, but it also helps your business as a whole by serving as a valuable recruitment and retention tool," Experient Health wrote.

There are a few different options for offering child care benefits to your employees, ranging from onsite child care to a discounted rate to a nearby child care center.

Among the reasons employers opt to include this benefit to their teams include that "employees with children are less likely to accept different job offers if they have to give up child care benefits, loyalty to employers increases, and child care services often pay for themselves by reducing turnover rates," Experient Health wrote.

Employers may reduce turnover costs by as much as $500,000 per year if they retain 10 employees per year at a cost of $50,000 per turnover (this cost may include training time and resources, signing bonuses, supplies and more).

Employees, in turn, value the child care benefit because it helps decrease non-work stress, often results in shorter commutes, and allows for many parents to see their children during the day.

For mothers who are breastfeeding, this is seen as an extremely good benefit.

To read more about how to offer child care benefits, and why, visit the Experient Health community education Blog series. Reported by PRWeb 16 hours ago.

Minnesota's legislative auditor says he plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the troubled launch of Minnesota's health insurance exchange. Reported by TwinCities.com 15 hours ago.

Q. I'm a retiree who is eligible for Tricare but has other health insurance, to which Tricare acts as second payer. Reported by NavyTimes 14 hours ago.

Brett Davis, who led Gov. Scott Walker’s efforts to enroll Wisconsinites in either Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act online marketplace, has joined Madison-based WPS Health Insurance as vice president of provider relations. Davis is a former Republican member of the state Assembly who was appointed state Medicaid director by Dennis Smith, the then-secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Davis oversaw a budget of $8 billion serving 1.1 million Wisconsin residents, and managed… Reported by bizjournals 14 hours ago.