A slush fund for Kathleen Sebelius, or helping sick Americans with pre-existing conditions?
When the U.S. House votes tomorrow on H.R. 1549 — the Helping Sick Americans Now (HSAN) Act — that's the choice they'll have before them. This bill would redirect funds that Secretary Sebelius is currently using to bankroll activists, lobbyists, PR pros and absurd projects like pet neutering, and instead prioritize sick Americans who need care through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan.
The HSAN Act doesn't fix ObamaCare. And it doesn't add to it in any way. What this bill will do is defund one of the worst, most wasteful aspects of ObamaCare and discourage implementation. That's why a vote for this bill is consistent with a commitment to full and complete repeal.
This is also at opportunity for us to highlight the hypocrisy of the Obama administration who sold ObamaCare, in part, as a way to help people with pre-existing conditions, and has now chosen to turn its back on them by underfunding the law's program to help them.
At any point in time, Secretary Sebelius could have taken the compassionate step of redirecting the money in her slush fund to bolster the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. Secretary Sebelius and this Administration have chosen not to.
In choosing not to, they have in effect turned their back on an estimated 40,000 sick Americans looking for care.
Make no mistake. Our final goal is complete repeal of this harmful law. But, as we work towards that goal we should take every opportunity to blunt ObamaCare's harmful effects on the American people. Passing this bill will prioritize sick Americans, slow implementation of ObamaCare — recently described as a "train wreck" by Democrat Sen. Max Baucus — and reduce the deficit by an estimated $1 billion.
The HSAN Act is a golden opportunity to show what we are for, and whom we are for, and not just what we are against.