Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C000752 09/12/2013 HEALTHPAC MHA Management Services Corporation PO Box 6766 Jefferson City MO 65102 9/9/2013 $220,000.00

[emphasis added]

To our health.

Not quite in the Sinquefield league. Think about that for a second.

Before the August 3rd primary we received a photocopied flyer on our doorstep in the name of a right wingnut astroturf organization in support of proposition C and in opposition to federal health care reform legislation. Of course, it’s much ado about nothing because of the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution, but it does serve republican posturing.

Let’s take a look at the money.

They received some interesting contributions in the days leading up to the election – as reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C101350 MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM [pdf] 7/30/2010

Ethelmae Humphreys

Joplin, MO Retired 7/29/2010

$25,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C101350 MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM [pdf] 7/22/2010

Menlo Smith

St. Louis, MO Sunmark Capitol 7/22/2010

$5,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C101350 MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM [pdf] 7/21/2010

Mark Andrews

Sanibel, FL Retired 7/21/2010

$10,000.00 [emphasis added]

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C101350 MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM [pdf] 7/19/2010

Fred Sauer

St. Louis, MO Orion Investment Co. 7/19/2010

$5,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C101350 MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM [pdf]7/19/2010

William Canfield

Kirkwood, MO Retired 7/17/2010

$5,000.00

[emphasis added]

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C101350 MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM [pdf]6/28/2010

Ray Vincent

Chesterfield, MO US Auto Protection 6/28/2010

$5,000.00

Missourians for Goodman

Mount Vernon, MO 6/28/2010

$5,000.00

Citizens for Brad Lager

Savannah, MO 6/25/2010

$5,000.00

[emphasis added]

Ah, some of the usual suspects.

There were a few interesting contributions in the committee’s “eight day” report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission on July 24th:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM

Report Date: 7/24/2010

Midwest ENT Center PC Saint Peters, MO 7/19/2010 $1,000.00

August Busch III Saint Peters, MO Retired 7/22/2010 $1,000.00

Billy Long For Congress Seminole Springfield, MO 7/22/2010 $100.00

[emphasis added]

Yep, that Billy Long.

The expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM

ReportDate: 7/24/2010

Media Placements Kansas City, MO 7/20/2010 yard signs 6300 $3,000.00

Market and Communications Research Kansas City, MO 7/6/2010 campaign management 14192.37 $5,000.00

John Hancock and Assoc Chesterfield, MO 7/9/2010 fundraising 499.55 $499.55

Phelan Design Group Wildwood, MO 7/9/2010 graphic design 1462.5 $1,462.50

Media Placements Kansas City, MO 7/9/2010 yard signs 6300 $3,300.00

Market and Communications Research Kansas City, MO 7/9/2010 online/social media 14192.37 $2,000.00

Market and Communications Research Kansas City, MO 7/16/2010 campaign management 14192.37 $5,000.00

Market and Communications Research Kansas City, MO 7/20/2010 travel reimbursements 14192.37 $2,192.37

CAMPAIGN Date Established:5/21/2010

COMMITTEE: MECID:C101350

MISSOURIANS FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM

KANSAS CITY MO 64171

TREASURER: PATRICK TUOHEY

[emphasis added]

Market and Communications Research, Inc.? Any connection [pdf]?

We also received three mail pieces from the Missouri Hospital Association in opposition to proposition C (and yes, they did spend a lot of money, too):

The MHA asks the question that the teabgger opponents to health care reform legislation never seem to want to answer: “Should Missourians who already pay for health insurance also have to pay for those who choose not to pay?”

The best quote about the outcome of the Proposition C vote, given the usual republican turnout in these August primaries: “It’s like expecting Red Sox fans to vote for the Yankees.”

Last Friday Tony Messenger of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch observed that one of the reasons that Proposition C, the Missouri tenthers’ effort to sabotage the health care reform bill, is likely to pass is that there is no organized opposition. But on the other side Proposition C proponents are getting their act together. Organizations like Missourians for Health Care Freedom are mobilizing for the final push. A grim situation all around.

So you can imagine my surprise today when I received a big, glossy mailer from the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) asking folks who might be inclined to vote for Prop C to get their facts straight. The particular fact that the MHA chose to emphasize in the mailer ought to have some resonance with those greedy and fearful little hobgoblins on the right who are so afraid that a poor person (or, horror of horrors, a poor black person) might get some of their hard-earned dollars:

But by law, Missouri’s hospitals must provide medical care in their emergency departments to anyone who is uninsured – even if they can afford health insurance. Hospitals must cover the cost of that care by charging more to patients who do have insurance.

So the question is: Should Missourians who already pay for health insurance also have to pay for those who choose not to pay?

If you think it’s acceptable that some who can afford insurance get a free ride, vote yes on Proposition C. If you think that’s unfair, you should vote no

.

There’s more on the MHA Website, a factsheet and a statement from the MHA President and CEO, Herb B. Kuhn, explaining why the MHA has decided to join the fight against Proposition C in such a prominent way:

The MHA Board of Trustees endorsed a voter education campaign on Proposition C because, regardless of the feelings about federal reform, Proposition C could have very real – and negative – implications for  hospitals

Negative implications like upsetting the balance of Medicare and Medicaid payments – according to Kuhn, Missouri hospitals would stand to lose somewhere in the vicinity of 500 million dollars over ten years if the individual mandate were to be revoked.  He adds:

Much will be said during the next few weeks about the individual mandate and the notion of “individual freedom.” That is a powerful and persuasive argument. There is, however, another side of the story, and that’s the notion of “fairness.” Fairness to make sure Missouri’s hard-earned Medicare and Medicaid dollars stay in the state and fairness in sharing in the cost of health coverage for all.

 

Many argue that since Proposition C is patently unconstitutional – it clearly conflicts with the Supremacy Clause – it can be safely ignored. Don’t think, though, that a constitutional showdown will be quick, inexpensive or pretty. If the proposition were ever allowed to go into effect, Mr. Kuhn’s statement is potent testimony to some of the potentially disastrous financial impacts. At the very least, a Proposition C victory will be used as a rallying cry to revitalize the war on the President and his health care agenda.  In this environment, the MHA’s willingness to stand on the frontline and oppose this piece of pernicious political theater with a dose of reality is more than welcome and they deserve our appreciation.