Washington Post: Dodd got $100M project for his home state added to HCR bill

[garybeck]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/20/AR2009122002956_pf.html

Health bill money for hospital sought by Dodd

The Associated Press
Sunday, December 20, 2009; 11:32 PM



WASHINGTON -- A $100 million item for construction of a university hospital was inserted in the Senate health care bill at the request of Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who faces a difficult re-election campaign, his office said Sunday night.

The legislation leaves it up to the Health and Human Services Department to decide where the money should be spent, although spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said Dodd hopes to claim it for the University of Connecticut.

The provision is included in a 383-page series of changes to the health care bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., outlined Saturday. Scattered throughout are numerous items sought by individual lawmakers, many of them directing money explicitly to programs or projects in their home states.

The one sought by Dodd provides $100 million for "a health care facility that provides research, inpatient tertiary care, or outpatient clinical services." It must be affiliated with an academic health center at a public research university in the United States "that contains a State's sole public academic medical and dental school."

The money can cover a maximum of 40 percent of the facility's construction costs.

Based on the criteria set out on the bill, it appeared that state-affiliated hospitals in about a dozen states could compete for the funds.

Dodd has played a key role in development of the health care bill in the Senate. He wielded the gavel earlier in the year when the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee spent weeks drafting its version of the measure. The late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., was chairman at the time, but unable to preside.

Dodd, who is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is seeking a new term in 2010, but polls so far show him in a tight race.

[Donnachaidh]

1. all these swag bags being handed out to ensure the right vote

Change we can believe in -- right? Right?

[WI_DEM]

2. Yeah! and Bernie Sanders got $10 billion for health community centers--what a douche!!

[Winterblues]

6. Yeah really, what in the hell do we need Health centers for in a health care Bill?

Isn't there some way we could have gotten money for machine guns?

[FBaggins]

3. Polls don't show Dodd "in a tight race"

They show Dodd getting crushed. I don't think that he's led since March and (since then) has only topped 40% support in a Daily Kos poll. Most polls have shown him losing by double digits.

[garybeck]

4. Well maybe this will boost his numbers! n/t

[FBaggins]

9. $100 Million won't put a dent in it.

Oh sure... the folks who work for that hospital will now vote for him... and perhaps a few others... but you don't make up 10-15% on the back of $100 million.

And, of course, there's the pork aspect of it. He's likely to lose some voters who end up with a bad taste in their mouths that his support of a bad bill can be purchased so easily.

[NNN0LHI]

5. I would much rather have this money going to tax cuts for the wealthy and wars

I hope the Dems spend it all plus some. Don't leave a dime left over for the next Rethug administration to give to their fat cat buddies and to start more wars.

Don

[DrDan]

7. which generation are we working on now - I think my Grandchildren are hocked to the limit now

[butterfly77]

8. RepubliCONS...

have many earmarks in the bill and they aren't even voting for it but,they will say what they think is good in the bill they will pick out the amendments they put in it and say that is why it is a good bill,if it passes.


If it doesn't pass they will pick out the amendments they wanted to put in the bill and then say that Nancy Pelosi stopped them or shut them out, when they were putting in amendments while not intending to vote for it anyhow when they were working on the bill all along putting in taxcuts for the rich ,and stalling it.They are doing the Joe Lieberman while playing with people's lives.