Does anyone know why funding an ARMY is necessary in the Health care bill? Additionally The Public Health Services act had formerly already established a Corps, but this amendment not only changes their mission, but also increases funding for recruitment and training. It's bad enough that we are being FORCED to buy health care based on the sole fact that we are alive and living in the USA, and it's worse that it will be enforced by the IRS with an additional 1500 or so new Agents needed to keep track of everyone who doesn't get their own health care. And it's bad that if you fail to get health insurance you could be put in jail. ( shoot that might be the best option of all refuse to get health care and go to jail. Because in jail you get 3 squares a day and you get your health care for free.) But why exactly do we need the Health care Army also?
SEC. 5210. ESTABLISHING A READY RESERVE CORPS.
Section 203 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 204) is amended to read as follows:
SEC. 203. COMMISSIONED CORPS AND READY RESERVE CORPS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT–
(1) IN GENERAL.–here shall be in the Service a commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve Corps for service in time of national emergency.
(2) REQUIREMENT.–All commissioned officers shall be citizens of the United States and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and compensated without regard to the Classification Act 2 of 1923, as amended.
(3) APPOINTMENT.–Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President and commissioned officers of the Regular Corps shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(4) ACTIVE DUTY.–Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for the purpose of training.
(5) WARRANT OFFICERS.–Warrant officers may be appointed to the Service for the purpose of providing support to the health and delivery systems maintained by the Service and any warrant officer appointed to the Service shall be considered for purposes of this Act and title 37, United States Code, to be a commissioned officer within the Commissioned Corps of the Service.
(b) ASSIMILATING RESERVE CORP OFFICERS INTO THE REGULAR CORPS.—Effective on the date of enactment of the Affordable Health Choices Act, all individuals classified as officers in the Reserve Corps under this section (as such section existed on the day before the date of enactment of such Act) and serving on active duty shall be deemed to be commissioned officers of the Regular Corps
c) PURPOSE AND USE OF READY RESERVE.–
(1) PURPOSE.–The purpose of the Ready Reserve Corps is to fulfill the need to have additional Commissioned Corps personnel available on short notice (similar to the uniformed service’s reserve program) to assist regular Commissioned Corps personnel to meet both routine public health and emergency response missions.
(2) USES.–The Ready Reserve Corps shall–
(A) participate in routine training to meet the general and specific needs of the Commissioned Corps;
(B) be available and ready for involuntary calls to active duty during national emergencies and public health crises, similar to the uniformed service reserve personnel;
(C) be available for backfilling critical positions left vacant during deployment of active duty Commissioned Corps members, as well as for deployment to respond to public health emergencies, both foreign and domestic; and
(D) be available for service assignment in isolated, hardship, and medically underserved communities (as defined in section 399SS) to improve access to health services.
(d) FUNDING.—For the purpose of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Commissioned Corps under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to the Office of the Surgeon General for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014. Funds appropriated under this subsection shall be used for recruitment and training of Commissioned Corps Officers.
To be honest, I don't understand why people are so upset about being "forced" to buy health insurance (after all, wasn't part of the problem that many people COULDN'T get it and now they'll get assistance to do so?), nearly every other country in the world has a similar system and their health care is far cheaper than ours. In the end it doesn't matter though, with the coming crash in oil production (google "peak oil", you'll see what I mean)we've got bigger things to worry about.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about the Army funding aspect though, it doesn't make sense.
HI Ruth, I do agree with several things in the bill however I don't agree that a person should be forced into buying a private product based only on the fact that they live in the country. I do agree that forcing insurance to not drop coverage because you get sick and I do agree that they should cover people with pre-existing conditions. And those two items right there will help A LOT of people who previously COULD not get Health insurance. I believe people should have a choice. Right now I spend 100 times MORE in health insurance then I do in health care costs. Why do I need insurance if I don't actually have any health care costs?
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