Blunt to Tour Mt. Vernon Vet Clinic Monday

Congressman Roy Blunt will visit the Missouri Rehab Center and Gene Taylor Veterans Clinic in Mt. Vernon Monday at 9:45 a.m.
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OTHER BLUNT POINTS:

• According to American Medical News, Congressman Blunt seems to agree that Congress needs to fix the Medicare reimbursement formula this year. "Almost everyone in the Congress believes that you need to be more fairly compensated and that Medicare takes advantage of the system by not doing [its] part,"Blunt is quoted saying at a March 10th conference.
• Blunt has co-sponsored legislation with Rep. Ron Paul (i.e. Mr. Revolution) that calls for the Federal Reserve to be more transparent about their operations. The legislation requires a full audit of the Fed by the end of 2010. "An extra level of transparency could prevent our current troubles from worsening -- and perhaps could have prevented them from becoming this severe," Blunt said.
• Capital J, a D.C-based Jewish publication, reports that Blunt wants a greater effort from the State Department to enforce sanctions against Iran. He wants the Obama administration to apply more pressure on firms that invest in Iran's energy sector.

ALSO on MONDAY: Blunt has an evening fundraiser set for his U.S. Senate bid at Metro in Springfield.

Kinder-Page Squabble Continues

K.C. STAR: "The hottest down-ballot race in years"

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder's re-election campaign attributed a second quarter fundraising loss to bad weather.

Rep. Sam Page, Kinder's likely Democratic opponent in November, brought in more campaign contributions over the past three months than the sitting incumbent. Check my earlier post HERE. Page took in about $17,000 more than Kinder between April and the end of June.

Kinder spokesperson Paul Sloca said the Lieutenant Governor's attention to recent flooding problems in Missouri is part of the reason his money haul fell a bit short.

"Unlike some others, Lt. Governor Peter Kinder has not had the luxury of spending all his time raising campaign money," said Sloca Tuesday. "Instead, Lt. Governor Kinder led the state as Governor during a time of great crisis when flood waters threatened thousands of Missourians, while at the same time carrying out the day-to-day responsibilities of the state’s chief executive. Simply put, Peter Kinder is not one to put raising money before carrying out his sworn duties as a full-time Lieutenant Governor or when he is called to take on the responsibilities of Governor," he added.

Meanwhile, late Tuesday Page continued to push Kinder to take a position on the newly vetoed Medicare reimbursement bill.

"Lt. Gov. Kinder can still join me in calling for Congress to override President Bush's veto," Page said. "Missouri's seniors deserve to know where the state's designated senior advocate stands on this issue," said Page.

Numerous inquiries to spokesperson Sloca on the issue have been ignored.

Kinder Camp to Page: Your Not Worthy

A spokesperson for Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder said that Rep. Sam Page's challenge on a federal Medicare bill does not warrant a response.

Earlier Monday, Page, the Democratic candidate for Governor, asked Kinder to reveal his position on a Medicare bill that would cut physician pay rates. Congress overwhelmingly passed it; the President is promising a veto.

Kinder campaign spokesperson Paul Sloca responded by listing Kinder's efforts to help seniors.

"Among other things, the lieutenant governor has led the effort to direct more funding to help educate Missourians about the program and to provide additional outreach efforts to assist our seniors; he has led the effort to help Missourians compare the cost of their prescription drugs on the web; he was a leading voice in rewriting safety regulations and operating rules for Assisted Living homes in Missouri; and he worked with the Area Agencies on Aging to increase funding for the Home-Delivered Meals program," said Sloca.

"With that kind of record, the lieutenant governor does not feel it necessary to respond to Sam Page’s cheap political attacks which are nothing more than transparent attempts to mask his complete lack of leadership and experience on seniors’ issues," Sloca added.

An e-mail to Sloca with a specific question about whether Kinder supports the Medicare bill was not returned.

Page Challenges Kinder on Medicare

Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor Sam Page wants to know where Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder stands on a federal Medicare bill.

President Bush has signaled he'll veto the AARP-supported legislation, and Page said Kinder should urge him not to. The measure would replace a scheduled 10.6 percent cut to Medicare’s physician pay rates with 18 months of stable payments. The cost would be offset by cutting bonus payments to private Medicare plans known as Medicare Advantage, according to CQ Politics.

"Forty-four million seniors and nine million military personnel will be hurt if they lose access to medical care," Page said. "Too many of Missouri's seniors have already been denied the opportunity to visit a doctor by the Blunt-Kinder healthcare cuts of 2005. This is the worst time for the President to veto a bill that will protect our seniors and veterans," he added in a statement.

Page also used today's news of Kinder's endorsement of Congressman Kenny Hulshof for Governor to highlight the issue. Hulshof was one of only 59 Congressmen to vote against the Medicare bill when it passed the House on June 24.


"I ask my opponent, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, as the state's designated advocate for seniors, to disagree with his choice for governor and stand up for Missouri's seniors," Page said.

The bill passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. House of Representatives 355-59 and U.S. Senate 69-30. Bush is expected to veto the bill Tuesday.

State Gives Greene Haven A Green Light Under New Management

A Springfield nursing home once in danger of closing is getting a second chance under new management. Four months ago, the Greene Haven Nursing Home was battling state accusations of abuse and neglect and was close to losing its operating license. Now, under new leadership, the home is trying to restore its reputation.

Watch my KY3 News @ 10 report HERE.

About two weeks ago, after a favorable report by the state, Greene Haven became once again qualified for Medicare and Medicaid payments, which are crucial to its financial viability.

Watch This

A day after the big illegal immigration raid in Butterfield, Ky3's Melissa Yeager spoke with a single mom who was rounded up. The 24-year-old explains why she couldn't afford legal immigration. After the story ran, we received some calls and e-mails from viewers upset that we would "sympathize with" someone breaking the law, and "portray her as a victim." Watch it, and let us know what you think.

Also, Ky3's Cara Connelly delivers a user-friendly healthcare story that you should catch. Connelly breaks down prices for services and medicine at different area hospitals, and finds that decreasing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements impact even what insured patients pay.