Senator Doug Berger’s World
2009-07-12 - by
Senator Doug Berger probably never dreamed anyone would run TV ads in his district telling his constituents how he voted to cut 20,000 elderly Medicaid patientsâ home care then, eight days later, turned around and voted to build a $25 million fishing pier at the beach — with a sixteen thousand square foot clubhouse and a ballroom.
But thatâs what happened and Senator Bergerâs gotten himself tied in political knots trying to get out of the mess.
First he let out a bellow heâd been smeared then he started telling everyone he was an innocent victim â a kind of modern day Horatio at the bridge â battling the evil special interests who were dead set on stopping him cutting government waste and fraud.
But, then, he slipped again and said he knew precisely, to the exact percent, how much fraud there was in Medicaid home care: 45%. Of course then he had to come up with proof and he slipped a third time. He said heâd gotten his hands on a report from Governor Perdueâs Administration that showed he was dead right.
Only what Governor Perdueâs Administration said was he was dead wrong.
An official at the Perdue Department of Health and Human Services wrote Bergerâs aide, Melanie Bush, and put it pretty bluntly, telling her â in plain English â that Bergerâs claim 45% of the home care patients didnât need care was flooey. (Click Here)
Then Dr. Craigon Gray, another Perdue appointee, weighed in and put it even blunter, explaining to Berger that a âreviewâ like the one he was citing didnât include an examination of even a single patient â so it couldnât possibly say a patient didnât need care. (Click Here)
That didnât faze Senator Berger â even with his fig leaf in tatters he forged ahead roaring heâd never back down – to hear him tell it youâd think 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients (many of whom will never see eighty again, are disabled, bedbound or in wheelchairs) are the most dangerous pack of lobbyists since Teddy Roosevelt tackled The Oil Monopoly and The Railroad Trust.
Finally, in his latest newsletter, Berger added the pièce de résistance, announcing the legislature has reached an agreement to raise taxes a whooping $1 billion then in the next breath saying that the Senate ârevenue package actually lowers the sales taxâ â which a blind man could see wasnât true.
So, hereâs Doug Bergerâs story (and heâs sticking to it):
Elderly Medicaid patients are a dangerous pack of special interests.
Home care â which keeps people out of Nursing Homes â is wasteful.
A $25 million fishing pier is wonderful.
And a billion dollar tax increase is a sales tax cut.
Senator Doug Berger’s World
2009-07-12/
Senator Doug Berger probably never dreamed anyone would run TV ads in his district telling his constituents how he voted to cut 20,000 elderly Medicaid patientsâ home care then, eight days later, turned around and voted to build a $25 million fishing pier at the beach — with a sixteen thousand square foot clubhouse and a ballroom.
But thatâs what happened and Senator Bergerâs gotten himself tied in political knots trying to get out of the mess.
First he let out a bellow heâd been smeared then he started telling everyone he was an innocent victim â a kind of modern day Horatio at the bridge â battling the evil special interests who were dead set on stopping him cutting government waste and fraud.
But, then, he slipped again and said he knew precisely, to the exact percent, how much fraud there was in Medicaid home care: 45%. Of course then he had to come up with proof and he slipped a third time. He said heâd gotten his hands on a report from Governor Perdueâs Administration that showed he was dead right.
Only what Governor Perdueâs Administration said was he was dead wrong.
An official at the Perdue Department of Health and Human Services wrote Bergerâs aide, Melanie Bush, and put it pretty bluntly, telling her â in plain English â that Bergerâs claim 45% of the home care patients didnât need care was flooey. (Click Here)
Then Dr. Craigon Gray, another Perdue appointee, weighed in and put it even blunter, explaining to Berger that a âreviewâ like the one he was citing didnât include an examination of even a single patient â so it couldnât possibly say a patient didnât need care. (Click Here)
That didnât faze Senator Berger â even with his fig leaf in tatters he forged ahead roaring heâd never back down – to hear him tell it youâd think 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients (many of whom will never see eighty again, are disabled, bedbound or in wheelchairs) are the most dangerous pack of lobbyists since Teddy Roosevelt tackled The Oil Monopoly and The Railroad Trust.
Finally, in his latest newsletter, Berger added the pièce de résistance, announcing the legislature has reached an agreement to raise taxes a whooping $1 billion then in the next breath saying that the Senate ârevenue package actually lowers the sales taxâ â which a blind man could see wasnât true.
So, hereâs Doug Bergerâs story (and heâs sticking to it):
Elderly Medicaid patients are a dangerous pack of special interests.
Home care â which keeps people out of Nursing Homes â is wasteful.
A $25 million fishing pier is wonderful.
And a billion dollar tax increase is a sales tax cut.