A question about the healthcare bill

[muck]

Go to page 496 of 906 and you'll read this:

 

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.—There 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 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.

 

( ASSIMILATING RESERVE CORP OFFICERS INTO THE REGULAR CORPS.—Effective on the date of enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care 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.

 

© PURPOSE AND USE OF READY RESEARCH.—

 

(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;

 

( be available and ready for involuntary calls to active duty during national emergencies and public health crises, similar to the uniformed service reserve personnel;

 

© 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 799B) 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 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for recruitment and training and $12,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for the Ready Reserve Corps.’’.

 

*********************************************

 

I don't understand the purpose of this "Ready Reserve Corps".

 

I've seen some way-right-wing types put forward that this section is really some sort of nefarious attempt to create some sort of private-military force accountable only to the POTUS. Is it?

 

Or, is there some sort of important reason related to the delivery of medical treatment that this needs to be in here? If so, it's not immediately obvious to me how this is related to healthcare.

 

Or, is there something else going on that makes this a worthwhile thing for our government to be doing?

 

...just curious...

Edited November 26, 2010 by muck

[Clubfoothead]

[BeeR]

 

Maybe Obama figures on riots when the poop hits the fan with the health care stuff and the Guard/Reserve is too maxed w/the MIddle East stuff.

[redrumjuice]

(3) APPOINTMENT.—Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President

 

(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

 

We have to pass the healthcare bill so you can see what's in it! Everything in it is awesome!

[Clubfoothead]

[redrumjuice]

 

Isn't it a bit early to bake there foot? I am worried about you. Please seek help.

[gbpfan1231]

Don't get what you are laughing at????

 

I read it and have no idea what it said???????

[muck]

Don't get what you are laughing at????

 

I read it and have no idea what it said???????

 

...hence my questions...

 

What is this section of the HC bill all about? It doesn't seem to be related at all to the delivery of health care to the citizens of our great nation. It seems like a rider of some sort, but it's not at all clear what it's purpose is.

 

Anyone know?

[gbpfan1231]

...hence my questions...

 

What is this section of the HC bill all about? It doesn't seem to be related at all to the delivery of health care to the citizens of our great nation. It seems like a rider of some sort, but it's not at all clear what it's purpose is.

 

Anyone know?

Seems like it is something to do with a catastrophic event. Establishing a group that would be available to some event - major outbreak or maybe bio terror attack??? just a guess though????

[Clubfoothead]

Well the whole idea that Obama authorized a private army to promulgate socalized medicine is about as absurd as arguing that 43 gave the Fed it's own private army to promulgate corporatism with Section 364 of the Patriot Act.

 

Seems to me that a procedure is now in-place to call up reserve doctors the same way one would call up reserve military in a time of crisis.

 

I'm supposed to fear an army of doctors reporting to the surgeon general?

[gbpfan1231]

Well the whole idea that Obama authorized a private army to promulgate socalized medicine is about as absurd as arguing that 43 gave the Fed it's own private army to promulgate corporatism with Section 364 of the Patriot Act.

 

Seems to me that a procedure is now in-place to call up reserve doctors the same way one would call up reserve military in a time of crisis.

 

I'm supposed to fear an army of doctors reporting to the surgeon general?

That is what I got out of it also.

[BeeR]

Seems to me that a procedure is now in-place to call up reserve doctors the same way one would call up reserve military in a time of crisis.

Then why didn't they say that? The wording is FAR FAR more vague, allowing a disturbing amount of "wiggle room."

 

Oh I almost forgot:

 

etc

[Clubfoothead]

Then why didn't they say that? The wording is FAR FAR more vague, allowing a disturbing amount of "wiggle room."

 

Oh I almost forgot:

 

etc

 

You word it genius. Where was your criticism of Section 364 of the Patriot Act? Nowhere because you are full of $hit.

 

It was obvious to me from the start.

 

You should go be a joke on some other message board.

[gbpfan1231]

Then why didn't they say that? The wording is FAR FAR more vague, allowing a disturbing amount of "wiggle room."

 

Oh I almost forgot:

 

etc

It is written like everything else that is written by lawyers.

[bushwacked]

It was obvious to me from the start.

 

+1

[bushwacked]

Fact Check: http://factcheck.org/2010/04/obamas-private-army/

 

The truth about the new Ready Reserve Corps is a lot less interesting than the conspiracy theories. Before the law was passed, the Public Health Service, unlike other elements of the government’s seven uniformed services, didn’t have a "ready reserve" – a cadre of individuals who could be called up involuntarily in times of need. What it had was a regular, full-time corps of 2,800 doctors, nurses, scientists and other medical professionals, which was the limit under law. It also had a reserve corps. But most of the individuals in the reserve corps, which was larger than the regular corps, were on extended active duty for the duration of their careers; in other words, they worked full-time, just like the regular corps, because they were needed, but the statutory cap prevented the service from bringing them into the regular corps.

 

The new law eliminates the personnel cap and brings the members of what used to be the reserve corps into the regular corps, which as a result now numbers about 6,600, according to an official at the Public Health Service who spoke to us on background.

 

And the law creates the ready reserve of individuals who can be called up for service by the U.S. surgeon general in times of need; the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is often used as an example of an incident that might trigger a call-up.

 

I, for one, am shocked to see the likes of redrum and BeeR being fooled by a right wing propaganda email effort.

Edited November 26, 2010 by bushwacked

[muck]

Thank you for answering my genuine question.

 

I'll happily relay some of this to those in my life who need a clue.

[BeeR]

You word it genius. Where was your criticism of Section 364 of the Patriot Act? Nowhere because you are full of $hit.

 

It was obvious to me from the start.

 

You should go be a joke on some other message board.

If you're much past the age of 10, that's a really sad post.

 

For example, what does that have to do with this topic? FYI I'm not interested in yet another pro-Obama vs anti-Obama pile of BS, if that's the cat fight you're trying to start. So how about actually addressing my post instead of having a little tantrum and spitting at me?

 

The wording is extremely vague. That is IMO a rather obvious fact which causes me to therefore wonder about this, like many others are. If that's "full of $hit" to you, whatever. You want a joke, look in the mirror.

[caddyman]

If you're much past the age of 10, that's a really sad post.

 

For example, what does that have to do with this topic? FYI I'm not interested in yet another pro-Obama vs anti-Obama pile of BS, if that's the cat fight you're trying to start. So how about actually addressing my post instead of having a little tantrum and spitting at me?

 

The wording is extremely vague. That is IMO a rather obvious fact which causes me to therefore wonder about this, like many others are. If that's "full of $hit" to you, whatever. You want a joke, look in the mirror.

Angry little clubber is not gonna like that. He bitter little man.