PALLONE: "No, I Will Not Yield To This MONKEY COURT Or Whatever This Thing Is"

[Segami]

During the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Affordable Care Act federal exchange website on Thursday morning, Representative Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) severely castigated Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) for inaccurately describing a privacy requirement in the law, eventually calling the entire hearing a "monkey court."

Barton had just questioned Cheryl Campbell, the senior vice president of CGI, one of the two primary contractors that built the federal exchange website, about whether the privacy components of the site were compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which in part regulates privacy concerns in the health care industry.

"I started out in my opening statement saying there was no legitimacy to this hearing, and the last line of the questioning certainly confirms that," Pallone said. "HIPAA only applies when there's health information being provided. That's not in play here today. No health information is required in the application process. And why is that? Because pre-existing conditions don't matter. So once again, here we have my Republican colleagues trying to scare everybody—"

"Will the gentleman yield?" Barton interrupted.

"No, I will not yield to this monkey court or whatever this thing is," Pallone responded.

"This is not a monkey court," Barton replied. "Protecting American citizens is a legitimate concern of this committee."

"There is no health information in the process," Pallone continued. "You're asked about your address, your date of birth. You are not asked health information. So why are we going down this path? Because you are trying to scare people so they don't apply, and so therefore the legislation gets delayed, or the Affordable Care Act gets defunded, or it's repealed. That's all it is, hoping people won't apply."

.

[Blue_Tires]

1. Kangaroo court?

[Tx4obama]

6. Monkey Court. Like in the 'Planet of the Apes' movie

[Blue Owl]

17. Death Panel of the Apes

n/t

[Paulie]

54. DUzy!!!!

[surrealAmerican]

10. This is probably what he meant.

Perhaps the flying feces confused him momentarily.

[cui bono]

48. LOL.

[giftedgirl77]

2. Ha ha ha

It's about time these idiots get called out for their bullshit.

[bravenak]

3. I lol'd when Barton was like " this is not a monkey court!"

He just started looking like a monkey to me. Not in a racist John Carter way.
And it's a monkey court. It is.

[Tanuki]

7. Reminds me of LBJ: "I just want to hear the SOB deny it!" n/t

[bravenak]

9. He got straight played.

I'm loving democrats right now.
They're Tyrioning like a mug.

[0rganism]

12. needed: one photoshop morph of Barton and a rhesus monkey

captioned "This is not a monkey court!"

whoever gets this thing rolling is a hero in my book

[bravenak]

13. That would be my photo of the day!

Please somebody who is computer literate, help a sistah out. I need a Barton monkey.

[0rganism]

19. workin' on it

trying out one of the online image morpher sites
barton+howler monkey = ??

I'm having a minor ethical problem with this - the monkey face is so much kinder, more sincere, more honest than Barton's; i feel like i'm throwing a major insult at the monkey.

[bravenak]

20. I'll try to figure out Issa.

He's a bold one so I need a good pic.
I know what you mean. They have such kind, soulful eyes. It's a shame to taint that natural beauty with such scummy faces.

[0rganism]

31. well, the site i tried didn't work out

would only let me morph a custom pic with a pre-selected bunch of celebrity images. i am disappoint.
anyway i think this is a job for the pros.

[bravenak]

32. Yeah me too.

I did get one but I can't figure out how to save it so... Oh well. I guess the tea party is better at mean morphing photos.

[Segami]

74. Its 'Monkey Court' time!....lol!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023919104

[blogslut]

4. Awesome

Has Congressman Waxman done any questioning yet? I noticed his sly smile while Mr. Pallone was shaming the repubs.

[trumad]

5. He is 100 percent correct.

[Ron Green]

8. Barton is an asshole and a tool.

He works only for the oil and gas business, but somehow gets elected term after term.

[Tanuki]

11. Now we know how Heston felt in "Plant of the Apes"!

[img][/img]

[lastlib]

39. just put the name tags infront of these guys!--"Mr. Barton", "Mr. Issa", "Mr. Gohmert" etc.

HELL yes!!

[ramapo]

14. Kudos for Pallone

Too bad he lost the primary to Cory Booker. I thin he would have made a much better senator but we shall see.

[silverweb]

16. We need him right where he is.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]In the House, helping to keep all the loons and goons in check.

[brush]

52. You know you're right

Booker would never have had the nerve to do that because he'd know he be getting a phone call later from his patrons.

Remember he tried to defend Romney and private equity firms during the 2012 presidential campaign.

He was immediately disappeared as an Obama surrogate and had to beg his way back into playing but a minor role at the convention.

He's one of those Wall St. dems we're starting to hear about — just another name for DLC dem, corporate dem, blue dog dem, third way dem, etc.

[Jessy169]

15. Move over, Alan Grayson!

Looks like you're getting some competition from Pallone in the "got a spine and not afraid to use it" category. Way to call it, Pallone!

[rhett o rick]

23. I think that when Rep Grayson speaks out against the stupid, it will inspire others to do the same.

[tabbycat31]

40. He's spoken up against the stupid for awhile

I can remember a meeting with him where he's used the term 'teabagger' quite liberally.

[HappyMe]

18. lol! Monkey court!

Too delicious! Good for Pallone.

[Shampoobra]

21. And they proved him right (that it's a "monkey court")

"Do whatever you want. I'm not yielding."

And they sat there and let him finish, not because they wanted to but because they had to.

[Lex]

24. I'm glad the monkey court is being called out for what it is.

A monkey court.

[jtuck004]

25. *snort* Now that's funny. K&R n/t

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

26. Barton,

higher order primate? Not a chance. Apologies to all the fellow primates out there, Barton, Gomer, et. al belong out on their own branch. Pun intended!!!

[rivegauche]

27. GOOD!! Another one simply fed-up with their bullshit.

We need MORE of this - Democrats in Congress calling out this bullshit when they see it. Not afterwards from the safety of hinsdight. WHEN it happens.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

46. Caling Bartn and Gomhert shit-for-brains is an insult to perfectly good and useful shit

[JDPriestly]

28. Congressman Pallone, thanks for responding to people who might be afraid to go on the website

and apply for their insurance.

[malaise]

29. Still ROFL

What a perfect comment

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

30. Joe Barton

Another shithead from Texas.

[tartan2]

33. 3 weeks and 2 days

and these replugs are holding a hearing on the ACA! It's high time for the Democrats join their fellow Democrat to remind the replugs of all the website gliches MEDICARE PART D had! Medicare Part D enrollment was not and is not a walk in the park (and believe me I know, I have worked with Medicare Part D since it started). These replugs need to shut the hell up! Furthermore will you please do something constructive like help create some jobs or maybe fund some infrastructure projects. Instead the damn GOP waste nothing but time and do nothing constructive for people of this country.

[DeSwiss]

34. Monkeys all over the world are totally pissed by the comparison.

- K&R

[Cha]

35. Barton: "this is not a monkey court so stop saying that".. rofl

Good on Pallone!

[MirrorAshes]

36. pwned. hard. n/t

[DefenseLawyer]

37. Barton then demanded that Pallone apologize to BP

just for good measure.

[HughBeaumont]

38. Joe "Wind is a finite resource" Barton.

The joke is that I'm not kidding. He seriously said that.

[MyNameGoesHere]

41. I would have added

[Glorfindel]

42. It's so GREAT to have Democrats who will give better than they get

Lord love Congressman Pallone!

[WillyT]

43. K & R !!! - For Dems With Spine !!!

[CrispyQ]

44. Thank you Rep. Pallone!

Time for Debbie Wasserman Schultz to weigh in with a comment about the term "monkey court" being an inappropriate descriptive & that we need to work with reps like Barton.

[Rebellious Republican]

45. The Dem rebellion is on....

But what would I know!



Rebellious Republican.

[Scurrilous]

47. K & R

[ffr]

49. GOP in full desperation. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.

Can't wait to send them packing here in the next 12 months.

[AlbertCat]

64. GOP in full desperation.

No sh!t, Sherlock!

I mean.... they are having hearings because it's inconvenient to sign up for something they think shouldn't exist.

Say wha......?

[The Blue Flower]

72. It's like that old gag...

The food was terrible, and the portions were too small.

[cui bono]

50. Thank you Pallone!

[Ohio Joe]

51. Good

Repugs should be called on their lies each and every time they try.

[spanone]

53. he was great!!!!!

[riverwalker]

55. Monkey Court

[billh58]

56. I believe that he may have been

referring to the Scopes "Monkey Trial."

"The Scopes Trial, formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and commonly referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trial, was a famous American legal case in 1925 in which a high school teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any state-funded school."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial

[Tigress DEM]

57. GO FRANK_KAY! Mr Pallone is IN THE HOUSE!!! Large and in charge. Take that all you fact-sectomies!

JUST cut off the facts, makes them more compliant like dogs without their sacs.

TAKE the facts out of it and then people's opinions reign supreme and whoever shouts the loudest wins. WRONG.

Y'all can have your own opinions, but the facts are the facts. HIPPA IS NOT INVOLVED.

NOW does anyone have a REAL question based on the reality of the situation, not some political spin to produce a sound bite.

[ReRe]

58. Yeah, Pallone caught them off guard when he spit that out.... ;-)

I 'bout fell out of this chair laughing. Did you hear all the howls and groans from the Republicons? I watched it unfold live and it was truly the best laugh I've had in days. Go Pallone!

[go west young man]

59. Great!

Loved it! About time people started calling out these ridiculous republicans.

[mountain grammy]

60. Thank you Rep. Pallone!

[On the Road]

61. ?

[alcibiades_mystery]

62. Woman in the yellow sweater's eyes about popped out when Barton said "This is not a monkey court!"

Pallone gave that dude a Jersey-style beatdown.

[spanone]

63. k&r...

[smackd]

65. gawd. they keep embarrassing the shit...

...out of this great state...Barton, Gohmert, fucking Cruz...

good lord this state can't turn fast enough

[saynotoplutocrats]

66. Frank Pallone for President!

I would love to vote for someone who will actually stand up to these guys, and call the Joe McCarthy version 2 Monkey courts what they are!

[Downtown Hound]

67. So Joe Barton, the guy who apologized to BP's CEO for Obama guilt tripping him into giving

$20 billion to oil spill victims, is suddenly concerned with protecting American citizens? Whoa! Be still my heart!

[SharkLasers]

68. Actually the application does ask for health information

You can see for yourself on the paper application -

http://marketplace.cms.gov/getofficialresources/publications-and-articles/marketplace-application-for-family.pdf

Specifically page 2, question 7 asks: 7. Are you pregnant? Yes No a. If yes, how many babies are expected during this pregnancy?

Then question 9 asks: 9. Do you have a physical, mental, or emotional health condition that causes limitations in activities (like bathing, dressing, daily
chores, etc.) or live in a medical facility or nursing home? Yes No

And elsewhere on the form it states that "We’ll keep all the information you
provide private and secure as required by law."

Sure sounds like HIPPA is implicated. Was Pallone just uninformed?

[billh58]

70. Actually these

are both permissible questions under HIPAA. "Sounds like HIPPA is implicated?" Are you just assuming that you have found a Ted Cruz Tea Party talking point with the ACA, or are you "just uninformed?"

[Bunnahabhain]

71. PHI

Includes "health information" including demographic information (asking for that through dint of gravidity status), mental health, etc. Here is a training program from the HHS website: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/training/udmn.pdf

I'd not dismiss this without reading. YMMV.

Edit: I'm not following this too closely...are we taking about a "covered entity" though? If so they can ask for it but denying PHI is asked for is sort of silly.

[billh58]

73. Health Care insurance

providers are allowed to ask about pre-existing conditions on their application forms. The ACA can do the same, although it (and HIPAA) prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage because of these conditions.

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/publications/yhphipaa.html

[SharkLasers]

75. Whether they are permissible or not is not the point.

Pallone stated that ""There is no health information in the process," that is clearly false.

[billh58]

78. It appears that

your definition of "health information" is subject to the Tea Party dictionary. Everyone else understands what he means and that the ACA forms are in compliance with HIPAA, but Ted Cruz fans can interpret it anyway they want.

You may be on the wrong discussion board. FR is down the hall, and to the right.

[gollygee]

83. These questions are about status, not health

They're not asking if you've ever had a heart attack, or what medications you're prescribed, or anything like that. They're asking if you're disabled, and they're asking if another person is going to be added to your family soon.

[moriah]

80. I know at least the ADL-related question is "optional".

But it's used to identify potential eligibility for Medicaid in lieu of a purchase through the exchange. Even someone over 200% of the poverty line could qualify for state Medicaid help if their expenses are high enough, through the "spend down" programs.

I don't want to create a duplicate account to find out if there's a way to opt-out of Medicaid screening entirely, but it would be interesting to see if these questions are only being asked of people attempting to qualify for a subsidy.

[moriah]

79. Those are questions for Medicaid screening re: disability

Pregnancy is regarding household size for tax purposes, most means-tested public benefits count unborn children as members of the household for determining size.

Many state plans are budgeting differently for the very sick that are now able to be covered on Medicaid. In Arkansas, many who are considered to have more specific needs will be given traditional Medicaid, whereas the healthy are having plans purchased for them on the Exchange -- Medicaid has better case management.

[olegramps]

69. Thank goodness that some other than Grayson is fighting back.

I can only hope that every time that Cruz opens his mouth that some Democrat responds and calls him the damnable liar that he is. It is long past due that Democrats stop being polite and start telling this bastards to go to hell. Don't yield the floor to these vicious racist, homophobic misogynistic bastards. What irritates the hell out of me is the bleach blond Republican bimbos that dominate that appear on CNN and the like and talk over anyone who attempts to respond to their nonsense. I am waiting from some one the tell the to shut hell up.

[lunasun]

76. +1 well said

[Manifestor_of_Light]

77. Jesus Tapdancing Christ on a Cracker! Barton's my Congresscretin.

No offense meant to actual cretins.
I didn't vote for this stupid whore for oil companies, speaking of crackers. Texas is so embarrassing!

I'm a third generation yellow dog Democrat native Texan. Grew up at the knee of Billie Carr. Pushed cards for Sissy Farenthold for Gov. in 1972. Daddy and Uncle voted Socialist back in the 1930s.