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DAILY 03-09-10 MD SU A4 CMYK
A4 Politics & The Nation
S KLMNO TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2010
Costly missile system
unwanted but alive
and Italy 17 percent.
Army would like to kill
The weapons system was de-
signed to save money over the
MEADS program, long run by spreading expenses
but Pentagon resists
among the NATO allies, said Ba-
ker Spring, a research fellow at
the Heritage Foundation. Al-
by Craig Whitlock though the involvement of three
countries has added a layer of
Another battle is brewing at complexity to the project, he said
the Pentagon over a costly weap- it was worth it to build a system
ons program that many military that all the partners could use in-
leaders do not want but that so terchangeably on the battlefield.
far has proven difficult to kill. “It’s almost inconceivable to
After several failed attempts, me that the U.S. military would
the Army is trying again to cancel be in an expeditionary operation
a $19 billion missile defense sys- where it won’t be working with
tem that the United States is de- coalition partners in some form
veloping in partnership with Ita- or another,” Spring said.
ly and Germany. Known as the The Army is scheduled to de-
Medium Extended Air Defense cide this week whether it will
System, or MEADS, it has been in continue to oversee the devel-
the works for more than a decade opment of MEADS or hand over
and is designed to replace, in responsibility to the Pentagon’s
part, the Army’s aging Patriot sys- Missile Defense Agency. An Army
tem. spokesman declined to comment
But the Army says MEADS has on those deliberations but denied
become too expensive, is taking that the service had made a final
too long to produce and is diffi- decision to try to kill MEADS.
cult to manage because any “Right now, there is no deci-
SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES
changes in the program require sion to cancel that program,” said President Obama made a pitch for health-care reform during a speech at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa.
German and Italian approval. the spokesman, Lt. Col. Jimmie E.
“The system will not meet U.S. re- Cummings Jr.
quirements or address the cur- Lockheed Martin, which is de-
rent and emerging threat without veloping MEADS along with con-
Obama blasts insurers in attempt
extensive and costly modifica- tractors from Germany and Italy,
tions,” an internal Army staff noted that the Defense Depart-
memo concluded last month in ment conducted an independent
recommending the cancellation review of the missile-defense sys-
of MEADS. tem last year and concluded that
to gain support for health-care bill
Despite the Army’s concerns, the program should proceed.
however, the Pentagon is pushing German and Italian officials con- insurance from A1 ly 1 percent, according to Kaiser. “the president ran saying, ‘I am ical costs in the delivery system,
ahead with MEADS and has re- curred in October after meeting Over the previous decade, premi- going to lower your costs,’ and which are not sustainable,” an An-
quested $467 million from Con- with Pentagon officials. Polls consistently show that ums went up by 131 percent, com- most people don’t believe there is them spokeswoman said last
“At a time of growing threats, most people fear that the legisla- pared with 28 percent for infla- anything in the bill at the moment month when the firm agreed to a
MEADS represents the United tion would make their treatment tion. The administration con- that would make that happen.” In request by California regulators
“Right now,
States’ first all-new air and mis- more expensive. By focusing on tends that the rate increases particular, Blendon said, Obama to postpone its rate increase. Like
sile defense system of its kind in escalating insurance rates, espe- reflect excessive profits; insur- is trying to overcome that percep- other insurers, Anthem also said
there is no
decades and is the only such pro- cially for the sliver of the market ance lobbyists counter that their tion by proposing a new Health rates are going up for individual
gram in which allies are sharing in which people buy health cover- rates simply mirror underlying Insurance Rate Authority. insurance because, in the poor
decision to
the cost to develop a capability age individually, the administra- increases in prices charged by That proposal, however, has en- economy, healthy people are
cancel that
that each country needs,” Lock- tion is emphasizing that costs will doctors, hospitals and drug firms. countered skepticism among dropping coverage, leaving a pool
heed Martin said in a statement. increase if Congress does not act. America’s Health Insurance state insurance commissioners, of customers who are sicker and
program.”
John J. Young Jr., who served “Part of the motivating factor Plans, the industry’s main lobby, who regulate the industry. “I do more expensive to cover.
as undersecretary of defense for here is letting members of Con- plans to spend more than $1 mil- kind of recoil at the word ‘author- A few constituencies are seizing
Lt. Col. Jimmie E. Cummings Jr. acquisition, technology and lo- gress know there’s a price to pay lion on a nationwide advertising ity,’ ” said Sandy Praeger, chair- on the administration’s heated
U.S. Army spokesman gistics until April 2009, said that for failure,” White House Chief of campaign this week to, as one offi- man of the National Association rhetoric. As many as 5,000 activ-
MEADS posed a conundrum for Staff Rahm Emanuel said Monday cial with the group said, “set the of Insurance Commissioners’ ists, organized by Health Care for
the Pentagon: a program that the in an interview. “And for the pub- record straight about rising health-care committee and insur- America Now, a coalition of labor
Army does not want, that is not lic, it’s important to remind them and other liberal groups, are plan-
gress to develop the system next fully funded and that is growing that there are premium increases ning to amass in Washington on
year. Officials said a primary rea- in cost but a program for which of 40 percent for as far as you can
son for sticking with the project the United States has interna- see if nothing is done.”
“How much higher do premiums
Tuesday to stage a “Stop Big In-
surance” rally outside a policy fo-
is that it would be too expensive tional obligations to proceed. Emanuel’s figure referred to a
have to rise before we do something
rum that America’s Health Insur-
to stop. If the Defense Depart- He said defense officials didn’t recent move by Anthem Blue ance Plans is sponsoring.
ment were to cancel the system want to force MEADS on the Cross of California to raise premi-
about it?”
On Monday morning, before
now, it would be required to pay Army, but they didn’t have an ums by 39 percent for people who
— President Obama
she joined Obama on Air Force
$550 million to $1 billion in pen- easy way out. U.S. officials do not buy individual policies. One for his speech in suburban
alties to the contractors, an inter- want to pay the termination costs As the White House has Philadelphia, Health and Human
national consortium led by Lock- on their own, and they can’t get launched its last-minute public health-care costs.” ance commissioner for Kansas. Services Secretary Kathleen Sebe-
heed Martin of Bethesda. the Germans or Italians to share relations blitz, “there could have Americans’ attitudes toward She said she favors nationwide lius wrote to the chief executives
MEADS, which is scheduled to the burden, he explained, even been no greater gift” than An- health insurance are complex. minimum standards for regulat- of five large insurers she had sum-
be delivered in 2018, is designed though neither country has budg- them’s proposed rate increase, Broad majorities of insured peo- ing insurers. But, she said, “I don’t moned to the White House last
to intercept short-range and eted to continue MEADS past the said Drew E. Altman, president of ple say they are satisfied with know why they need a separate week. Calling the insurance sys-
cruise missiles as well as shoot design stage. the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foun- their coverage, according to board,” adding that she fears that tem “broken,” her letter urged the
down planes and drones. Unlike “In the Pentagon, it’s pretty dation, a nonpartisan health pol- Washington Post-ABC News polls. such an authority could lead to companies to post on their Web
the Patriot, the MEADS system is tough to make a program go icy and research organization. Only one in eight say insurance federal powers to override state sites a 10-point explanation of
mobile and can be trucked when a service doesn’t want to do The Obama administration, Alt- would improve if the health-care decisions about insurance rates. price increases and their impact.
around a battlefield, with its ra- it,” Young said. man said, is “trying to connect system were changed. Already, 28 states require At Arcadia University in Glen-
dar swiveling 360 degrees to The main reason to continue better with average people” in But that relative satisfaction co- health insurers to get commis- side, Pa., on Monday, Obama pro-
track targets from any direction. MEADS, Young said, would be to terms more concrete than the exists with anxiety. More detailed sioner approval for rate increases pelled the message further, citing
So far, the weapons system has uphold relations with two impor- president used earlier in the de- Kaiser surveys show that two- in the small, expensive individual a recent conference call convened
escaped a drive by Defense Secre- tant NATO allies. But he ques- bate when he spoke about “bend- thirds of insured people say they insurance market, and a dozen re- by Goldman Sachs Global Invest-
tary Robert M. Gates to curtail or tioned whether that was enough ing the curve” of escalating worry that their insurance or quire companies to file notices of ment Research in which, the
eliminate conventional weapons to override the Army’s concerns health-care costs and curbing fu- their care will become more ex- planned increases. Praeger said president said, an insurance bro-
programs that have been plagued about the rising expense of ture budget deficits. pensive — and nearly half say they there is a risk that, if the federal ker said there was so little compe-
by delays and soaring expenses, MEADS and its limited military Republicans doubt that the have delayed or skipped care be- government blocked premium in- tition among health insurers that
such as his decision last year to usefulness. rhetoric will work. Linda DiVall, a cause of the cost. creases that insurers needed to re- it was worth it for companies to
kill the F-22 fighter jet program. “I just think it’s a tall order to GOP strategist, said White House Robert J. Blendon, a Harvard main solvent, some companies raise premiums, even if they lost
Defense experts said cancella- make the program hang togeth- officials “are trying to disguise professor who specializes in pub- could be unable to pay claims. customers as a result. He said: We
tion could undercut the Penta- er,” he said. “I just don’t know if their vulnerability” that the Dem- lic opinion on health care, said it Through the increasing din, in- “allow the insurance industry to
gon’s relations with Germany and there’s a solution set in the mid- ocrats’ approach would not con- may be difficult for the White surers have been using their own run wild in the country.”
Italy, which need to replace their dle of all that. Without a plan that trol costs “by hiding behind a House to shift Americans’ views megaphone to try to counteract goldsteinamy@washpost.com
own aging missile defense sys- all parties support, it is a bad use greater villain” — insurance firms. about reform, with polls showing the White House’s messages, say- wilsons@washpost.com
tems. Under a 2004 deal, the of taxpayer dollars.” Last year, premiums for em- they have been relatively static ing they are being vilified.
United States covers 58 percent whitlockc@washpost.com ployer-sponsored health insur- since early fall. Still, he said, the “All health plans are in the Staff writers Dan Eggen and Michael
of the development costs, with ance rose by an average of 5 per- administration has reason to fo- same situation in trying to deal D. Shear and polling analyst Jennifer
Germany covering 25 percent cent, while overall prices fell near- cus on insurance rates, because with the steadily increasing med- Agiesta contributed to this report.
DIGEST
NASA they would be charged with un- Oldest person in U.S. dies: Mary
Former official
lawful conduct, demonstrating in Josephine Ray, 114, who was the
a Capitol building. oldest person in the United States,
admits contract fraud
The banner that rose to the ceil- died Sunday in Westmoreland,
ing of the 90-foot atrium said “Li- N.H. Ray, who loved the Boston
A former high-ranking NASA sa Murkowski, Happily matched Red Sox and playing cards, was
official has pleaded guilty in Mis- since 2004” and had the logos of the world’s second-oldest person,
sissippi to designing contracts three energy companies. A Green- according to
that netted him more than peace spokesman said it was pro- the Gerontol-
$270,000 in illegal profits. testing ties between Murkowski ogy Research
Prosecutors say Liam P. Sars- and polluters. Group, which
field, a former chief deputy engi- A Murkowski spokesman said, maintains a
neer in Washington, controlled a “Senator Murkowski has legiti- registry of the
$1.5 million fund and designed mate concerns about the eco- oldest people.
contracts that wouldn’t have to be nomic consequences of EPA reg- It says Kama
put out for bid. ulating greenhouse gases and be- Chinen of Ja-
Authorities say some of the lieves the American people pan was born
money ended up in the hands of deserve a full debate on the issue.” Mary Ray, 114, seven days be-
another top NASA official, Court- — Associated Press was the second- fore Ray. Ac-
ney A. Stadd, who faces felony oldest person cording to the
charges in south Mississippi, on Earth. group, the old-
home to NASA’s Stennis Space African faces terror charges: An est American
Center. He has pleaded not guilty. African man provided money and is now Neva Morris of Iowa, born
— Associated Press was trained with weapons and ex- Aug. 3, 1895.
plosives in a bid to help a terrorist
CONGRESS organization seeking to destabi- ‘Census defense’ in murder trial:
3 from Greenpeace
lize Somalia and attack U.S. inter- A Georgia man accused of killing
ests, prosecutors announced two people is trying to get his
arrested over banner
Monday. Mohamed Ibrahim Ah- murder charges dismissed by us-
JOHN WALKER/FRESNO BEE VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
med’s lawyer said he will plead ing a “census defense.” Floyd MOURNING A LAWMAN: In Reedley, Calif., a funeral procession honors slain policeman Javier Bejar.
Three Greenpeace activists not guilty at a second court ap- Wayne Williams Jr. is saying the
were arrested Monday after their pearance in Manhattan scheduled charges should be dropped — or a surge in black residents. His at- through a vital stretch of the in- miles of Interstate 70 in western
balloon-powered banner criticiz- for Tuesday. Ahmed, a citizen of at least his trial should be delayed torneys made their argument to terstate highway system early Colorado, when boulders the size
ing Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alas- Eritrea, in northeast Africa, was — until the 2010 Census is done, the Georgia Supreme Court on Monday, cutting off the main con- of tractor-trailers tumbled down
ka) was released in the Hart Sen- brought to the United States on so the jury can accurately reflect Monday. nection between the West Coast the precipitous slopes of Glen-
ate Office Building. Saturday to face an indictment ac- the county’s racial makeup. Wil- and Denver for an unknown pe- wood Canyon and gouged parts of
Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Cap- cusing him of going to Somalia liams, who is black, is to be tried Rock slide shuts I-70 in Colorado: riod of time. The slide at about the elevated highway.
itol Police spokeswoman, said last year to help al-Shabaab. in Clayton County, which has seen A rock slide punched holes midnight Sunday closed down 17 — From news services
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