President Obama told us that there was a new sheriff in town - that the days of buying votes were over. Didn’t last long…

Just look at the most recent incarnation of health care “reform.” We all knew about the bribes to Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson, but now, Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) has put out a more complete list of just how much change has been going on:

• THE CORNHUSKER KICKBACK: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska will be exempted from an annual fee on insurers; the exemption could also apply to nonprofit insurers in other states, possibly including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Supplemental ‘Medigap’ policies such as those sold by Mutual of Omaha are exempted from the annual fee on insurers, something that would help other companies selling such policies. A physician-owned hospital being built in Bellevue, Neb., could get referrals from doctors who own it, avoiding a new ban in the Senate bill that will apply to hospitals built in the future.”

• THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE: Sen. Mary Landrieu Voted For Health Care Bill After Sen. Reid Gave Her A $300 Million for her state’s Medicaid program

• THE U CON: Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) Added $100 Million For A Hospital That He’d Like To Get For His State.

• GATOR AID: Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) Secured Extra Benefits For Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries.

• HANDOUT MONTANA: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) Got Medicare For Residents Of A Small Town With Asbestos-Related Illnesses.

• North Dakota Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, both North Dakota Democrats, would enjoy a provision bringing higher Medicare payments to hospitals and doctors in ‘frontier counties’ of states such as — let’s see here — North Dakota!

• Hawaii Got A Special Exemption For Higher Medicaid DSH Payments.

• Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Got $600 Million For Medicaid. “SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, D-VT., negotiated $600 million in additional Medicaid benefits for his state over 10 years.

• Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) Got Special Treatment For Union Workers. “Longshoremen were added to the list of high-risk professions shielded from the full impact of a new tax on high-value health insurance plans.

• New Jersey pharmaceutical companies were given a $1 billion research subsidy because of Senator Bob Menendez.

• A $5 billion reinsurance program for health plans was expected to largely benefit union members (it was believed that Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow had this added)