Saturday, July 18, 2009

Health Finances

From the Washington Post:
As bills to expand health-care coverage take shape in Congress, criticism has intensified because of their potential costs.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said that the proposals fall short of Obama's promise to slow the increase in health-care costs, leading critics to charge that those bills would only add to the nation's large budget deficits.

"That's simply not true," Obama said yesterday.

Reform is expected to cost at least $1 trillion over the next decade, and Obama has pledged to pay for it without adding to the nation's budget deficit.

So, what we have is ... well Obama trying hard to be just like Bush ... promises ... smoke and mirrors on finance ... trust me it will all be better later.

Seems the President wants to count the annual required cut in payments to doctors under the Medicare / Medicaid rules. This savings will make the numbers balance. Problem is that this cut has not only never been done but in fact it more often than not results in a slight increase.

So, the President wants a cut that never takes place to pay for a bill that will come due.

And we wonder why people are becoming disenchanted with "hope and change"?

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