| The current House version of the "Healthcare | | | | Congress is looking at a new program to pay |
| Reform Bill" (H.R. 3962) is projected to cost about | | | | each recipient $250 as part of a "stimulus" |
| $900 billion which is the spending limit President | | | | package. |
| Obama said he would place on the bill. President | | | | Or, how about the $250 billion reduction in |
| Obama also said the bill would have to be | | | | payments to doctors (part of the $400 billion |
| "revenue neutral" which translated means you can | | | | overall Medicare reduction) to help pay for the |
| spend up to $900 billion but you cannot (directly) | | | | health care program (and keep the total costs |
| add to the deficit. The house bill claims to meet | | | | under $1 trillion.) But, they then introduced a |
| these two requirements. It spends $900 billion (or | | | | separate bill to pay doctors $250 billion to replace |
| more) and it is revenue neutral if you believe in | | | | the $250 billion they would lose in the Healthcare |
| fairy tales. Following are some reasons why: | | | | bill. Since this bill is not part of the healthcare bill, |
| 1. Taxes paid in advance will be put into the same | | | | the costs don't count. The bill was voted down |
| "lock box" used for Social Security | | | | but you know what their intent is and they will |
| To get to revenue neutral, the bill provides for | | | | find a way to pass it or disguise it sooner or later. |
| taxes to be collected immediately (about $600 | | | | 3. Waste, fraud and abuse will be eliminated or |
| billion over 10 years) but doesn't start healthcare | | | | severely reduced |
| services until 2013. That's one way to get the | | | | There is no line item in the budget for waste, |
| costs down to $900 billion: charge for the service | | | | fraud and abuse. Therefore, politicians on both |
| for years in advance so you get 10 years of | | | | sides of the isle have been unable to find these |
| taxes but only have to deliver six or seven years | | | | unnecessary costs for the past 45 years. Now |
| of service. But we've had enough experience with | | | | they expect us to believe they are going to find |
| Congress to know that they will simply spend all | | | | them next year. It's time for us to wake up and |
| the money they collect and then in 2013 make | | | | realize this is not a health care reform bill. It is a |
| payments out of the general fund --.just like they | | | | big government, big spending bill. We already have |
| did with Social Security. | | | | the best health care in the world and yes the |
| 2. The $400 billion dollar cuts to Medicare and | | | | most expensive because we like to eat |
| Medicaid are vary unlikely to happen | | | | cheeseburgers, get hip and knee replacements to |
| They have not been able to cut 10 cents out of | | | | make our lives better, and get the best and latest |
| these entitlement programs since they were | | | | cancer treatment, etc. |
| enacted in 1964. Now they are suddenly going to | | | | If politicians were serious about reform, they |
| throw seniors under the bus. I don't think so. Here | | | | would attack the real reasons healthcare cost are |
| are a couple of examples why: | | | | rising so quickly that people can't afford health |
| Social Security recipients are not going to get an | | | | care insurance. For example, the aging population |
| increase in their social security payments in 2010 | | | | which, according to the Concord Coalition, will drive |
| because there is no inflation. And they are | | | | half of all the future costs in health care; and |
| scheduled to get an increase of about $8 in their | | | | federal and state government regulations that |
| Medicare insurance payment. Unable to withstand | | | | prevent us from having a consumer driven |
| the pressure for even an $8 cut in benefits, | | | | healthcare system. |