Obama Identifies $313 Billion for Health Care Through Medicaid and Medicare Savings

Do you actually expect the intelligent citizens of this country to “believe” Obama when he has already spent unGodly amounts of our money already? Very good creative PR spin.

“This is a huge and substantial savings.”….I’m sorry but please explain how a plan to spend an additional $1 trillion is a “substantial savings”. 2+2=5. Stop spouting newspeak.

According to the AP……”wife of Sen. Chris Dodd, serves on the boards of Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cardiome Pharma Corp., Brookdale Senior Living, and Pear Tree Pharmaceuticals, a financial disclosure report the senator released Friday shows.”……

Obama said during the campaign that all Americans deserved the same healthcare insurance that politicians have in DC. Now he is telling us he is CUTTING benefits to the elderly and the poor. This is more BS.

“…and forcing drug companies to accept less money for drugs…”
Aww, they haven’t been making enough megabucks already.
“…and will chase doctors and researchers away from the U.S.”
To where? -all those countries with already failed socialized healthcare?
“…have not only lower quality, but rationed health care as well.”
If it’s even true, it doesn’t seem to have dawned on some folks that rationed health care looks appealing compared to no healthcare.
I hope Obama fights hard to end this awful illness-for-profit system we have now.

Our doctor told me about this “trial system” he’d been part of in the 90′s. It allowed him to see patients for an amount of time that had been determined by the government as “appropriate” for the ailment. It didn’t take off as the experiment was so abysmal. Charges were much like a mechanic’s billing–oil change: $30, flu treatment: $20. What national program has the government touched that is a glowing,fiscally sound example to follow?

Just quit apologizing. It’s getting old now.

So he going to TAKE away $200 billion in expected reimbursements to hospitals over the next decade… so how are the hospitals going to pay for utilities, fix/maintain/buy equipment… keep employess…. what actully happens.. hospital cuts services and lays off personnel…. it’s happening in our town right now… this is all smoke and mirros…. take funding from one pot and put in in another and pretend all is well…… BO is an idiot… bottom line… the more the government give aways there are the lazier people become…. its called the “FREE-LOADER Factor” the government likes to ignore…

I’ll believe it when I see it.

Sorry, I just can’t stop laughing! Somehow King Barry has found all this extra money just laying around in the Medicare/Medicaid fund. No one else ever saw this before! Wow, what a mighty messiah we serve. He is truly all knowing!

…”FREE-LOADER Factor” the government likes to ignore…”
Yes but you’re ignoring the ‘greedy swine’ factor where huge corporations exploit people for huge profits. Unfortunately not everyone can stay healthy and when they’re really sick they can be really desperate, so there is a big potential to make money.

Michelle wrote:”There will be no “choice”. The plan is to slowly move to a one payer, government controlled system with no private insurance. Those that are in doubt, only need to search the Internet for video where democratic leaders had stated such.”
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If you like the confusion and spending 25% of your money on paperwork for thousands of individual networks, most of which become out-of-network if you cross a state line, go on opposing single-payer health insurance.
I sure hope single-payer happens – it will reduce the % of our healthcare money we throw away on paperwork and profits by about 30%, based on the experience in EVERY other high income company.
But I don’t think it’s so clear. You claim “democratic leaders had stated such”, but that’s a gross exaggeration. Kucinich said it. Edwards caved when pressure was put on him and he backed away from it. The rest, just like the Republicans, are bought and paid for by the millions of campaign contributions from the health industry and big pharma- money that comes from charging patients extra to cover it. Even the head of Johns Hopkins Hospital, America’s #1 hospital, said Congress, bot parties, was controlled by the health industry in a recent PBS roundtable discussion.
Note that “private” insurance used to be almost exclusively non-profit until the for-profits, with their leverage from life, property, etc. insurance, drove the non-profits out of business then jacked up their premiums.
Finally, note that I have retirement insurance for life that will be jeopardized if we go to “single-payer”. But it will be so much better for America and for the competitiveness of American companies that I’ll willingly take the hit.

The greatest threat to our national deficit is this administration.

Since we are turning into a socialist country… What they need to do is make it a LAW that everybody HAS to purchase health insurance… just like you HAVE to purchase car insurance….. and make it mandatory that EVERBODY gets a physical once a year…. they CAN base what you pay on your income so everybody can afford it… I could care less about people who CHOOSE to live a un-healthy life style… smoke-drink-do drugs etc, and those who choose not to purchase health insurance – I HAVE LEACHES in my family… everytime a new taxypayer funded government benifit comes out…. they are filling out the paper work to collect on it…..

The American healthcare system is a crime against humanity. Every year thousands of Americans WITH INSURANCE go bankrupt or die because of delayed treatment or denied payment. Every year 60% of all bankruptcies in America are due to healthcare debts. Most of these people HAVE INSURANCE!
Do you get it or no? Having insurance solves nothing!
The ONLY solution is universal coverage. If you start screaming “socialism” please read again my first 3 sentences until you wake up. Do you ever hear of anyone in Canada or Europe complaining that they need a system just like America? You want a choice? Fine, go out and buy your insurance on top of the universal coverage. I’m sure any insurance company will be happy to take your money. Just don’t expect them to pay.
We already have the best hospitals and doctors. The government isn’t going to take over the hospitals and doctors or eliminate any choice. With universal coverage you will see any doctor or go to any hospital. The only difference will be the bill is already paid from your tax dollars. How big a tax bill? First, remove the insurance company’s obscene profits, then reduce it again when more jobs are created because employers don’t have to pay for healthcare. General Motors alone pays $10 billion yearly to retired employees for healthcare. Regardless, this is the price you pay to live in a civilized world. You don’t pay the police a copay when you call 911. The fireman doesn’t ask what insurance you have.
Universal coverage is the only solution.

Tikbalang:then reduce it again when more jobs are created because employers don’t have to pay for healthcare. General Motors alone pays $10 billion yearly to retired employees for healthcare. Regardless, this is the price you pay to live in a civilized world. You don’t pay the police a copay when you call 911. The fireman doesn’t ask what insurance you have.
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The point about insurance company profit is a valid one. Japan, for example, has non-profit insurance companies.
However, employers will still have to pay for employee healthcare, it will just be through taxes. So they won’t be off the hook.
GM is a bad example. They are paying for retiree health benefits because their employees reject the available government health care, Medicare. They wanted something more generous, so GM has to pay for it.
Also, their employees often retire with medical benefits well before the rest of us are eligible for retirement benefits from the government.
GM is more of cautionary tale for our government (if we over promise & have a shrinking tax base) than an example of the need for universal coverage.

This bad news to the current medicare and medicard comes at a time when the key health care player Sen. Chris Dodd and his wife make huge sum of money from health care industry, huge donation from Fanny Freddie for his political campaign. His vacation home in Ireland is said to worth 660 k dollars.

I guess if you give someone $1000 and they spend a little on food and some more on illicit drugs, or they go out and steal if you don’t give them anything, that’s a better situation for the national balance sheet than giving them $1000 to visit a a doctor’s office or emergency room to get a little attention for their troubles, and dividing the $1000 between trained physicians, nurses, healthcare professionals and medical industries companies?

for obama to say save, like jobs saved medicare saved, when all he does is spend spend spend is outragious

So that’s the secret! – “We will fix what’s broken, while building upon what works,” he said. – This Administration must, absolutely MUST be held accountable for this disingenuous crap. The CBO says we can’t afford it so the WBO (White house budget office)invents some new numbers. This is a bold-faced lie and the President should be held accountable for it.

Some on you guys don’t get it. To cover the costs, there is a new tax of $2000 per person. $8000.00 per family. Doctors will be paid at 3/4ths of current fees. That down from the $27 in New York already. The country will lose 100,000 doctors within a few years. Welcome to 3 months waiting lines. Why should doctors only earn what a school teacher earns?

in reading these letters i always wonder what amount of lobbying is going on what an incredible amount of money is being spent by drug co.,insurance co.,hospitals ,doctors trying to hold onto all the dollars they have cheated the average american out of . keep going Mr.Pres. YEAH FOR YOU!

Health Care Reform is the greatest threat to the Federal Deficit!

This savings is wonderful. It goes hand-in-hand with the 2 billion new jobs he has created.

“pet program you want to shove down the throats of tax payers.” – The majority of Americans voted for Obama and his health reform proposal. Thats democracy. It is the corporations who are trying to shove the current medical system down the throats of taxpayers.

We should focus on incentives for more domestic ownership of medical and pharmaceutical companies that produce exportable goods off of our health-care dollars, and on securing the products rights and arranging taxable profits and financial arrangements from other nations who benefit.
Why should a foreign (socialized?) pharmaceutical company be able to use our private health-care dollars to develop their products? Why should a foreign (socialized?) supply company be able to buy up a domestic corporation after the development of the products has already been funded by our, private funds?

Someone once observed that the perfect is the enemy of the good enough. Almost any change is better than the sliding board we’re now on. (There are other proposed changes not mentioned in the report, such as streamlining medical records on the internet.) Drug companies boast about all the profits they plow into research, but most of it is research to find a drug that imitates the effects of a profitable drug now protected by a patent. Jiggle a few atoms on the molecule, you know? (In the trade they’re called “me too” drugs.) I wouldn’t complain too much about borrowing from China and Japan to fund this. That’s how we’ve paid for the wars in the ME since 2002. Or about taxes either. Personal income tax might rise from today’s 35% all the way up to Clinton’s 39% — or even Reagan’s 90%. The rich remained rich and the rest of us didn’t do too badly.

I voted Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I’ve decided to marry my horse.
I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn’t.
I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.
I voted Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.
I voted Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they’re doing because they now think we’re good people.
I voted Democrat because I’m way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.
I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can’t tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don’t start driving a Prius.
I voted Democrat because I’m not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.
I voted Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.
I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.
I voted Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my a$$ that it is unlikely that I’ll ever have another point of view.
And remember a Liberal is a person who will give away everything they don’t own.

People seem to think that just because the government spends tax payer monies it is all for a good cause. Who defines a good cause? Politicians. Who benefits from selling a so called good cause? Most gullible Americans bought the Iraq war as a good cause, congress approved it and 6 years later and several brave men and women lost, are we spending any less on wars? Yes most of the intentions are good but if the past 8 years have shown that government cannot operate anything well without creating a massive deficit. The war in Afghanistan is going for a longer time and it is now escalating and spilled over to neighboring countries like Pakistan. Pakistan just got 7.5 billion dollars for military and non military spending. Health care on the surface is a great cause and there is no reason why any American should not receive decent health care but it has been complicated. If only the government ran health services (instead of subcontracting it to the insurance companies) like it does for the Veterans and the defense, we could have universal health care or at least cover the uninsured. But instead it lets the private sector run the health care and the private sector runs it for profit which simply means that it provides as little care as possible for as much money it can get for providing the little care by having high deductibles and co-pays. It should be available to every citizen and affordable to everyone. Currently it is not affordable leaving some 40 million without insurance because they just don’t have the money and another several million who can afford it but don’t want to get it because it is outrageously expensive and does not cover much. So those who make it a partisan issue are living in a La La land. As an independent who supported Obama and who wants his healthcare plan to succeed would like to say knowing how things unfold in this country and all the greedy middle people and executives who will eat up the tax payer funds to have a plan that will work is a tall order and that all the checks and balances must be in place and the enforcement of good business practices should be uniform and above board. So we the people no matter what the party affiliation should be vigilant or we end up with the consequences of engaging in war and not finding WMDs or worse not finding Osama after 8 years and billions spent finding him only to end up with a mounting deficit, lost brave men and women in uniform a shoe thrown at our president a person from a country which we were told was going to be our best friend after we deposed and executed their tyrant. Results is what we should measure our success not costly these grandiose plans that fail to serve the purpose for which it was intended.

BuyAmerican2012 – you suggested “What we need to do is start taxing big business.” I wonder, where do you think “big business” will earn those additional taxes of which you speak? Will they get another job, like me? Hardly!! They’ll have to raise the prices of any products or services they are in business to make or provide, which means YOU AND I pay those “taxes.” Of course, since the increased prices we pay aren’t called taxes, the Dems can pat themselves on the back for generating revenues from the blood, sweat and tears of my labor, while telling me that “Big Business” is the bad guy, not them.

Buy the way – I thought we were supposed to wind-down the Iraq war? That would save a ton of money over ten years – and a whole lot of American lives.
Obama’s been in office 6 months. Or is he going to pull a Richard Nixon on us and “forget” to draw them down?
Oh yes, and what about the Alternative Minimum Tax? This now hits about 80 million middle class taxpayers – and is grossly unfair.
I hear all these campaign promises – and now all I see is ways to spend and spend and tax and tax. I certainly don’t see life getting much better for anyone right now.

We’ve been commenting on this type of number for months now.. 31 billion per year isn’t even worth mentioning .. we spend in trillions, save in billions .. the administration should give the public a bit more credit.. we don’t buy into their imaginary, projected, miniscule savings claims..
.. even if the savings are realized, they mean nothing ..
Obama threads the needle each day by realizing that old or high tax bracket people won’t vote for him anyway and minorities and young people and lower income people will .. guess who will always draw the short straw..

The president and the congress are steeped in unreality. Taxing the drug manufactures will only increase the price of drugs. All the money is being borrowed so future generations will getting stuck with the bill. Our political leadership has to learn to enforce our current laws, like immigration, and stop making new law to curry favor with special interests. That will go a long way toward solving our medical system problems.

I could swear it’s $314 billion not $313 billion.

Washington pumps $1 triollion in stimulus, but has not dealt with the speculation in oil. The speculation costs may offset the money pumped in. And what good does this do for economic recovery? Why isn’t Washington punishing those who caused the economic mess? Not only not punishing, but letting them do it all over again? Was there really an election? Because the same old crap is going on.

Is Obama now going to name someone a healthcare “CZAR” ???

He’s cutting medicaid/care from the poor and elderly. I don’t know if this article mentioned that. I’m sure Obama didn’t.

Anthony: The “Republicans” are to Obama as the “terrorists” were to Bush. In both cases they are conveniently chosen “enemies” used to manipulate us. You can’t choose whole groups of people and make them into the entirety of evil that you must fight. Sorry, but he is just manipulating us – and to say all Republicans are bad is falling for his nonsense.
70% of Americans want health care reform. This does not by any means say they want government run health care. There is a big difference – so please don’t draw conclusions where there are none to be drawn.
The bottom line to all of this is there is way too much divisiveness and hatred between the left and right of this country. Its got to stop – or our politicians will all use it to walk all over us and use us like children. Things are never that black and white – and we need to get beyond that to make informed decisions.
If we don’t, those decisions will be made for us despite what we feel. We’ll regret that more than anything.

And I definitely agree with you about how this will affect small business. Good comments.

“I’m confused…”
“…Also, notice the President’s use of the word “fair”, a vague and very subjective term that allows him to define it any way he wishes…”
There’s a big difference between computers and drugs. One you can really use for a lot of things and the other, if you’re really ill, you need to survive. But it’s convenient for health insurance companies who dodge the sick and pharmaceutical giants who think it’s fair to gouge huge profits from the sick, to keep you confused that they are the same.

There is no reality to any of the math from Washington. They pull numbers out, profess them as real, and a month or two later pull-out some new number. Unemployment was supposed to be capped at 8% with all the spending and bailing-out. Instead we are already at 9.4% and 16.4% when you count those who have quit trying. Washington and Wall Street are scratching each others backs.

Upon research I discovered that my country the United States of America does not have the highest standard of living in the world as perpetuated by Rush Limbaugh and other Republicans who are bent on misleading people. The Scandinavian countries have the highest standard of living in the world. Now,If healthcare and Education are rights and not priviledges in these countries and all of their citizen recieve both.. automatically..why is it so difficult to have a healthcare system that is affordable and accesible to all citizens of this great country. I’ll tell you why! Because if Obama is successful in healthcare reform then the AMA, and the drug companies would not be able to rip off Americans as they have been doing. These two entities are supporters of the Republican party and the Republicans know quite well why they want healthcare reform to fail..no more easy money in their pockets vis a vis lobbying..why thousands of citizen do not have access to or can afford healthcare. Those of you who are constantly being outwitted by the Republican party and their opposition to healthcare reform..I feel deep sorrow for you and wonder if you understand what true patriotism is..it also involved being concerned for you fellow citizens..those who are not fortunate to access and afford healthcare. Healthcare ought to be a right and not a privilege for citizens of this great country. President Obama, I wish you the best and I am praying for you and my country as you pursue healthcare reform.

Obama can spend 950 billion in health care and the result will be the same or worse — people would cry that they don’t have enough coverage.

Do you also realize if the doctor or surgeon is the government and he accidentally leaves a scalpel in your head during the brain surgery you wont be able to sue them for malpractice either? How do you like those apples?

Yeah Obama REALLY cares about poor people! Thats why he slathered money on GM, Chrysler, AIG, etc etc. He cares about poor people not big business yeah sure!! LOL- A poor person can call 911 and get an ambulance ride to the same hospital as me, get the same doctor, the same care, the same bill. Maybe they dont have health insurance maybe they do. Most people dont heck I dont. The answer is not to put the USA a trillion more in debt to try to fix it I’m sorry. It will just mean less doctors, less jobs, more unemployment. Why doesnt Obama take the $1 Trillion and give it to each U.S. citizen as a healthcare bonus on our taxes? Because he and his government cronies wouldnt make the money they can pushing this bill/plan through thats why! His response to the 10% unemployment in this country so far has been like Marie Antoinette “Let them eat cake” and throw money to just big business so far so why should I believe otherwise?

-Great idea for ranking. I wondered the same thing as Nick. Should angel investors be included in the broad category of venture capital? Or is this just a list for Venture Capital Fund bloggers?

“I would hope that everyone in Congress and the Obama administration (who support this new system) will sign a pledge to give up their current coverage and use the new one exclusively, as if they were regular joe sixpacks or jane sixpacks.”
Yup, yup.
It’s time to call, e-mail and write our Congress Critters and ask them if they will be the first to switch to the “new” system.

Just remember there is no place in the Constitution that the Legislative branch or the Executive branch is given the power to provide health care to the citizens.

ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS OTHER COUNTRIES WITH SOCIALIZED MEDICINE (WITH SKY HIGH TAX RATES AND POOR RESULTS)IS THAT THEY SPEND ALMOST NO MONEY FOR DEFENSE. GUESS WHAT COUNTRY IS COVERING THEIR BUTTS???

ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS OTHER COUNTRIES WITH SOCIALIZED MEDICINE (WITH SKY HIGH TAX RATES AND POOR RESULTS)IS THAT THEY SPEND ALMOST NO MONEY FOR DEFENSE. GUESS WHAT COUNTRY IS COVERING THEIR BUTTS???
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You nailed it Jimbo! There are many in this country who now openly call for a “European style socialism” (without the high unemployment they will then naively add). I think if the USA put the heat on Europe to provide for its own military defense, they might trun even further away from socialism.
This is a very dangerous world. When the US goes further down the slippery slope it has been on since LBJ’s “great society” our status as a military superpower will wane in proportion.

socialism 101 . . .
The country that is currently covering the U.S. ‘butt’ (and hence the rest of the world’s butt) is China. Without China’s financial backing the United States and its military are gone.
Apparently the ‘knowing how to spend’ just isn’t enough.

How come when Bush was in office he asked for many of these same cuts in Medicare and the left screamed bloody murder. Now that they are in power it is OK to make these same cuts. The left needs to get there head out of that dark place and understand that the governments first task is finacial responsibility. Until the debt of the federal government is seriously reduced we cannot spend additional dollars. If an expenditue is not a responsibility of Congress under Article 1 of the Constitution then it should not be made.

One sure way to save money for Medicare would be to cover retirees living overseas who can get much cheaper medical care in the country they live in, rather than running to the US every time they have an illness.

why are we not seeing the rich pay taxes
on there 5 home-They pay less on 5 houses than we do a 60,000 home who makes 250k except ceo-etc.i worked 40 years never came close to 250k in 6 years the plant sup.plant managers etc.
Had a very good job.we are leting the world come over here on work visa no one
follows them -They do not want to give up there citizenship from spain etc.They
get grants to go to school good jobs -