They have no idea what this is going to cost us. This is unbelievable. Obama’s own actuaries won’t be able to analyze the bill before the final vote.
From Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell:
WASHINGTON, DC – The Obama administration’s chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) notified Republican leaders Saturday that the “very tight time frame” and “complexity” of the Democrats’ health spending bill would prevent them from fully analyzing the costs and efficacy of the bill before the House voted on the legislation. The letter was in response to a request from House and Senate Republicans.The Chief Actuary, Richard S. Foster, wrote: “In your letter, you requested that we provide the updated actuarial estimates in time for your review prior to the expected House debate and vote on this legislation on March 21,2010. I regret that my staff and I will not be able to prepare our analysis within this very tight time frame, due to the complexity of the legislation.”
Foster and his staff analyzed the Senate-passed bill and determined that it bent the cost curve up, estimating in a January 8 report that national health expenditures would increase by an estimated total of $222 billion, and that the additional demand for health services “could be difficult to meet” and “could lead to price increases, cost-shifting, and/or changes in providers’ willingness to treat patients with low-reimbursement health coverage.” Foster, in his letter today, expects the new health spending bill to be “generally similar.”
House Republican Leader John Boehner said: “The House of Representatives should not vote blindly on an issue that is so important to every American. We deserve to have all the facts about how much this bill raise health care costs before we vote. The decision to press ahead and jam this bill down the throats of the American people is just one more example of arrogance and irresponsibility from Washington Democrats.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said: “Americans deserve to have a full analysis of this bill, but won’t because of the mad dash forced by the Democrat leaders in the House. We now know that even the Obama administration’s chief actuary predicts more government spending, more price increases for consumers and less care for low-income patients. This debate was supposed about lowering costs for Americans not making things worse.”
The letter to CMS was signed by McConnell, House Republican Leader John Boehner, Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Judd Gregg, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Mike Enzi, House Budget Committee Ranking Member Paul Ryan, House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Dave Camp, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton, and House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member John Kline.
I wish the government would see the people don’t want force fed insurance changes. This isn’t a bill about health care reform, it’s insurance reform that isn’t for the better.
We need to reform overall health care to cut unnecessary spending, less reliance on drugs and surgery.
People need to be held accountable for their choices in ingesting unhealthy products.
I constantly get patients who are overweight complaining that it is too tough or too expensive to eat properly or follow a healthy nutritional plan to help them lose weight and be more healthy. Or people who say they don’t like to exercise, or not time for it.
Well it’s time to say our tax money can’t keep covering laziness.
Health insurance should be like life insurance of auto insurance and take into account health risks, people who do things to improve health, penalize those who continue to smoke, eat excessively, high sugar foods, caffeine (which causes many health problems).
Doctors have to be held accountable too by not jumping toward prescribing medications which just cover up symptoms and coaching patients toward healthy choices.
I can keep going on and on..but think you get the point. Lets get health care reform to what it should be. Our current system is sick care, lets make it true health care.
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Dr. Russell Brokstein, I think you really missing the whole picture about health-care bill and you are very judgmental towards people. You are supposed to be a doctor who cares, where is your heart for the people who are really in need. I am wondering have you ever spend time in a poor environment because there is always a root why people choose certain things in their lives, may be good or bad. My stepmother thought me a lesson by her example. She always get to the root of why her student is failing before she makes a judgment on his/her grade. Also, for overweight people I have found that the biggest avoiders tend to carry their emotional scars and injuries as a badge of honor. He/She dwell on their painful past, their disappointing relationships, their lackluster careers, and get wrapped up in the turmoil of it all. These old familiar negative feelings and situations are comforting in a weird way. But more important, they are a total distraction from taking responsibility and moving on. All he/she needs some one to love and believe in that he/she can change.Do believe that people can change.We all have some kind of laziness about are selves
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There must be more fall-out from this than just the November elections. I want to see these people pay in a significant way for their lawlessness.
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They will not be able to figure the costs – period – never
mind the vote. Obviously they do not care – they don’t even
care that Medicare is in the red.
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Am I the only one who’s had enough of Obama and his administration? It’ just appaulling the level of arrogance that Obama and his administration are governing this country with… I can’t wait to see Obama get voted out in a few more years and good riddance! Hopefully there is still something left of this country! Obama would love nothing more then to see each and every American sitting at home and waiting for their next government check!
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