How to reduce health care costs...this seems like a good start:
But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the government paid the private plans, on average, 12 percent more than it would have cost to care for the same people in traditional Medicare. Moreover, it said, payments to the fastest-growing type of plan, known as private fee-for-service plans, are 19 percent higher than the cost of traditional Medicare.
Oopps, that does seem to fly in the face of the "government doesn't work, leave it to the free market" fanatics.
I hope they get enough votes to ram this down bush's throat.
Democrats Press House to Expand Health Care Bill
By ROBERT PEAR
WASHINGTON, July 22 — After a rare bipartisan agreement in the Senate to expand insurance coverage for low-income children, House Democrats have drafted an even broader plan that also calls for major changes in Medicare and promises to intensify the battle with the White House over health care.
President Bush has threatened to veto what he sees as a huge expansion of the children’s health care program, which he describes as a step “down the path to government-run health care for every American.” The House measure calls for changes that the administration will probably find even more distasteful, including cuts in Medicare payments to private health plans.
Like the bill approved last week 17 to 4 in the Senate Finance Committee, the House bill would increase tobacco taxes to help finance expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
House Democrats hope to portray the issue as a fight pitting the interests of children and older Americans against tobacco and insurance companies. The White House says the Democratic proposals would distort the original intent of the children’s program, cause a big increase in federal spending and adversely affect older Americans who are happy with the extra benefits they receive from private health plans.
By packaging Medicare with the children’s health program, Democrats say, they have built a strong intergenerational coalition that could help them overcome a presidential veto. The House bill has already drawn support from two powerful groups, AARP and the American Medical Association, in part because it would prevent cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. But the House bill is likely to meet fierce resistance from some Republicans because it is more costly than the Senate bill and could undermine private Medicare health plans, which have been championed by Republicans for a decade.
The proposal comes as health care has risen to the top of the domestic agenda. Presidential candidates from both parties are searching for ways to overhaul the health care system, control costs and address the needs of the uninsured.
Lawmakers say they see an urgent need for action. The Children’s Health Insurance Program is set to expire on Sept. 30, and Medicare payments to doctors will be cut by 10 percent on Jan. 1 if Congress does not act.
On Sunday, House Democrats said that they would unveil their bill in the next few days and that they expected to push it through the House next week, before Congress leaves town for a monthlong summer recess.
Under the bipartisan Senate plan, the federal government would increase spending on children’s coverage by $35 billion over the next five years, for a total of $60 billion. House Democrats want to increase spending by $50 billion, which is 10 times the increase sought by Mr. Bush.
Representative Charles B. Rangel, the New York Democrat who is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said the House bill would “reverse the Republican drive to privatize Medicare,” by reducing payments to private health plans that care for 8 million of the 43 million Medicare beneficiaries.
Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/washington/23health.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the government paid the private plans, on average, 12 percent more than it would have cost to care for the same people in traditional Medicare. Moreover, it said, payments to the fastest-growing type of plan, known as private fee-for-service plans, are 19 percent higher than the cost of traditional Medicare.
Oopps, that does seem to fly in the face of the "government doesn't work, leave it to the free market" fanatics.
I hope they get enough votes to ram this down bush's throat.
Democrats Press House to Expand Health Care Bill
By ROBERT PEAR
WASHINGTON, July 22 — After a rare bipartisan agreement in the Senate to expand insurance coverage for low-income children, House Democrats have drafted an even broader plan that also calls for major changes in Medicare and promises to intensify the battle with the White House over health care.
President Bush has threatened to veto what he sees as a huge expansion of the children’s health care program, which he describes as a step “down the path to government-run health care for every American.” The House measure calls for changes that the administration will probably find even more distasteful, including cuts in Medicare payments to private health plans.
Like the bill approved last week 17 to 4 in the Senate Finance Committee, the House bill would increase tobacco taxes to help finance expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
House Democrats hope to portray the issue as a fight pitting the interests of children and older Americans against tobacco and insurance companies. The White House says the Democratic proposals would distort the original intent of the children’s program, cause a big increase in federal spending and adversely affect older Americans who are happy with the extra benefits they receive from private health plans.
By packaging Medicare with the children’s health program, Democrats say, they have built a strong intergenerational coalition that could help them overcome a presidential veto. The House bill has already drawn support from two powerful groups, AARP and the American Medical Association, in part because it would prevent cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. But the House bill is likely to meet fierce resistance from some Republicans because it is more costly than the Senate bill and could undermine private Medicare health plans, which have been championed by Republicans for a decade.
The proposal comes as health care has risen to the top of the domestic agenda. Presidential candidates from both parties are searching for ways to overhaul the health care system, control costs and address the needs of the uninsured.
Lawmakers say they see an urgent need for action. The Children’s Health Insurance Program is set to expire on Sept. 30, and Medicare payments to doctors will be cut by 10 percent on Jan. 1 if Congress does not act.
On Sunday, House Democrats said that they would unveil their bill in the next few days and that they expected to push it through the House next week, before Congress leaves town for a monthlong summer recess.
Under the bipartisan Senate plan, the federal government would increase spending on children’s coverage by $35 billion over the next five years, for a total of $60 billion. House Democrats want to increase spending by $50 billion, which is 10 times the increase sought by Mr. Bush.
Representative Charles B. Rangel, the New York Democrat who is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said the House bill would “reverse the Republican drive to privatize Medicare,” by reducing payments to private health plans that care for 8 million of the 43 million Medicare beneficiaries.
Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/washington/23health.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
