It's Working!

[Z06PDQ]

Health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recover record $4 billion; new Affordable Care Act tools will help fight fraud

[ChasC5]

Look out, get ready, here it comes .... ready, set, DENY!

[Stangkiller]

It's working?! Really?

Originally Posted by http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/26/medicare-actuary-doubts-health-care-law-hold-costs/

Medicare Actuary Doubts Health Care Law Will Hold Down Costs - FoxNews.com]

Medicare Actuary Doubts Health Care Law Will Hold Down Costs

Published January 26, 2011

WASHINGTON -- Two of the central promises of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law are unlikely to be fulfilled, Medicare's independent economic expert told Congress on Wednesday.

The landmark legislation probably won't hold costs down, and it won't let everybody keep their current health insurance if they like it, Chief Actuary Richard Foster told the House Budget Committee. His office is responsible for independent long-range cost estimates.

Foster's assessment came a day after Obama in his State of the Union message told lawmakers that he's open to improvements in the law, but unwilling to rehash the health care debate of the past two years. Republicans want to repeal the landmark legislation that provides coverage to more than 30 million people now uninsured, but lack the votes.

Foster was asked by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., for a simple true or false response on two of the main assertions made by supporters of the law: that it will bring down unsustainable medical costs and will let people keep their current health insurance if they like it.

On the costs issue, "I would say false, more so than true," Foster responded.

As for people getting to keep their coverage, "not true in all cases."

Foster was a thorn in the side to the administration throughout the health care debate, doubting that Medicare cuts would prove to be politically sustainable and raising other questions. An equal opportunity skeptic, he was also a bane to the George W. Bush administration during the debate that led to creation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit in 2003. Obama White House officials dispute his analysis and predict that he will be proven wrong about the health care law. Republicans hang on his every word.

The comments Wednesday were unusually direct because Foster generally delivers his analysis in complicated technical memos.

Foster says analysis by his office shows that the health care law will raise the nation's health care tab modestly because newly insured people will be getting medical services they would have otherwise gone without.

Costs could also increase if Medicare cuts to hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies turn out to be politically unsustainable over the years. The actuary's office has projected those cuts would eventually force about 15 percent of providers into the red. The health care law funnels savings from the Medicare cuts to provide coverage to uninsured workers and their families.

As for people getting to keep their health insurance plan, Foster's office is projecting that more than 7 million Medicare recipients in private Medicare Advantage plans will eventually have to find other coverage, cutting enrollment in the plans by about half.

The health care law gradually cuts generous government payments to the plans, so insurers are expected to raise premiums or even drop out. And the main reason seniors have flocked to the private plans is that they offer lower out-of-pocket costs.

Medicare recipients who lose private coverage would still be guaranteed coverage in the traditional program, but they would likely have to take out a supplementary insurance plan for gaps in their coverage.

Read more: Medicare Actuary Doubts Health Care Law Will Hold Down Costs - FoxNews.com

[VITE1]

I am happy to see they are stamping out at least a little of the estimated 60 Billion a year in fraud in Medicare.


Now if we got rid of it all we could stamp out 600 Billion a year.

[Exotix]

Originally Posted by VITE1

I am happy to see they are stamping out at least a little of the estimated 60 Billion a year in fraud in Medicare.


Now if we got rid of it all we could stamp out 600 Billion a year.

Unless of course you're an (R) ... then it's *good'ol 'boy* business as usual ..


Rick Scott ...

... who ran a company involved in the nation's largest Medicare fraud case ... it was and still is the biggest Medicare fraud case in U.S. history and ended with the hospital giant Columbia/HCA paying a record $1.7 billion in fines, penalties and damages.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott

[RetiredSFC 97]

Originally Posted by Exotix

Unless of course you're an (R) ... then it's *good'ol 'boy* business as usual ..


Rick Scott ...

... who ran a company involved in the nation's largest Medicare fraud case ... it was and still is the biggest Medicare fraud case in U.S. history and ended with the hospital giant Columbia/HCA paying a record $1.7 billion in fines, penalties and damages.


Rick Scott - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

he also now owns a bunch of clinics that offer drug testing.

guess what? yes, he wants to make it mandatory to drug test welfare recipients. While I don't disagree with testing the recipients, I'm sketical of the motive.

[VITE1]

Originally Posted by RetiredSFC 97

he also now owns a bunch of clinics that offer drug testing.

guess what? yes, he wants to make it mandatory to drug test welfare recipients. While I don't disagree with testing the recipients, I'm sketical of the motive.

Medicare and Medicade have destroyed the Health care industry in America. The collusion between the Government, HC industry and employers has cost us trillions and will cost us close to 100 Trillion more.

[VITE1]

Originally Posted by Exotix

Unless of course you're an (R) ... then it's *good'ol 'boy* business as usual ..


Rick Scott ...

... who ran a company involved in the nation's largest Medicare fraud case ... it was and still is the biggest Medicare fraud case in U.S. history and ended with the hospital giant Columbia/HCA paying a record $1.7 billion in fines, penalties and damages.


Rick Scott - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why are YOU making this a Dem VS Pub issue? It is not. Both have F&^ked up over the decades and gotten us into this mess. The ONLY way to get out is admit we screwed up and end these programs.

Government never lower costs. Government never improves service. And government never allows any program to work against the political wishes of those in power.

[Peter Pan]

Originally Posted by VITE1

Why are YOU making this a Dem VS Pub issue? It is not. Both have F&^ked up over the decades and gotten us into this mess. The ONLY way to get out is admit we screwed up and end these programs.

Government never lower costs. Government never improves service. And government never allows any program to work against the political wishes of those in power.

You are correct on Govt, just look at how the U.S Post Office and Amtrack are in the red

[ChasC5]

Originally Posted by Peter Pan

You are correct on Govt, just look at how the U.S Post Office and Amtrack are in the red

Post Office? You still use stamps?
Amtrack? You travel long distances by train?

I'm sure this something you care deeply about an use everyday.

[Joecooool]

Originally Posted by Exotix

Unless of course you're an (R) ... then it's *good'ol 'boy* business as usual ..


Rick Scott ...

... who ran a company involved in the nation's largest Medicare fraud case ... it was and still is the biggest Medicare fraud case in U.S. history and ended with the hospital giant Columbia/HCA paying a record $1.7 billion in fines, penalties and damages.


Rick Scott - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I am embarrassed to call this asshole my governor. I'm shocked at the stupidity of the people - especially republicans who like to talk small government - would elect a thief that funded his campaign with the money he stole from tax payers.

WTF???

[Exotix]

Originally Posted by Joecooool

I am embarrassed to call this asshole my governor. I'm shocked at the stupidity of the people - especially republicans who like to talk small government - would elect a thief that funded his campaign with the money he stole from tax payers.

WTF???

Rick Scott is merely the prime example of todays (R)/Tea Bag platform in continuam since Reagan, Bushs/Cheney .... destroying Federal Program(s) to say ... *see how ****ed-up and socialist/communist/national socialist fascist it all is ?* ... after diverting, looting and making obscene amounts of money from them ...

I'm surprised this notion doesn't get it's *due diligence* on the Media ...

[VITE1]

Originally Posted by ChasC5

Post Office? You still use stamps?
Amtrack? You travel long distances by train?

I'm sure this something you care deeply about an use everyday.

So you agree government subsidies for both are worthless.

Where else can we cut?

[Exotix]

Originally Posted by VITE1

So you agree government subsidies for both are worthless.

Where else can we cut?

Again, the state of the union has been in duress since Bush & Cheney based on Reaganomics ... it's like Americans in foreclosure ... leave the keys to the house on the dinner table and just walk out ... because the Tarp & Reinvestment Act only (subsidies) bailed out the banks ...

[ChasC5]

Originally Posted by VITE1

So you agree government subsidies for both are worthless.

Where else can we cut?

Question;

You put a stamp on a letter, when do you expect it to get there?
Are far as Trains, all need to say Train wreck; remember those in 70s and 80s?
Remember Planes dropping out of the sky from deregulation during the same period?

Enough said

[RetiredSFC 97]

Originally Posted by Exotix

Again, the state of the union has been in duress since Bush & Cheney based on Reaganomics ... it's like Americans in foreclosure ... leave the keys to the house on the dinner table and just walk out ... because the Tarp & Reinvestment Act only (subsidies) bailed out the banks ...

The state of the union has been in duress for much longer than that.

At some point this Bush thing has got to wear out, even for the commies

[Exotix]

Originally Posted by RetiredSFC 97

The state of the union has been in duress for much longer than that.

At some point this Bush thing has got to wear out, even for the commies

How'bout that 1/4 of Trillion dollar tax cuts for the rich just added to the deficits as the *Hold America Hostage Obama Tax Compromise* ... simply eliminate Social Security & Medicare to pay for it as the *No I'm not Bush & Cheney hold America hostage and hope America fails * platform the GOP is going into 2012 with ...

Good luck in 2012 ...

[RetiredSFC 97]

Originally Posted by Exotix

How'bout that 1/4 of Trillion dollar tax cuts for the rich just added to the deficits as the *Hold America Hostage Obama Tax Compromise* ... simply eliminate Social Security & Medicare to pay for it as the *No I'm not Bush & Cheney hold America hostage and hope America fails * platform the GOP is going into 2012 with ...

Good luck in 2012 ...

Your buddy signed it. And it's their money, not yours.