Obama Budget Director Gets Political On Health Care

The Wall Street Journal:

President Barack Obama's health-care plan is in jeopardy because of serious concerns that costs will spin out of control. As much as anyone, it's White House budget director Peter Orszag's job to save it.

Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal

Comments

[vnomad]

This article coupled with the two part Charlie Rose interview, i'm beginning to see why he is an asset to the administration. He seems a fierce proponent of depoliticizing the MedPac recommendations. I particularly love that quote from the AEI fellow that he is "very very aggressive" .........a­nd admittedly very very bright"

He seems to have the presidents ear, in internal debates, on going after deep cuts in wasteful private insurance subsidies for medicare. Obama's mention that 2/3 of the funding of healthcare reform would come from these spending cuts ( reallocation of spending), seems to place an ever more trenchant imperative on following through on this decision; which contrary to what they've, herein, stated implies that these proposals would be non-negoti­able..

HERE IS ORSZAG's TWO PART INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE ROSE:

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10495 Part 1
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10506 Part 2

[DONKEY-OH-TEE]

I saw him on Charlie Rose yeaterday. Very capable.

[TJCole]

Peter what if we Taxed the Hedge Funds $.1 cent per dollar traded, or even $.05 cents per dollar traded how much would that raise to pay for Health Care...?

[TJCole]

Come on Peter design an Insurance based Single Payer System...t­hat might be best for the United States...!

I know you could do it if allowed...­!

[dawnec1957]

Obama wanted SINGLE PAYER but RAHM does not. There lays the problem...­.Check out Congressman Conyer today (he spoke about both Rahm and Bauchus and not in a flattering light)

[power1]

Healthcare in Canada and Great Britain is not more efficient than the U.S. unless you want to wait six months for cancer surgery. It's called rationing and that will happen here under this reckless plan.

[power1]

Did Peter Orszag work at Enron as the CFO? He has shown himself to be pretty adept at cooking the books.

[stupidllama]

no those guys worked in the white house in the LAST administration, thats why we are in this mess.

[sandals]

Congress in the dark of night passed the Medicare bill with the Rethugs in charge, I don't give a damn how much this cost, it is about the American People.
This will in turn cut costs, save jobs and possibly create new jobs.
We need to stand behind this President, he said all along through out his campaign that he couldn't do it alone he needed our help, well I am here and I have emailed every DEMOCRATIC Senator who is against this passing, and ask them why do they deny Americans health care when they have it paid through our tax dollars?
This is the time for us to take a stand and demand this from our so called CONGRESS!

[1dogs2]

The recent sky-rocketing costs of Medicare can be attributed in large part to Congress's malfeasance (and that's the nicest available word) in passing the Part D legislation a few years ago that provided an outrageous windfall to Big Pharma and limited benefits to the aged by forbidding the federal government to negotiate for the best available price for drugs. The new legislation apparently contains the same provision. The Harry and Louise ads currently being run by Big Pharma urge adoption of a health reform bill.

Any questions?

[outnow]

Exercise and cut saturated fats out of the diet. That would cut health care costs. Orszag cut his cholesterol in half. He now runs marathons.

I woulld incentivize the patient population with financial incentives to quit smoking, eliminate saturated fats, and exercise regularly. Working on the health care provider side is much harder and still treats symptons without eliminating the cause.

Meat, fish and chicken all cause inflamation and contain saturated fats and cholesterol. Cancer, diabetes, arthritis and coronary artery disease are all causally-related to diet and lack of exercise.

[Dredd]

Why is it not obvious that the un-American wars, if stopped, would alter this equation because the deficit would go away?

http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/07/wars-are-unamerican-say-public.html

[rkm0619]

Why dont you ask the commander in chief?

[Telemachus]

It is obvious. We are doing to ourselves exactly what the Athenians did to themselves. Buh-bye, Athens. Buh-bye, America.

[NotesFromME]

Exactly. The Athenians destroyed themselves because they had to be in everyone else's business.

[Chili4me]

Just pass it already- dimocrats don't care what's in it or that there is no way to pay for it just pass the bill!!

If you think healthcare is expensive now wait until the government has its hands in it. Then only Congressmen will be able to afford it.

[wandering girl]

why do you hate America?

[TopJack]

He doesn't hate America. He hates Americans. Anyone who isn't white, wealthy, Christian and privileged That's the Republican way.

[Chili4me]

When has the government made anything cheaper?

[TopJack]

"Then one member said her top priority was winning higher payments for oxygen suppliers, the officials say. Mr. Orszag was taken aback."

Name this woman. Name this woman, please. Everyone needs to know which female Democratic senator placed the profits of an overpaid oxygen supplier over the health care needs of Americans.

[vippy]

How can we afford to fight 2 wars? Pledge millions to Africa, etc. The vast benefits our congress/senate enjoys but for the people we have NOTHING. Take the money saved from the F22s
and finance this long overdue healthcare for every American. Cut out the healthcare insurances we don't need, the middle man and we won't have a problem.

[Truthahn]

You forgot the $108 billion the Democrats are sending to the IMF.

[thundermummy]

So when it is a bs war the repubes say it is worth whatever the cost. When it is the health and welfare of Americans then they fudge numbers and say it is too costly. There is one thing we can not afford for sure, more republicans.

[NotesFromME]

You are exactly right about fudging the numbers. The CBO assumptions in scoring the health care proposals were bogus--they "projected" that costs would continue to increase at the same rate. Anyone who has ever worked with a spreadsheet knows that you can skew any projection to meet your pre-conceived notions with a few such "assumptio­ns." It is not like budgets are a science with immutable laws.