House Health Care Bill Reportedly Would Sharply Reduce Benefits For Senior Citizens

The Washington Post:

A plan to slash more than $500 billion from future Medicare spending -- one of the biggest sources of funding for President Obama's proposed overhaul of the nation's health-care system -- would sharply reduce benefits for some senior citizens and could jeopardize access to care for millions of others, according to a government evaluation released Saturday.

Read the whole story: The Washington Post

Comments

[Helen65]

The present doesn't look that great either. The 2010 Medicare plan changes are out. I found this article that summarizes them well:
http://www.planprescriber.com/Medicare/newsletter-nov2009-medicare2010changes.html
I would like to hear what others are looking at in terms of their 2010 options. Any increases in premiums or deductibles or coverage changes?

[barksalot]

This certainly isn't stunning news. How can you make cuts of this size and not cut care. There should be a major effort to stop waste and fraud rather than make cuts but a government run program would never do that. That is why government run healthcare will not work.

[theycallthewindmariah]

I'm close to getting Medicare, and let me say that I have absolutely no problem with cutting some "benefits" out of the private/public Advantage plans. On my personal insurance now, I do not get dental or vision coverage (except for surgical), nor do I get a guarantee of name-brand drugs. I always get generics.

At a time when 47,000 are dying because they can't afford care for preventable diseases, I think that retired folks on Bush's private Advantage plans, many of whom are well-off now, can pick up more of the costs for dental work, eyeglasses, and can take generics. And I have no problem with the insurance companies taking a lower profit.

[kobrock1]

I had heard that the number was more like 46,789. These kinds of numbers have become more exacting of late.

[Teadye]

This is article is based solely on the supposition that hospitals will no longer take any Medicare at all. That's a mighty big "if."

[kobrock1]

Yeah, and why should a physician get more than 50 cents to read an EKG?

[Foxrocks]

This article will be off the main page by lunch time.

[Jyoti Naik]

"I’m just wondering why the nation continues incurring enormous debt to pay for bypass surgery and titanium-knee replacements for octogenarians and nonagenarians, when for just a small fraction of those costs we could provide children with preventive health care and nutrition. Eight million children have no health insu...rance, but their parents pay 3 percent of their salaries to Medicare to make sure that seniors get the very best money can buy in prescription drugs for everything from restless leg syndrome to erectile dysfunction, scooters and end-of-life intensive care. "


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/opinion/17dooling.html?_r=1&em

[barksalot]

It's nice to think you have no plans to be around when you may have need for bypass surgery.

[theycallthewindmariah]

Not everyone thinks only about themselves. Some people believe that children shouldn't die so that rich, old men can play golf better.

[Jyoti Naik]

I will have the courtesy to die when I am an octogenerian instead of being a burden on society

[kobrock1]

"Logan's Run' is the way to go. With the transformed Logan as the antagonist, and the Sandmen, as the the protagonists; man, those guys were prescient.

[vippy]

So all the scare tactics that went out to seniors were true? I believe this bill is so screwed up that we are better off without it and that is coming from me, who waited for this for 40 long years. I thought I get something similar what I had in Europe but leave it to the USA, where only the rich prevail and to heck with the rest.

[ssg13565]

According to the story, this report comes from "Richard S. Foster of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services."

Is that the agency at www . cms . hhs . gov? This would be part of the US Department of Health And Human Services.

The story said, 'Though the report does not attempt to quantify that impact, Foster writes: "It is reasonable to expect that a significant portion of the increased demand for Medicaid would not be realized." '

What the heck does that mean? "Does not attempt to quantify"? "significant portion"?

"It is reasonable to expect"? It might also be reasonable to expect that in the time it takes to put the plan into effect, that these problems can be fixed by other parts of the President's plans. Of all the reasonable things one might expect, which ones are likely?

[kobrock1]

What is a near certainty are higher costs, much longer waits, and a dramatic reduction in the quality of care. But hey, just think of the satisfaction you'll derive from handing over that much more of your freedom to politicians.

[Teadye]

As long as "you" are among the fortunate. For everyone else it'll be a relief to have that particular worry off our backs... destitution as a result of medical bills. Look at the very real statistics for bankruptcy, and I think you'll find that the "you" might very well be *you* if you run into health problems at some point in your life. Quite a gamble. Besides, I haven't noticed that the waits are particularly brief at the doctors office now.

[wef100]

Maybe the death panels were a good idea- he says with tongue in cheeck!

[ktomas]

It's another Post and GOP con job. Why am I not all that surprised? Not that I wouldn't expect Republicans to keep trying to scare seniors by saying that health care reform takes away their Medicare (instead of cutting waste that the insurance companies have been pocketing all along anyway).

[kobrock1]

It's just shameful trying to convince anyone with half a brain that a paltry FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND MILLION is a lot of money these days. I'l bet some of those meanie CEOs make that kind of walking around money on a quarterly basis.

[kobrock1]

Another way to look at would be, if I were to give you a million dollars per day, each day from the day you were born, 365 days per year; that sum would be completely dwindled away by the time you reached your 1,370th birthday, provided of course that you lived that long.

[flamflurm]

Shocka!

[krechsd]

Your article became irrelevent the instant you said it was a report requested by House Repugs.

[Lauralics]

Yet, Democrats were busy Saturday finding the positive aspects in the non-partisan report.

[hidenout]

Yep, and apparently there aren't any.....

[Viper]

250 billiojn comes from the Private Medicare Advantage HMO prorams which cost 15% more than regular medicare does.. but was suppose to cost less, because you know the repugs said the private sector could do it better. (Not in healthcare). Their paymenst will be reduceds to what regualr medicare cost per enrolleee.


And by the way they pay 20-30% less than medicare does to providers (Repugs are not however talking about that problem which is threatening to close hospitals and clinics in Florida). Get rid of them and negotiate the drugs prices just like the VA and the rest of the world does and that will cut drug cost by more than half as proven by the VA.... and you have cut Medicare costs by 45%.

Medicaid payments are too low.. on the otherhand most providers are treating an ever growing number of patients for free which may offset that to some degree. In our case we are now treating 20% for free and another 20% are Medicaid.. while the insurance companies get 35% of every healthcare dollar and treat no one.,. They are not needed... WalMart gets rid of the middleman and thats called capitalism...

Regards

[gorgol]

60 Minutes segment...$50 Billion at least..a year, is lost in Medicare due to corruption. There aren't enough investigators to track it all down. But I doubt this will be stopped. Now if Obama pulls out of Afghanistan (drug cartel) and Iraq....well, there's a TRILLION DOLLARS a year saved. Problem solved.

[rocketman69]

Well, you guys were right: no death panels. You're just not gonna pay for the elderly's treatment.

[madisonhack]

I'd like to see an independent analysis of the funding, not an analysis from the people that are now gouging us.

Incidentally, isn't the admin costs for Medicare Advantage about $500 billion? Isn't that what this "provider" that conducted the analysis actually provides - Medicare Advantage?

Conflict of interest.

[pyro]

It better not. I'm only 55 but live on a disability check. It aint much, and we are not really getting by as it is. I've always been a Democrat, but I starting to wonder if voting really matters anymore. Darn it.

[ILibertine]

The GOP magic carpet for 2012, at this rate.

[live]

medicaid is not medicare. there are both medicare and medicaid in my family.
this will NOT change your benefit check darn it

why dont you get a btain darn it. guess you dont care if others have NO insurance do you?
why dont you get a heart darn it

[pyro]

Hey live, please back off. I'm on your side. I've always been on your side. And your wrong, I care very much about those with NO insurance. Get a brain? I have no pretense of being the sharpest knife in the drawer. People get by with what brains the flying sphegetti monster give them. If your right about my benifits not changing, then that's fine.

I'm not convinced that this bill is the best we could have gotten though. And I want to believe my compatriots that "it's a start". And maybe it IS a first step toward singlepayer and medicare for all. I sure hope so, it's what the country needs and wants. (for the most part)

We need to eat the rich, not each other.

I said I'm "starting to wonder", not that I had given up. You know darn well I'm not alone too.

Have a nice day.

[vippy]

We have to come to our senses and vote for a third party. We were deceived again with Obama, he is just another politician. I don't see anything being corrected that GWB had created to our demise. Here we pay in all of our lives and then they cut and cut while they vote themselves big raises with all benefits one can imagine! Enough, we the voters need to be firm and vote for anybody but the 2 current parties. Then hold the new bunch in office for 4 years only, we enforce the term limits but people can't figure this out!

[treboi]

Yeah good luck with that, Ace...

[pyro]

I dunno Vippy. People been saying that since I was a kid, and it looks to me like the system is rigged so that no third party can ever win. They keep trying, but they never even get close. If they had ever got even close, I'd consider trying a third party again.