August 12, 2009
Posted by Coonsey in Uncategorized.trackback
ABC Says AARP Doesn’t Endorse Health Reform Plan?
Jake Tapper and Rachel Martin of ABC News reported today that Obama had a “Senior Moment” today by claiming that AARP has endorsed his plans;
“President Obama today suggested that the health care reform legislation for which he’s pushing has been endorsed by the American Association of Retired Person.
“We have the AARP on board because they know this is a good deal for our seniors,” the president said.
At another point he said: “Well, first of all, another myth that we’ve been hearing about is this notion that somehow we’re going to be cutting your Medicare benefits. We are not. AARP would not be endorsing a bill if it was undermining Medicare, okay?”
The problem?
The AARP hasn’t endorsed any plan yet.
While I will agree AARP, to my knowledge, hasn’t gone on live television or radio to ‘officially’ endorse any plan, they sure have come close to it. Tapper and Martin failed once again to point out ‘all‘ the details about AARP.
I’d like to point out an article from the Quad-City Times of Iowa, that shows AARP does indeed support President Obama and the Democratic Party’s health care plans — by merely acting against the opponents of it. Running nationwide television ads to counter the lies about their plan — sure seems awfully close to an endorsement if I ever saw one.
DES MOINES - AARP officials unveiled a national ad blitz Monday to counter what the organization says are attempts to scare and confuse seniors by opponents of health-care reform.
They say they want to counter “false assertions” that health-care changes would include a government takeover, rationed care or euthanasia.
The campaign, which includes ads on TV, radio and in print, seeks to dispel what they say are myths about health-care reform.
Bruce Koeppl, AARP’s Iowa senior state director, said they want to counter claims that reforms would lead to rationing or would put government in charge of whether older Americans with medical problems get to live or die.
“They are, frankly, lies. They are not true,” Koeppl said.”
Please this is just the AARP’s attempt at political leverage I’m sure in September we will find out what they want in the bill. Besides this is the smallest lie told by President Obama about the heathcare takeover.
Ok McGinness, we finally agree on something…AARP will end up officially endorsing.
Now, about these so-called BIGGER lies you imply that Obama is telling about Health Care Reform — lets discuss them. Give me one to start off with and I’ll let you know if I agree, and we can work from there.
OK this bill will be paid for without increasing the the national debt or increasing taxes on the middle class. Thats a bigger lie.
I think it can be done – with cost savings over time –
Besides that, I don’t remember you worrying about how much it would cost to create the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan during the Bush admin:
The President’s 2010 Budget lays the groundwork for reform of the American health care system, most notably by setting aside a deficit-neutral reserve fund of $635 billion over 10 years to help finance reform:
Financing Health Care Reform. The reserve fund is financed by a combination of rebalancing the tax code so that the wealthiest pay more as well as specific health care savings in three areas: promoting efficiency and accountability, aligning incentives towards quality and better care, and encouraging shared responsibility. Taken together, the health care savings would total $316 billion over 10 years while improving the quality and efficiency of health care, without negatively affecting the care Americans receive. These savings include:
* Reducing Medicare Overpayments to Private Insurers Through Competitive Payments.
Reducing Drug Prices. Prescription drug costs are high and rising, causing too many Americans to skip doses, split pills, or not take needed medication altogether. The Administration will prevent drug companies from blocking generic drugs from consumers by prohibiting anticompetitive agreements and collusion between brand name and generic drug manufacturers intended to keep generic drugs off the market.
Improving Medicare and Medicaid Payment Accuracy. The Government Accountability
Improving Care after Hospitalizations and Reduce Hospital Readmission Rates. Nearly
* Expanding the Hospital Quality Improvement Program. The health care system tends to pay for quantity of services not quality. Experts have recommended that hospitals and doctors be paid based on delivering high quality care, or what is called “pay for performance.” The President’s Budget will link a portion of Medicare payments for acute in-patient hospital services to hospitals’ performance on specific quality measures. This program will improve the quality of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries, and the higher quality will save over $12 billion over 10 years. Again, the money saved will be contributed to the Reserve Fund for health care reform.
* Reforming the Physician Payment System to Improve Quality and Efficiency. The Administration believes that the current physician payment system, while it has served to limit spending to a degree, needs to be reformed so that physicians are paid for providing high-quality care rather than simply for more procedures and exams. Thus, while the baseline reflects our best estimate of what the Congress has done in recent years, we are not suggesting that should be the future policy.
Reducing Itemized Deduction Rate for Families With Incomes Over $250,000. Lowering health care costs and expanding health insurance coverage will require additional revenue. In the health reform policy discussions that have taken place over the past few years, a wide range of revenue options have been discussed—and these options are all worthy of serious discussion as the Administration works with the Congress to enact health care reform. The Administration’s Budget includes a proposal to limit the tax rate at which high-income taxpayers can take itemized deductions to 28 percent— and the initial reserve fund would be funded in part through this provision. This provision would raise $318 billion over 10 years.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fy2010_key_healthcare/
How do you set aside one fifth of the current budget? $630 billion can’t just show up even over ten years. What program is being cut? What tax is being levied? You just take it as fact $630 will magically be deposited in a set aside fund. The only way to reduce physician cost is to not pay them for services rendered. What load of road apples that whole stament is full of it.
See my latest POST — for answer