There Are No Funds for a New Healthcare Plan

[Guest]

Two documents that anyone supporting or opposing the proposed new healthcare reform bills should read before considering any bill are: (1) the AMA news of May 18th of this year, and (2) The FY 2008 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Medicare/Medicaid Trust Funds. I could not find the 2009 report, but since the economy is worsening, I assume it will not contain better news.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/05/18/gvsb0518.htm
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/reportstrustfunds/downloads/tr2008.pdf

The AMA News tells us that the Medicare budget for FY 2010 is $758.9 Billion; an increase of $56.3 Billion or eight percent over FY 2009.The is more disturbing than it appears at first since the underwriting assumptions for the Medicare budget forecast a rate of growth of 6%.

We have all heard that the needed savings in Medicare (~$500 billion over the next ten years) that will be needed to help finance a new healthcare program will come from eliminating waste, fraud and duplication in Medicare. We have not seen the savings from duplication and waste, but the fraud numbers are in.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Has gone on the record saying, "The president's budget lays out funding for anti-fraud efforts over five years that we estimate could save $2.7 billion." This is a savings of less than one tenth of one percent of the total amount that will be spent on Medicare over the next five years.

The Trustees Report, ignored largely by both sides, is that Medicare in going broke over the next seven years. Here is an excerpt from the FY 2008 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees, "The difference between Medicare’s total outlays and its “dedicated financing sources” is estimated to reach 45 percent of outlays in fiscal year 2014, the seventh year of the projection. As a result, the Board of Trustees is required to issue a determination of projected “excess general revenue Medicare funding”

To put this in plain English, it is saying that through FY 2010, the projected income from payroll taxes and other sources including the Trust fund, will meet Medicare benefits. After 2010, Medicare outlays will have to be supplemented with funds from General Revenues. By 2014, nearly fifty percent of the funds spent on Medicare will come from General Revenues and will cause the current budget deficit to skyrocket. These projections were done with a projected rate of increase of outlays by 6% per year, not the 8% we have been experiencing.

What this means to healthcare reform is that the entire $500 billion projected savings in Medicare/Medicaid expenditures will be needed to continue to fund these programs; and, in addition, funds will have to be diverted from General Revenues. There will not be a single penny left over to fund new healthcare programs.

This is neither Democrat nor Republican, Conservative, Progressive, Libertarian or Liberal. It is simply fact. Before we go forward on anything, lets get the finances in order.

[Guest]

it seems like hollering in a fog when ever I raised the question of Medicare's need for funding to avoid going broke in less than 10 years. More specifically, how can the savings from Medicare waste and abuse be used for health care reform when it is needed to keep Medicare alive? And if the waste and abuse are so well KNOWN...professed by Obama and Nancy so what other validation is needed? Then why is there no effort being dictated to go after the so called KNOWN waste and abuse?

With the KNOWN facts there is no way health care reform is deficit neutral. There is no way there will be any savings from any where.....remember the $100,000,000 in budget cuts Obama asked to be made for the new budget. Not only did he not get the asked for cuts, those he asked did not even comply by the date he stated he wanted the savings? The end result.....right....NOTHING!

Does anybody really believe politicians are going to cut any of their favorite programs for the benefit of we the people? There is no way there will ever be a cut in spending by Washington lawmakers......all one has to do is check out the track record.

The health care reform may leave Medicare alone for a couple of years but when all gets said and done the funding is going to have to come from some where. Tax hikes or cuts in services....it is inevitable for all parties alike.

So just keep drinking of the kool aid.

btk

[Guest]

Does anyone know of any program that the democrats have ever cut costs from by eliminating fraud and waste ?

[Guest]

it seems like hollering in a fog when ever I raised the question of Medicare's need for funding to avoid going broke in less than 10 years. More specifically, how can the savings from Medicare waste and abuse be used for health care reform when it is needed to keep Medicare alive? And if the waste and abuse are so well KNOWN...professed by Obama and Nancy so what other validation is needed? Then why is there no effort being dictated to go after the so called KNOWN waste and abuse?

With the KNOWN facts there is no way health care reform is deficit neutral. There is no way there will be any savings from any where.....remember the $100,000,000 in budget cuts Obama asked to be made for the new budget. Not only did he not get the asked for cuts, those he asked did not even comply by the date he stated he wanted the savings? The end result.....right....NOTHING!

Does anybody really believe politicians are going to cut any of their favorite programs for the benefit of we the people? There is no way there will ever be a cut in spending by Washington lawmakers......all one has to do is check out the track record.

The health care reform may leave Medicare alone for a couple of years but when all gets said and done the funding is going to have to come from some where. Tax hikes or cuts in services....it is inevitable for all parties alike.

So just keep drinking of the kool aid.

btk

And where is the $10 billion a month we've been spending the last 8 years fighting a losing battle in Iraq and Afghanistan going to come from. Oh that's right the war's going to pay for itself! The kool aid drinking started 8 1/2 years ago.

And don't forget to cut up your VA Medical and Medicare cards, you don't want to participate in some socialist medical program.

[Guest]

And where is the $10 billion a month we've been spending the last 8 years fighting a losing battle in Iraq and Afghanistan going to come from. Oh that's right the war's going to pay for itself! The kool aid drinking started 8 1/2 years ago.

And don't forget to cut up your VA Medical and Medicare cards, you don't want to participate in some socialist medical program.


:thumbup::highfive::agree:

And don't forget the non funded Medicare Drug Bill.....

[Guest]

You complain about Billions on the war but the fact of the matter is that BO has now run us up to TRILLIONS of $$ in debt. How many Billions make a Trillion?
There is NO money for health care that we don't have to borrow for. Don't make it sound like if there wasn't a war that we could support all of BO's spending. Not so.

Then, there is where do the jobs and industries go that produce goods for the services. Does shuttering the bullet makers, uniform makers, tank builders and the thousands of jobs and hundreds factories that are supported from military spending just go under? Military spending just doesn't disappear into some hole overseas, the bulk of it is spent in American, manufacturing the needs of the services. So do you propose that cutting back on the military is good for the economy and therefore beneficial to supporting health care?

[Guest]

Think again about his plans

http://www.newsmax.com/us/defense_spending_steady/2009/01/09/169554.html

[Guest]

And where is the $10 billion a month we've been spending the last 8 years fighting a losing battle in Iraq and Afghanistan going to come from.

Spoken like a true liberal. Nothing like supporting the troops who fight daily for ours and others freedoms. BTW, who says we are loosing? Some I think don't deserve the freedom some die for.

[Guest]

Spoken like a true liberal. Nothing like supporting the troops who fight daily for ours and others freedoms. BTW, who says we are loosing? Some I think don't deserve the freedom some die for.

What ever happened to "Mission Accomplished"? The troops at this point in time are supposedly "nation building" something Bush was against. I want to see the Iraqis fighting for their freedoms, they don't deserve it if they are not willing to fight for it. Just like we were "fighting for freedom" in Viet Nam, I think we've been hoodwinked again into getting into a situation that has no bearing on us, let's have the oil companies man and fund this fiasco. Remember 19 of the wackos who got us into this whole mess were Saudis, not Iraqis. The troops are fighting to keep us dependent on these undemocratic regimes in the Middle East. The last real war that our troops fought for our freedoms was WWII.

[Guest]

You complain about Billions on the war but the fact of the matter is that BO has now run us up to TRILLIONS of $$ in debt. How many Billions make a Trillion?
There is NO money for health care that we don't have to borrow for. Don't make it sound like if there wasn't a war that we could support all of BO's spending. Not so.

Then, there is where do the jobs and industries go that produce goods for the services. Does shuttering the bullet makers, uniform makers, tank builders and the thousands of jobs and hundreds factories that are supported from military spending just go under? Military spending just doesn't disappear into some hole overseas, the bulk of it is spent in American, manufacturing the needs of the services. So do you propose that cutting back on the military is good for the economy and therefore beneficial to supporting health care?

I think Mr. Bush was left with a surplus when he came into office and left us with a huge deficit.
Halliburton has done a wonderful job poisoning and electrocuting our troops, and making huge profits. And why do we pay the mercenaries from Blackwater more than we pay our troops. So much for patriotic, war profiteering industries supporting our troops.

[Guest]

What ever happened to "Mission Accomplished"? The troops at this point in time are supposedly "nation building" something Bush was against. I want to see the Iraqis fighting for their freedoms, they don't deserve it if they are not willing to fight for it. Just like we were "fighting for freedom" in Viet Nam, I think we've been hoodwinked again into getting into a situation that has no bearing on us, let's have the oil companies man and fund this fiasco. Remember 19 of the wackos who got us into this whole mess were Saudis, not Iraqis. The troops are fighting to keep us dependent on these undemocratic regimes in the Middle East. [B]The last real war that our troops fought for our freedoms was WWII.

While you are entitled to your view and it is the standard Dem vs Rep words that you type, the one part of your post that I object to strongly is...

last real war that our troops fought for our freedoms was WWII.[

On behalf of those friends and family members that shed their blood and lost their lives in Korea, Vietnam and many other skirmishes over the years I resent your sentiments.

While YOU...POLITICALLY....do not think they died and suffered for our freedom I violently disagree with you. You may have a different political view but I think that troops who represent us wherever our leaders send them are fighting for our freedom and perhaps those who feel as you do should have a Scrooge type dream and let you see what happens if they are not throughout the world EVERY DAY, EVERY HOUR....and no matter what you say...they are DEFENDING OUR FREEDOM.

[Guest]

[/B]

While you are entitled to your view and it is the standard Dem vs Rep words that you type, the one part of your post that I object to strongly is...

last real war that our troops fought for our freedoms was WWII.[

On behalf of those friends and family members that shed their blood and lost their lives in Korea, Vietnam and many other skirmishes over the years I resent your sentiments.

While YOU...POLITICALLY....do not think they died and suffered for our freedom I violently disagree with you. You may have a different political view but I think that troops who represent us wherever our leaders send them are fighting for our freedom and perhaps those who feel as you do should have a Scrooge type dream and let you see what happens if they are not throughout the world EVERY DAY, EVERY HOUR....and no matter what you say...they are DEFENDING OUR FREEDOM.

Last time I checked we did not accomplish what we set out to do in Viet Nam , we would be just as safe today if we got out in the late sixties. Japan and Germany surrendered, who's going to surrender in Iraq and Afghanistan? Before we commit troops let's have the guts to officially declare war, our troops deserve better than to be sent into "skirmishes" , "nation building" , or being policemen/peacekeepers for other countriesnot willing to bear their share of the fighting and costs.

[Guest]

Last time I checked we did not accomplish what we set out to do in Viet Nam , we would be just as safe today if we got out in the late sixties. Japan and Germany surrendered, who's going to surrender in Iraq and Afghanistan? Before we commit troops let's have the guts to officially declare war, our troops deserve better than to be sent into "skirmishes" , "nation building" , or being policemen/peacekeepers for other countriesnot willing to bear their share of the fighting and costs.

Perhaps you have the vision to know exactly what would have happened had we not entered Korea, Vietnam or anywhere else...I dont !!!

[Guest]

I think Mr. Bush was left with a surplus when he came into office and left us with a huge deficit.
Halliburton has done a wonderful job poisoning and electrocuting our troops, and making huge profits. And why do we pay the mercenaries from Blackwater more than we pay our troops. So much for patriotic, war profiteering industries supporting our troops.


Read this:
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/74459/
And OB's increasing that debt buy a multiple of what, 3, is helping the country? How is that not three times worse than Bush? I guess that today's deficit under BO's spending is OK because it is for social engineering.

And then you single out two businesses that are a disgrace to the country, and I agree they are a disgrace, and extrapolate that into saying that all military industry is profiteering. Typical Liberal blathering right out of the Hippy 60's.

Tony removed my original reply as being too personal, so you can imagine my feelings about 60's type thinking.

[Guest]

Perhaps you have the vision to know exactly what would have happened had we not entered Korea, Vietnam or anywhere else...I dont !!!

I agree about not knowing the outcome, but if my recollection is correct Mr. Bush, Cheney et al.(the majority of which had avoided service in Viet Nam) were dead certain:
1. The war would pay for itself.
2. We would be welcomed as liberators
3. There were weapons of mass destruction, mushroom clouds, etc.
4. It would be a "slam dunk" victory
5. We only needed a small number of troops
6. We'd be out in short order

If they had told the American people up front that we could be there for many, many years, maybe cost thousands of lives and casualties and billions of dollars, I don't think they would have had a chance in hell of getting approval particularly from fiscal conservatives. I don't want our politicians sending our brave troops into harm's way if they are not being up front with the American people and unless it is absolutely necessary.

[Guest]

how we got here or who is to blame! The point is we ARE here. The US economy is going down the s***er, we have record unemployment and deficits and the dollar is falling.

In face of this, a new government program that will cost many hundreds of billions, if not trillions, is insanity! We need to cut government spending, not increase it.