Guest
04-23-2012, 12:15 PM
and either those who support the health care plan OR someone famaliar with the insurance industry AND the bill can help.
Reading TWO different versions of the same story...one from the New York Times, which leans left at times and one from the New York Post, which leans right normally. Seems like the both come to a negative conclusion but it is difficult to believe that the administration would be this blatant.....
This is the lead from the Times...
"Medicare is wasting more than $8 billion on an experimental program that rewards providers of mediocre health care and is unlikely to produce useful results, federal investigators say in a new report.
The report, to be issued Monday by the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, urges the Obama administration to cancel the program, which pays bonuses to health insurance companies caring for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.
Administration officials, however, defended the project and said they would not cancel it because it could improve the quality of care for older Americans. "
This from the New York Post......same story, same subject...
"Call it President Obama’s Committee for the Re-Election of the President — a political slush fund at the Health and Human Services Department.
Only this isn’t some little fund from shadowy private sources; this is taxpayer money, redirected to help Obama win another term. A massive amount of it, too — $8.3 billion. Yes, that’s billion, with a B.
Here is how it works.
The most oppressive aspects of the ObamaCare law don’t kick in until after the 2012 election, when the president will no longer be answerable to voters. More “flexibility,” he recently explained to the Russians."
Believe it or not, they are talking about the same thing....isnt the media wonderful....
The new health care law provides that this fall, right before the election, rates paid to Medicaire Advantage is being slashed which means that seniors in that program will be sent back to the government programs. That, in many states would not be a good thing for the Obama reelection.....fussing with seniors medicaire.
SOOO...all of a sudden EIGHT BILLION dollars becomes available for the government to run an "experiment" . The experiment is...from the Times..."an experimental program that rewards providers of mediocre health care and is unlikely to produce useful results, federal investigators say in a new report. "
This money being spent...TAXPAYERS MONEY.....will surely mask the impact of the healthcare bill at a very convenient time....ie., right before the election.
The Post is calling it a slush fund....the Times is reporting that ..well this from the Times..."The report, to be issued Monday by the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, urges the Obama administration to cancel the program, which pays bonuses to health insurance companies caring for millions of Medicare beneficiaries."
AND...
"The G.A.O. said the project “dwarfs all other Medicare demonstrations” in its impact on the budget, but is so poorly designed that researchers could not tell whether the bonus payments led to improved care. As a result, it said, it is unlikely to “produce meaningful results.” Insurers can use the bonuses to offer extra benefits, like vision and dental care, or to lower premiums. "
This "experiment" is for a program that has been running for years but this little "gimmick" will surely mask this at a very opportune time.
So I ask anyone in the industry or someone who supports it to dispute the claims....frankly, if true it is extremely a very bad thing to do.
I am not sure, but this is the kind of stuff that we, as voters need to know and I would love help in recognizing whether this is a ploy or not.
EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS OF TAXPAYERS money...nothing to sneeze at.
Here are the links...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/health/policy/gao-says-medicare-test-project-is-wasting-8-billion.html?_r=3&ref=us
President Obama’s Medicare slush fund—Benjamin E. Sasse & Charles Hurt - NYPOST.com (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/an_billion_trick_ImTBFfz7MeuZLJY7JzXEIJ)
PS....PLEASE lets not discuss the differences in the papers. The question is for me, are we being ripped off (WE=Taxpayers) to hide this before the election because if congress didnt read it, everything will be a surprise OR is this "experiment" legitimate even those this is not a new program. I feel this is important to know and I do not feel qualifed.
Reading TWO different versions of the same story...one from the New York Times, which leans left at times and one from the New York Post, which leans right normally. Seems like the both come to a negative conclusion but it is difficult to believe that the administration would be this blatant.....
This is the lead from the Times...
"Medicare is wasting more than $8 billion on an experimental program that rewards providers of mediocre health care and is unlikely to produce useful results, federal investigators say in a new report.
The report, to be issued Monday by the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, urges the Obama administration to cancel the program, which pays bonuses to health insurance companies caring for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.
Administration officials, however, defended the project and said they would not cancel it because it could improve the quality of care for older Americans. "
This from the New York Post......same story, same subject...
"Call it President Obama’s Committee for the Re-Election of the President — a political slush fund at the Health and Human Services Department.
Only this isn’t some little fund from shadowy private sources; this is taxpayer money, redirected to help Obama win another term. A massive amount of it, too — $8.3 billion. Yes, that’s billion, with a B.
Here is how it works.
The most oppressive aspects of the ObamaCare law don’t kick in until after the 2012 election, when the president will no longer be answerable to voters. More “flexibility,” he recently explained to the Russians."
Believe it or not, they are talking about the same thing....isnt the media wonderful....
The new health care law provides that this fall, right before the election, rates paid to Medicaire Advantage is being slashed which means that seniors in that program will be sent back to the government programs. That, in many states would not be a good thing for the Obama reelection.....fussing with seniors medicaire.
SOOO...all of a sudden EIGHT BILLION dollars becomes available for the government to run an "experiment" . The experiment is...from the Times..."an experimental program that rewards providers of mediocre health care and is unlikely to produce useful results, federal investigators say in a new report. "
This money being spent...TAXPAYERS MONEY.....will surely mask the impact of the healthcare bill at a very convenient time....ie., right before the election.
The Post is calling it a slush fund....the Times is reporting that ..well this from the Times..."The report, to be issued Monday by the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, urges the Obama administration to cancel the program, which pays bonuses to health insurance companies caring for millions of Medicare beneficiaries."
AND...
"The G.A.O. said the project “dwarfs all other Medicare demonstrations” in its impact on the budget, but is so poorly designed that researchers could not tell whether the bonus payments led to improved care. As a result, it said, it is unlikely to “produce meaningful results.” Insurers can use the bonuses to offer extra benefits, like vision and dental care, or to lower premiums. "
This "experiment" is for a program that has been running for years but this little "gimmick" will surely mask this at a very opportune time.
So I ask anyone in the industry or someone who supports it to dispute the claims....frankly, if true it is extremely a very bad thing to do.
I am not sure, but this is the kind of stuff that we, as voters need to know and I would love help in recognizing whether this is a ploy or not.
EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS OF TAXPAYERS money...nothing to sneeze at.
Here are the links...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/health/policy/gao-says-medicare-test-project-is-wasting-8-billion.html?_r=3&ref=us
President Obama’s Medicare slush fund—Benjamin E. Sasse & Charles Hurt - NYPOST.com (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/an_billion_trick_ImTBFfz7MeuZLJY7JzXEIJ)
PS....PLEASE lets not discuss the differences in the papers. The question is for me, are we being ripped off (WE=Taxpayers) to hide this before the election because if congress didnt read it, everything will be a surprise OR is this "experiment" legitimate even those this is not a new program. I feel this is important to know and I do not feel qualifed.