From June 2009. 313 billion cuts to Medicare to pay for new health care plan.

[madfloridian]

It's time to remember what they are asking us to give up for what we are getting in the new health care reform.

I posted that Medicare cardiovascular patients come this January would see higher costs and reduced payments to doctors...perhaps as high as 50% less. It seemed ok to most in the thread.

I do not think it is ok.

Here is an article from June in the words of Obama. I say read it and think about how you feel about the trade-off we apparently are getting in this new bill.

313 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid spending.

Reporting from Washington -- Under pressure to pay for his ambitious reshaping of the nation's healthcare system, President Obama today will outline $313 billion in Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts over the next decade to help cover the cost of expanding coverage to tens of millions of America's uninsured.

Among the proposed policy changes outlined by the president are:

* Reductions in payments to providers to reflect increased efficiencies in the system, which the White House estimates could save $110 billion over the next decade.

* Cuts in federal subsidies to hospitals that treat large populations of uninsured patients, estimated to save $106 billion over the next decade.

* Cuts in how much the federal government pays pharmaceutical companies to provide prescription drugs to seniors and others, estimated to save $75 billion over the next decade.

So instead of helping hospitals who are overwhelmed with uninsured patients who only have the emergency room for their medical care....they are going to cut subsidies to them. Perhaps the health care clinics they propose will make the difference. I don't know.

Seniors are getting no cost of living raise in Social Security this year. Many have problems that like the heart, require specialists.

Now the new bill seems to be a favor to insurance companies. Yet now the cutting is beginning, and I wonder what the reaction will be as they make it to the point that seniors lose faith.

[StreetKnowledge]

1. Pathetic about covers it.

This is the "change" we voted for, we went out and fucking fought for? Cut Medicare benefits to pay off corporate insurance companies? A mandate that people buy private insurance or get fined for it?!

This is reform? Bullshit it is!

[madfloridian]

2. And I am finding that...

DUers support the cuts in the name of change.

Wait till the seniors realize what is going on.

[asjr]

8. I am a senior and get a different message.

Any cuts would be to the pharmas, insurance cos. and hospitals that over bill. It will not come out of my paycheck. And yes I know I didn't get a raise this year but it is the first year that has happened. I can live with it.

[madfloridian]

12. There will be serious cuts in payments to doctors.

I am not sure they can live with that.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Are you going to trot out death panels next?

[madfloridian]

5. So you don't believe Obama's own words?

Now that is true loyalty.

[TwilightGardener]

6. No, I believe there's going to be cuts in Medicare. The question is,

whether those cuts are judicious, or harmful. And you've said yourself that there's no apparent connection between the proposed cardio-office test cuts, and the HCR bill. So we're totally relying on the word of two cardiologists who have their own bottom line at stake, rather than weighing the issue from both sides.

[HuckleB]

7. +1

[madfloridian]

10. Did you read what the post said? Read this part from the OP

In my other post I pointed out that the cardiovascular payment cuts were from the HHS via the CMS..not part of the health care reform fiasco.

BUT Medicare is being cut to pay for this new blunder of a plan


"Reporting from Washington -- Under pressure to pay for his ambitious reshaping of the nation's healthcare system, President Obama today will outline $313 billion in Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts over the next decade to help cover the cost of expanding coverage to tens of millions of America's uninsured.

Among the proposed policy changes outlined by the president are:

* Reductions in payments to providers to reflect increased efficiencies in the system, which the White House estimates could save $110 billion over the next decade.

* Cuts in federal subsidies to hospitals that treat large populations of uninsured patients, estimated to save $106 billion over the next decade.

* Cuts in how much the federal government pays pharmaceutical companies to provide prescription drugs to seniors and others, estimated to save $75 billion over the next decade."

[TwilightGardener]

14. You said "..yet now the cutting is beginning", which I understood

as the cardio-office cuts in payment that you mention in the beginning of your OP, as if that was directly connected to the proposed HCR cuts in Medicare. If I misinterpreted, I apologize. But as far as the future Medicare cuts go, I haven't seen any good analysis that suggested they would be harmful in terms of care delivery--except from Republicans, who suddenly love the hell out of Medicare and think that it should be a massive, bloated system that blocks out the sun and eats up everything else except DoD spending.

[madfloridian]

16. Guess what. Let the Democrats do away with Medicare.

Let's see what happens.

I am to the point that I have watched this forum turn into something that demands complete loyalty as they screw us.

[madfloridian]

21. Doctors are not required to take Medicare patients.

Starting cutting benefits, why should they bother?

[nightrain]

4. knr. some of us on DU have been saying similar things for months!

This is not what Obama campaigned on.

[stray cat]

9. Do you really think Medicare is efficiently run?

and there is no waste or fraud. If so please send donations to the government. I don't like paying for fraudulent claims or stupid things - just like I don't like paying for the millions that disappeared in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[madfloridian]

11. Do you think this new plan will be efficiently run?

Do you think seniors will be better off having Medicare gutted to pay for this new plan?

[Uncle Joe]

15. Medicare is far more efficient than

private for profit "health" insurance.

Had they expanded Medicare to younger people or best case scenario; everyone it would have become even more efficient.

[CreekDog]

13. if most countries spend far less to provide as much or more care

and not only that, they beat our own life expectancy numbers.

i don't see the problem with reduced payment from Medicare.

part of the thing i need explained to me is whether protecting reimbursement rates is so that specialists can continue to count on $400k/year at least. i mean, if that's what we are all sacrificing for, i'm just not losing sleep over that.

[SOS]

17. Here's a puzzle...

In Sweden they cover 100% of the people for everything, cradle to grave.
They spend $2,750 per person per year.
They also live longer.

Our system is garbage and spends $8,000 per person per year.

With the Swedish system we could cut our costs by 60%.

Where do these trillions of dollars go?

[ipaint]

19. Welfare for the ins. middlemen.

We must support the bloodsucking ins. industry and the medical industry that feeds off it. Investments are at stake.

[ipaint]

18. Throw 15 - 20 million working poor into medicaid. And cut the budget for it.

This should really be a colossal mess. Everyone has medicaid and no one can find a doctor that accepts it.

Brilliant.

[madfloridian]

20. Remember, Zeke Emanuel wants to "phase out" Medicare.

Phasing out of Medicare and Medicaid as no new enrollees are allowed.

How about that?