Showing posts with label Medicare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medicare. Show all posts
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday, May 27, 2011
There Is No Choice On Medicare
From: National Review Online
Medicare is being used as a piggy bank by Democrats, with $575 billion in payment cuts used to finance two massive new entitlement programs in Obamacare. And this April, the president proposed taking another $480 billion out of the program to lower the deficit.
Payments to providers will be cut so deeply that seniors will find it harder and harder to get care. Doctors will stop taking Medicare or go bankrupt. A whopping 87 percent of doctors say they will stop seeing or will restrict the number of Medicare patients they see, further shrinking the pool of providers and further restricting access to care.
The powerful, 15-member Independent Payment Advisory Board will use price controls to meet ever-elusive spending targets. Rationing is inevitable, especially of newer medicines and technologies.
House Energy and Commerce chairman Fred Upton explained, “Last year, Medicare expenditures reached $523 billion, but the income was only $486 billion — leaving a $37 billion deficit in just one year. And with 10,000 new individuals becoming eligible each day, it’s only going to get worse.”
Medicare is $38 trillion in the red, and it accelerated five years toward insolvency in just the last year, according to the Medicare Trustees’ latest report.
Sen. Marco Rubio captured it best in a new video, saying, “Medicare will go broke in as little as nine years … and anyone who is in favor of doing nothing to deal with this fact is in favor of bankrupting it.”
House Budget chairman Paul Ryan recognized that reality with his plan to begin modernizing the program, starting ten years from now. He wants to give baby boomers the option of private coverage in a plan that works much like the one members of Congress have today.
Access to coverage would be guaranteed, and payments would be tailored to meet a person’s age, health status, and income level.
Medicare is a government-run, politically-driven health-care program with so many gaps that people have to buy supplementary coverage. Not surprisingly, one fourth of today’s seniors have voluntarily decided to opt out of traditional Medicare by joining private plans in Medicare Advantage. These plans are competing for their business, offering better benefits often at lower costs to beneficiaries.
Rather than slashing this popular program as Obamacare does, it should be put on an equal and sound financial footing to continue to give seniors choices in the future. This model of seniors selecting from competing private plans is what Paul Ryan is proposing ten years hence, with premium-support payments to help pay for the cost of that plan.
The outrageous distortions about the Ryan Medicare reform plan are coming from people who are accelerating the program’s path to insolvency.
Payments to providers will be cut so deeply that seniors will find it harder and harder to get care. Doctors will stop taking Medicare or go bankrupt. A whopping 87 percent of doctors say they will stop seeing or will restrict the number of Medicare patients they see, further shrinking the pool of providers and further restricting access to care.
The powerful, 15-member Independent Payment Advisory Board will use price controls to meet ever-elusive spending targets. Rationing is inevitable, especially of newer medicines and technologies.
House Energy and Commerce chairman Fred Upton explained, “Last year, Medicare expenditures reached $523 billion, but the income was only $486 billion — leaving a $37 billion deficit in just one year. And with 10,000 new individuals becoming eligible each day, it’s only going to get worse.”
Medicare is $38 trillion in the red, and it accelerated five years toward insolvency in just the last year, according to the Medicare Trustees’ latest report.
Sen. Marco Rubio captured it best in a new video, saying, “Medicare will go broke in as little as nine years … and anyone who is in favor of doing nothing to deal with this fact is in favor of bankrupting it.”
House Budget chairman Paul Ryan recognized that reality with his plan to begin modernizing the program, starting ten years from now. He wants to give baby boomers the option of private coverage in a plan that works much like the one members of Congress have today.
Access to coverage would be guaranteed, and payments would be tailored to meet a person’s age, health status, and income level.
Medicare is a government-run, politically-driven health-care program with so many gaps that people have to buy supplementary coverage. Not surprisingly, one fourth of today’s seniors have voluntarily decided to opt out of traditional Medicare by joining private plans in Medicare Advantage. These plans are competing for their business, offering better benefits often at lower costs to beneficiaries.
Rather than slashing this popular program as Obamacare does, it should be put on an equal and sound financial footing to continue to give seniors choices in the future. This model of seniors selecting from competing private plans is what Paul Ryan is proposing ten years hence, with premium-support payments to help pay for the cost of that plan.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
New report finds medical costs to rise 8.5 percent in 2012
From: The Hill
U.S. employers can expect an 8.5 percent increase in their medical costs next year due in some part to the healthcare reform law, the consulting firm PwC said in a report Wednesday.
The widely read annual report on cost trends points to three main drivers of healthcare costs, two of which are exacerbated by the new law.
At the same time, PwC said the law will have a "minimal effect" on 2012 prices because the provisions that go into effect before 2014 are "small changes for which employers already have fully accounted."
Still, the consulting firm said employers will have to work with health insurers and providers to ensure better care and pricing as the law is implemented further.
The report identified the following cost drivers:
U.S. employers can expect an 8.5 percent increase in their medical costs next year due in some part to the healthcare reform law, the consulting firm PwC said in a report Wednesday.
The widely read annual report on cost trends points to three main drivers of healthcare costs, two of which are exacerbated by the new law.
At the same time, PwC said the law will have a "minimal effect" on 2012 prices because the provisions that go into effect before 2014 are "small changes for which employers already have fully accounted."
Still, the consulting firm said employers will have to work with health insurers and providers to ensure better care and pricing as the law is implemented further.
The report identified the following cost drivers:
Friday, May 13, 2011
Social Security,Medicare In Bad Shape
From: The Daily Caller
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Friday issued their annual report on the financial future of the two entitlement programs. The prognosis isn’t good, and, in fact, is even worse than was reported just one year ago.
According to the report, Social Security is now permanently cash negative and can no longer be funded solely from the payroll tax. It is projected to exhaust funds in 2036 — one year earlier than the report predicted last year.
Medicare isn’t faring any better. The trustees expect the fund to run out of money in 2024, and not 2029 as was previously expected. For the sixth year in a row, the trustees also, made an “excess general revenue Medicare funding” determination.
It only requires two consecutive determinations before the president is required to submit a legislative proposal to deal with the funding crisis within 15 day of his next budget.
“Today’s news that Social Security and Medicare will become insolvent even sooner than expected is a sobering wake up call and makes clear we must take action now to avoid catastrophe. Washington has no excuse. We have known for years this was coming.”
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Friday issued their annual report on the financial future of the two entitlement programs. The prognosis isn’t good, and, in fact, is even worse than was reported just one year ago.
According to the report, Social Security is now permanently cash negative and can no longer be funded solely from the payroll tax. It is projected to exhaust funds in 2036 — one year earlier than the report predicted last year.
Medicare isn’t faring any better. The trustees expect the fund to run out of money in 2024, and not 2029 as was previously expected. For the sixth year in a row, the trustees also, made an “excess general revenue Medicare funding” determination.
It only requires two consecutive determinations before the president is required to submit a legislative proposal to deal with the funding crisis within 15 day of his next budget.
“Today’s news that Social Security and Medicare will become insolvent even sooner than expected is a sobering wake up call and makes clear we must take action now to avoid catastrophe. Washington has no excuse. We have known for years this was coming.”
Medicare Trustees Cast Doubt on ObamaCare Health Savings
From: CNSnews.com
The 2011 annual report from the Medicare Board of Trustees casts doubt on the ability of the ObamaCare health reform law to achieve significant health care costs reductions, stating it is “very uncertain” whether the sweeping reform will succeed in reducing health care costs.
The report, released Friday, said that an improved financial outlook reported for Medicare depended on the ability of ObamaCare’s cost-savings experiments to bear fruit – an outcome the Trustees found unlikely.
The Trustees said that Medicare expenditures were scheduled to rise from 3.6 percent of GDP in 2010 to 5.6 percent in 2035 and to 6.2 percent in 2085, if ObamaCare’s reforms fully pan out. If they do not, Medicare could account for as much as 10.4 percent of GDP by 2080.
“The financial projections shown for the Medicare program in this report continue to represent a substantial, but very uncertain, improvement over those prior to 2010 as a result of the Affordable Care Act,” the report states.
The report explains that if the reductions in hospital payments envisioned by ObamaCare fail to spur greater efficiency – because hospitals cannot increase efficiency any more – then they will simply refuse to treat Medicare patients.
Also, if Congress continues to stop planned reductions in physician payments – known as enacting a ‘doc fix’ – then Medicare costs will continue to rise.
“For these reasons, it is important to note that the actual future costs for Medicare are likely to exceed those shown by the current-law projections in this report,” the trustees say.
The 2011 annual report from the Medicare Board of Trustees casts doubt on the ability of the ObamaCare health reform law to achieve significant health care costs reductions, stating it is “very uncertain” whether the sweeping reform will succeed in reducing health care costs.
The report, released Friday, said that an improved financial outlook reported for Medicare depended on the ability of ObamaCare’s cost-savings experiments to bear fruit – an outcome the Trustees found unlikely.
The Trustees said that Medicare expenditures were scheduled to rise from 3.6 percent of GDP in 2010 to 5.6 percent in 2035 and to 6.2 percent in 2085, if ObamaCare’s reforms fully pan out. If they do not, Medicare could account for as much as 10.4 percent of GDP by 2080.
“The financial projections shown for the Medicare program in this report continue to represent a substantial, but very uncertain, improvement over those prior to 2010 as a result of the Affordable Care Act,” the report states.
The report explains that if the reductions in hospital payments envisioned by ObamaCare fail to spur greater efficiency – because hospitals cannot increase efficiency any more – then they will simply refuse to treat Medicare patients.
Also, if Congress continues to stop planned reductions in physician payments – known as enacting a ‘doc fix’ – then Medicare costs will continue to rise.
“For these reasons, it is important to note that the actual future costs for Medicare are likely to exceed those shown by the current-law projections in this report,” the trustees say.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Gov. Christie: Obamacare’s Medicaid Mandates Are ‘Drowning’ States
FRom: CNSnews.com
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) told CNSNews.com that the health care law’s Medicaid mandates are a financial burden for his state.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) told CNSNews.com that the health care law’s Medicaid mandates are a financial burden for his state.
CNSNews.com asked Christie if he supports the House Republicans FY2012 budget.
“Listen, I think that there’s got to be a credible plan that’s put forward that deals with entitlements in a serious way and you know, I think Congressman [Paul] Ryan’s got a good set of ideas there, whether it’s the only way to go, we’ll wait and see but I think as a Governor what I’m most concerned about is getting us some more flexibility in Medicaid,” he told CNSNews.com on the red carpet of MSNBC’s White House Correspondents’ dinner after party.
Friday, April 22, 2011
We Call It ‘Rationing,’ Obama Calls It ‘Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board’
From: Pajamas Media
Suppose Congress asked Americans: which government officials should decide what foods you would be allowed to eat and what prices you had to pay at the grocery store – Congress, or an unelected board of nutritional experts appointed by the president?
Most Americans would immediately reply, “Neither!” But that’s precisely the debate between Congress and the White House regarding President Obama’s proposed Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board.
One of President Obama’s key proposals to reduce skyrocketing Medicare costs is a so-called Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). The IPAB would consist of 15 members appointed by the president (and confirmed by the Senate), empowered to decide what medical tests and procedures Medicare would cover and how much it would pay providers.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, the IPAB’s decisions wouldn’t be subject to judicial or administrative review. They would go to Congress for an up-or-down vote, and would go into effect unless Congress adopted its own plan to reduce Medicare spending by an equivalent amount.
Supporters of the IPAB liken it to the Clinton-era independent Base Realignment and Closure Commission to reduce military spending free from political pressures from influential congressmen seeking to keep their own home district military bases open.
However, giving this power to the IPAB would put tremendous medical decision-making in the hands of unelected officials with minimal accountability. We’ve already seen a foretaste of this when a federal government medical panel attempted to save money by restricting screening mammography to women over age 50, even though decades of medical research has shown clear benefits to starting annual mammograms at age 40. Although the Obama administration stated that the IPAB would not ration medical care, its power to set payments to doctors and hospitals would give it de facto rationing power.
Suppose Congress asked Americans: which government officials should decide what foods you would be allowed to eat and what prices you had to pay at the grocery store – Congress, or an unelected board of nutritional experts appointed by the president?
Most Americans would immediately reply, “Neither!” But that’s precisely the debate between Congress and the White House regarding President Obama’s proposed Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board.
One of President Obama’s key proposals to reduce skyrocketing Medicare costs is a so-called Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). The IPAB would consist of 15 members appointed by the president (and confirmed by the Senate), empowered to decide what medical tests and procedures Medicare would cover and how much it would pay providers.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, the IPAB’s decisions wouldn’t be subject to judicial or administrative review. They would go to Congress for an up-or-down vote, and would go into effect unless Congress adopted its own plan to reduce Medicare spending by an equivalent amount.
Supporters of the IPAB liken it to the Clinton-era independent Base Realignment and Closure Commission to reduce military spending free from political pressures from influential congressmen seeking to keep their own home district military bases open.
However, giving this power to the IPAB would put tremendous medical decision-making in the hands of unelected officials with minimal accountability. We’ve already seen a foretaste of this when a federal government medical panel attempted to save money by restricting screening mammography to women over age 50, even though decades of medical research has shown clear benefits to starting annual mammograms at age 40. Although the Obama administration stated that the IPAB would not ration medical care, its power to set payments to doctors and hospitals would give it de facto rationing power.
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