Posted on 04/11/2013 1:56:06 PM PDT by tobyhill
Setting up insurance exchanges — the centerpiece of President Obama's healthcare reform law — is costing the Health and Human Services Department a whole lot more than it originally expected. According to budget documents released Wednesday, the department expects to spend $4.4 billion on exchange grants to the states by the end of this year — double its estimates a year ago.
The HHS is also asking Congress for another $1.5 billion to set up a federal exchange in 26 states. The department has cobbled together money from other programs to get started, but officials said they need another $800 million for operational costs and $550 million for outreach and education.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
STARVE THE BEAST !!
Some cynic might think that they deliberately gave a low estimate knowing that the public has its head up its a$$ and doesn’t care.
They’ll probably cost $1.5 Billion PER state.
It’s going to come back and bite them.
In other words, they need more bribe money....
They will probably need quadruple that..........
STARVE THE BEAST !!
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Indeed—don’t give them a penny more. And take away from them whatever they’ve already been allocated from whatever quarter becomes a realistic target. Consider even the smallest budget item supporting anything they do a target of opportunity.
According to budget documents released Wednesday, the department expects to spend $4.4 billion on exchange grants to the states by the end of this year — double its estimates a year ago.
Tough. Get a job, kid.
And all of this is before they change the rules and increase eligibility tenfold .... then the states are really going to learn a lesson in being the object of bureaucratic sex.
In the 1960’s when it started Medicare was only going to cost something under a billion dollars I believe.
Regardless by 1970 I read stories in the newspaper time and time again about hospital room costs skyrocking.
The cause of goverment involvement in healthcare leads to an effect of exploding costs.
Translated: We need more money for the Unions setting up the exchanges.
Those States were smart because they were looking long term, giving up a short term infusion of money because after a few years the States have to cover.
The program to cut medical costs is running twice the estimated cost? That’s unexpected.
I’m sure obama will have no trouble stealing more from Medicare and SSI funds.
I’ve seen the RFPs for these projects and talked with numerous teams. Nobody has any idea exactly how to build one of these.
I’ve had it. I’m very close to leaving medicine. I will miss the patients, and all that being a physician means to me, but I need stability and don’t want to spend the rest of my life justifying to bean counters every test I order and every decision I make on behalf of my patients. Ironically, for all the crap I hear about physician salaries, my total compensation in the opportunities I am looking at will double, while my hours will get better.
Am I happy. No. It was never about the money, and I’ve been more than willing to sleep less and work more for the reward of doing something positive with my life as a doc. Frankly, I’m very sad. I’ve never been a pragmatist, but I’ve come to the point at which this is becoming a necessity.
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