CBO Says Medicaid Expansion Would Cost $500 Billion

The American Spectator ^ | July 8, 2009 | Philip Klein

[pleikumud]

Remember last week when the media touted a new cost estimate by the Congressional Budget Office suggesting that Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee had found a magic want enabling them to cover 97 percent of the uninsured for $600 billion? Well, we now know that the cost is more like $1.1 trillion, and likely higher. As I cautioned when the CBO numbers came out last week, the $600 billion estimate did not include the price of massively expanding Medicaid, a costly provision of all of the various Democratic health care proposals. But now the CBO released an additional estimate anticipating that legislation would add 15 million to 20 million more people to the Medicaid rolls. It found that the cost of such an expansion "could vary in a broad range around $500 billion over 10 years." But the catch is that such an estimate is of the anticipated federal cost of the Medicaid expansion. In actuality, the federal government typically pays around 57 percent of the cost of Medicaid, while the remaining 43 percent is picked up by the states. So what's the full cost of a Medicaid expansion at both the federal and state level?

[pleikumud]

The Socialist Obama and the Socialist Congress want to dictate our medical care. If we allow them to do this, then toss all other rights we have into the trash can. Control over medical care is control over your life. Government interference in the free market (think Medicare and Medicaid) is the reason most of us pay huge premiums for medical insurance and care. The Socialists want to expand government control until we have no choice about our own bodies. Government is not the solution, as the more "advanced" socialist countries have discovered, Government is the problem.

[lmr]

ping.

[john in springfield]

Only $1.1 trillion ($1,100,000,000,000) ??? Hell, that’s a bargain! We should take three!

[glock rocks]

Only $1.1 trillion ($1,100,000,000,000) ???

Yah, but it's just government money!

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Good grief! At what point will as this liberal stupidity end

[EGPWS]

Only $1.1 trillion ($1,100,000,000,000) ??? Hell, that’s a bargain! We should take three!

WooHoo!

Call Beijing and fire up more printing presses!

Let's party!

[SunkenCiv]

Poll: Sarah Palin remains threat to Mitt Romney in potential GOP 2012 race
The Boston Herald | 2009-07-08 | Dave Wedge
Posted on 07/08/2009 3:27:56 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2288390/posts

[FreeSouthernAmerican]

And once again I want to ask these government idiots.........why is anyone else other than my friends and family my responsibility?

[headstamp 2]

Spend all ya want, we’ll print more.

[RepublitarianRoger2]

I think the USA is headed for a spectacular crash-and-burn.

[EGPWS]

Good grief! At what point will as this liberal stupidity end

When "liberal" is redefined politically and liberals grow an I.Q.

Lest it will never end.

[NautiNurse]

Florida Medicaid has cut hospital payments by $251 million since last summer. In NY state, an Emergency Department physician who treats your life threatening heart attack or multiple trauma is paid $17.00 by Medicaid.

[Jim Robinson]

And the socialist Romney is right in the thick of it. ObamaCare = RomneyCare!! Socialism SUCKS!!

[Jim Robinson]

Heck, a couple more dollars and the doc can buy a pack of smokes.

[Munz]

you of course realize that in the stimulus plan that they have covered the basic principle for all of this?
They made it a law that there will be cost vs. effectiveness in all health care measures from now on.

people on Social security MUST have their medical, it has to be their primary insurance by law, and they decide if your treatment is cost effective.
people who are discharged from a hospital now, have to jump through hoops if they are to be re-admitted for the same illness within a month because of it.

Obama is an evil person.

[BlessedBeGod]

Obama’s not using the CBO anymore, so he couldn’t care less what they say.

[east1234]

They can print 1.1 trillion in a matter of weeks, don’t worry about it.

[Jay777]

Hoyer admits: Few Would Vote for the Health Care Bill If They Actually Had to Read It

[A message]

What’s a trillion dollars to a Democrat buying votes. There is no cap to buying power. California proves that.

[Lurker]

I think the USA is headed for a spectacular crash-and-burn.

I'm not sure 'spectacular' is the correct word.

L