Senate Approves a Bill on Changes to Medicare

New York Times ^ | Tuesday, April 14, 2014 | Robert Pear

[Star Traveler]

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday approved sweeping changes in the way Medicare pays doctors, clearing the bill for President Obama and resolving an issue that has bedeviled Congress and the Medicare program for more than a decade.

The 92-to-8 vote in the Senate, following passage in the House last month by an overwhelming vote of 392 to 37, was a major success for Republicans, who devised a solution to a complex policy problem that had frustrated lawmakers of both parties. Mr. Obama has endorsed the bill, saying it “could help slow health care cost growth.”

The bill, drafted in the House in negotiations between Speaker John A. Boehner and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader, also extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program for two years, through 2017.

Without action by Congress, doctors would have faced a 21 percent cut in Medicare fees on Wednesday or Thursday. Senate leaders cleared the way for final passage by allowing votes on several amendments sought by liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans.

[kabar]

By law, 75% of Medicare Parts B and D, come from the general fund. The premiums pay for just 25% of the costs. And 40% of all Medicare expenditures come from the General Fund. If Medicare is not reformed, it will eventually consume the entire federal budget. Medicare has been running in the red since 2008.

This graph shows that the average man and woman (average defined in the study as average income over their working lives and living to the average life expectancy) who start receiving benefits in 2010 get over 3 times more in benefits than they pay in to the system! Of importance, the study accounts for inflation by calculating all past taxes and future payments in 2010 dollars to provide an accurate comparison.

If the notion that Medicare recipients are simply "getting back what they paid in" is false then where is the money coming from? Simply, the excess received is being borrowed from younger generations and the cost is more than we can bear.

[GOPJ]

I guessing this bill will help big health insurance companies, hurt doctors and hurt people on Medicare.

[Star Traveler]

Don’t worry ... I won’t live forever ... LOL ...

[kabar]

The cut would have never happened. They have been postponing it for almost 20 years. This new solution just kicks the can down the road a little further.

[Star Traveler]

I’m thinking that the 21% cut TOMORROW would have hurt immediately.

[Star Traveler]

Well, it’s easy to say ... after the fact ... that it would have never happened, but not so predictable before the fact ... :-) ...

[kabar]

BS, There was never the possibility of a 21% cut tomorrow. They pass the doc fix every year. This solution is more costly and will be a problem. Instead of a doc fix every year, we will have one in 10 years, but the costs of this fix are huge and could result in less access to doctors and reduced payments to hospitals and nursing homes, which will reduce the quality of care.

[Star Traveler]

So you say ... I’m not so cavalier with what goes on in the legislature ... :-) ...

[Hardens Hollow]

“Mr. Obama has endorsed the bill, saying it “could help slow health care cost growth.””

Well of course, Obama is the logical choice to know all about reducing health care costs. /s

[Hardens Hollow]

“This bill does nothing but maintain the status and keeps Obamacare on life support.

I HATE the Republican Party”

Hey, at last we agree!

[Hardens Hollow]

“But apparently even a $20 trillion national debt is not enough to get these people to cut any spending.”

This has to end badly. And we will be the ones screwed.

[Star Traveler]

It wouldn’t matter what Obama said, because there was way more votes than necessary to override a veto. He saw the handwriting on the wall and went along with it ... :-) ...

Obama already looks dumb enough as it is ... he would have looked even dumber if he dared try to oppose it.

[Hardens Hollow]

“The solution includes raising Medicare Part B premiums on “wealthy” seniors.”

What’s the definition of wealthy?

[Hardens Hollow]

“If the notion that Medicare recipients are simply “getting back what they paid in” is false then where is the money coming from? Simply, the excess received is being borrowed from younger generations and the cost is more than we can bear.”

Unsustainable. As all excursions into socialism become.

[Hardens Hollow]

Oh, I was being sarcastic. Obama would never veto anything that increases the debt. Cloward-Pivan.

[kabar]

p>So you say ... I’m not so cavalier with what goes on in the legislature ... :-) ...

Nor am I. This is a very bad deal authored by Boehner and Pelosi.

[cableguymn]

More kicking of the can...

and the problem just gets bigger and bigger...

[Star Traveler]

Here’s the thing about that ... and what you said before.

You say this was a bad deal ... and also ... that legislators would never let that 21% cut go into effect (which was midnight, tonight). SO ... if we were to go along with your first idea here, that it was a bad deal, THEN, what you say about the cuts not being allowed to happen would be FALSE! Because to change the deal would require a lot longer to hash it out and those cuts WOULD GO INTO EFFECT!

You can’t have it both ways and first say that it’s a bad deal, want to block this deal to get another deal ... AND ... say that the cuts would not go into effect ... :-) ...

[kabar]

What’s the definition of wealthy?

Whatever they want it to be. Right now, Medicare part B is means tested. The did that several years ago.

The individual rate can vary from $104.90 to $335.70 depending upon your income level. There are five different premium levels.

[kabar]

what you say about the cuts not being allowed to happen would be FALSE! Because to change the deal would require a lot longer to hash it out and those cuts WOULD GO INTO EFFECT!

Nonsense. Congress has been passing the doc fix every year since 1997. They always go down to the last minute, similar to raising the debt ceiling. It is a game they play to fool the ignorant and uninformed. Congress comes to the rescue once again to solve a problem they created. It is an annual ritual. This time the doc fix will last 10 years only it will be more costly than the annual fix.

You can’t have it both ways and first say that it’s a bad deal, want to block this deal to get another deal ... AND ... say that the cuts would not go into effect ... :-) ...

This is not the best solution. It is adding hundreds of billions to the national debt and cementing in Obamacare. Obama will sign this in a NY minute. That should be an indication of how bad it is. Pelosi got her way.