Posted on 06/13/2009 12:51:57 AM PDT by Cindy
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Weekly-Address-and-Fact-Sheet-New-Savings-Announcement/
THE BRIEFING ROOM
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________ EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, June 13, 2009
WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Outlines More than $300 Billion in new Medicare and Medicaid Savings
WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced new Medicare and Medicaid savings proposals that will contribute more than $300 billion over 10 years to paying for health care reform, beyond the historic $635 billion down payment included in his FY 2010 Budget. The President stressed in the address that the health reform effort must be deficit neutral and that reform is a fundamental part of the solution to our long-term fiscal problems.
Please find attached a fact sheet detailing the new savings proposed by President Obama today.
The full audio of the address is HERE. The video can be viewed online at www.whitehouse.gov.
Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address Saturday, June 13, 2009
Last week, I spoke to you about my commitment to work with Congress to pass health care reform this year. Today, I’d like to speak about how that effort is essential to restoring fiscal responsibility.
When it comes to the cost of health care, this much is clear: the status quo is unsustainable for families, businesses, and government. America spends nearly 50 percent more per person on health care than any other country. Health care premiums have doubled over the last decade, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs have skyrocketed, and many with preexisting conditions are denied coverage. More and more, Americans are being priced out of the care they need.
These costs are also hurting business, as some big businesses are at a competitive disadvantage with their foreign counterparts, and some small businesses are forced to cut benefits, drop coverage, or even lay off workers. Meanwhile, Medicare and Medicaid pose one of the greatest threats to our federal deficit, and could leave our children with a mountain of debt that they cannot pay.
We cannot continue down this path. I do not accept a future where Americans forego health care because they can’t pay for it, and more and more families go without coverage at all. And I don’t accept a future where American business is hurt and our government goes broke. We have a responsibility to act, and to act now. That is why I’m working with Congress to pass reform that lowers costs, improves quality and coverage, and protects consumer health care choices.
I know some question whether we can afford to act this year. But the unmistakable truth is that it would be irresponsible to not act. We can’t keep shifting a growing burden to future generations. With each passing year, health care costs consume a larger share of our nation’s spending, and contribute to yawning deficits that we cannot control. So let me be clear: health care reform is not part of the problem when it comes to our fiscal future, it is a fundamental part of the solution.
Real reform will mean reductions in our long term budget. And I have made a firm commitment that health care reform will not add to the federal deficit over the next decade. To keep that commitment, my Administration has already identified how to pay for the historic $635 billion down payment on reform detailed in our budget. This includes over $300 billion that we will save through changes like reducing Medicare overpayments to private insurers, and rooting out waste in Medicare and Medicaid.
However, any honest accounting must prepare for the fact that health care reform will require additional costs in the short term in order to reduce spending in the long-term. So today, I am announcing an additional $313 billion in savings that will rein in unnecessary spending, and increase efficiency and the quality of care – savings that will ensure that we have nearly $950 billion set aside to offset the cost of health care reform over the next ten years.
These savings will come from commonsense changes. For example – if more Americans are insured, we can cut payments that help hospitals treat patients without health insurance. If the drug makers pay their fair share, we can cut government spending on prescription drugs. And if doctors have incentives to provide the best care instead of more care, we can help Americans avoid the unnecessary hospital stays, treatments, and tests that drive up costs. For more details about these and other savings, you can visit our website: www.whitehouse.gov.
These savings underscore the fact that securing quality, affordable health care for the American people is tied directly to insisting upon fiscal responsibility. And these savings are rooted in the same principle that must guide our broader approach to reform: we will fix what’s broken, while building upon what works. If you like your plan and your doctor, you can keep them – the only changes that you’ll see are lower costs and better health care.
For too long, we have stood by while our health care system has frayed at the seams. While there has been excuse after excuse to delay reform, the price of care has gone up for individuals, for business, and for the government. This time must be different. This is the moment when we must reform health care so that we can build a new foundation for our economy to grow; for our people to thrive; and for our country to pursue a responsible and sustainable path. Thank you.
Note: I would print out the “fact sheet” here, but clicking on the fact sheet link I get error code “404.”
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j12NRuH4gM
“Weekly Address: Health Care Reform, the Key to Our Fiscal Future”
(Added June 12, 2009)
#
Transcript of Video:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Weekly-Address-and-Fact-Sheet-New-Savings-Announcement/
THE BRIEFING ROOM
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, June 13, 2009
WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Outlines More than $300 Billion in new Medicare and Medicaid Savings
WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced new Medicare and Medicaid savings proposals that will contribute more than $300 billion over 10 years to paying for health care reform, beyond the historic $635 billion down payment included in his FY 2010 Budget. The President stressed in the address that the health reform effort must be deficit neutral and that reform is a fundamental part of the solution to our long-term fiscal problems.
Please find attached a fact sheet detailing the new savings proposed by President Obama today.
The full audio of the address is HERE. The video can be viewed online at www.whitehouse.gov.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Last week, I spoke to you about my commitment to work with Congress to pass health care reform this year. Today, I’d like to speak about how that effort is essential to restoring fiscal responsibility.
When it comes to the cost of health care, this much is clear: the status quo is unsustainable for families, businesses, and government. America spends nearly 50 percent more per person on health care than any other country. Health care premiums have doubled over the last decade, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs have skyrocketed, and many with preexisting conditions are denied coverage. More and more, Americans are being priced out of the care they need.
These costs are also hurting business, as some big businesses are at a competitive disadvantage with their foreign counterparts, and some small businesses are forced to cut benefits, drop coverage, or even lay off workers. Meanwhile, Medicare and Medicaid pose one of the greatest threats to our federal deficit, and could leave our children with a mountain of debt that they cannot pay.
We cannot continue down this path. I do not accept a future where Americans forego health care because they can’t pay for it, and more and more families go without coverage at all. And I don’t accept a future where American business is hurt and our government goes broke. We have a responsibility to act, and to act now. That is why I’m working with Congress to pass reform that lowers costs, improves quality and coverage, and protects consumer health care choices.
I know some question whether we can afford to act this year. But the unmistakable truth is that it would be irresponsible to not act. We can’t keep shifting a growing burden to future generations. With each passing year, health care costs consume a larger share of our nation’s spending, and contribute to yawning deficits that we cannot control. So let me be clear: health care reform is not part of the problem when it comes to our fiscal future, it is a fundamental part of the solution.
Real reform will mean reductions in our long term budget. And I have made a firm commitment that health care reform will not add to the federal deficit over the next decade. To keep that commitment, my Administration has already identified how to pay for the historic $635 billion down payment on reform detailed in our budget. This includes over $300 billion that we will save through changes like reducing Medicare overpayments to private insurers, and rooting out waste in Medicare and Medicaid.
However, any honest accounting must prepare for the fact that health care reform will require additional costs in the short term in order to reduce spending in the long-term. So today, I am announcing an additional $313 billion in savings that will rein in unnecessary spending, and increase efficiency and the quality of care – savings that will ensure that we have nearly $950 billion set aside to offset the cost of health care reform over the next ten years.
These savings will come from commonsense changes. For example – if more Americans are insured, we can cut payments that help hospitals treat patients without health insurance. If the drug makers pay their fair share, we can cut government spending on prescription drugs. And if doctors have incentives to provide the best care instead of more care, we can help Americans avoid the unnecessary hospital stays, treatments, and tests that drive up costs. For more details about these and other savings, you can visit our website: www.whitehouse.gov.
These savings underscore the fact that securing quality, affordable health care for the American people is tied directly to insisting upon fiscal responsibility. And these savings are rooted in the same principle that must guide our broader approach to reform: we will fix what’s broken, while building upon what works. If you like your plan and your doctor, you can keep them – the only changes that you’ll see are lower costs and better health care.
For too long, we have stood by while our health care system has frayed at the seams. While there has been excuse after excuse to delay reform, the price of care has gone up for individuals, for business, and for the government. This time must be different. This is the moment when we must reform health care so that we can build a new foundation for our economy to grow; for our people to thrive; and for our country to pursue a responsible and sustainable path. Thank you.
If The First Thug says “saves $300 billion”, that means it will cost $300 billion more. He simply doesn’t know jack sh—.
oh yeah I saved $800 Billion by switching to Geico
MORE MUSH FROM THE WIMP
Yeah, but even a caveman could do that.
ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.healthreform.gov/forums/whitehouseforums.html
SNIPPET - QUOTE:
“Health care reform is no longer just a moral imperative, it is a fiscal imperative. If we want to create jobs and rebuild our economy, then we must address the crushing cost of health care this year, in this Administration.”
– President Barack Obama
White House Forum on Health Reform, 3/5/09
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270819/posts
Wrong-Way Health Care ‘Reform’ Could Actually Increase Spending
IBD Editorials ^ | June 12, 2009 | ROBERT SAMUELSON
Posted on June 12, 2009 6:18:39 PM PDT by Kaslin
It’s hard to know whether President Obama’s health care “reform” is naive, hypocritical or simply dishonest. Probably all three.
The president keeps saying it’s imperative to control runaway health spending. He’s right. The trouble is that what’s being promoted as health care “reform” almost certainly won’t suppress spending and, quite probably, will do the opposite.
A new report from Obama’s own Council of Economic Advisers shows why controlling health costs is so important. Since 1975, annual health spending per person, adjusted for inflation, has grown 2.1 percentage points faster than overall economic growth per person. Should this trend continue, the CEA projects that:
Health spending, which was 5% of gross domestic product in 1960 and is reckoned at almost 18% today, would grow to 34% of GDP by 2040 — a third of the economy.
Medicare and Medicaid, the government insurance programs for the elderly and poor, would increase from 6% of GDP now to 15% in 2040 — roughly equal to three-quarters of present federal spending.
Too Much Medicine
Employer-paid insurance premiums for family coverage, which grew 85% in inflation-adjusted terms from 1996 to $11,941 in 2006, would increase to $25,200 by 2025 and $45,000 in 2040 (all figures in “constant 2008 dollars”). The huge costs would force employers to reduce take-home pay.
The message in these dismal figures is that uncontrolled health spending is almost single-handedly determining national priorities. It’s reducing discretionary income, raising taxes, widening budget deficits and squeezing other government programs.
Worse, much medical spending is wasted, the CEA report says. It doesn’t improve Americans’ health; some care is unneeded or ineffective.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
“These savings will come from commonsense changes. For example...If the drug makers pay their fair share...”
THIS IS NONSENSE. DRUG COMPANIES SPEND BILLIONS DEVELOPING NEW DRUGS AND ONLY A HANDFUL BECOME SUCCESSFUL. HAVEN’T YOU TAKEN AWAY THEIR TAX INCENTIVES, MR. PRESIDENT?
“...And if doctors have incentives to provide the best care instead of more care, we can help Americans avoid the unnecessary hospital stays, treatments, and tests that drive up costs.”
IN OTHER WORDS, SECOND GUESS THE DIAGNOSIS. BUT DOCTORS DO ALL THAT TESTING TO KEEP FROM BEING SUED BY THE FAMILIES OF DEAD PATIENTS. SO, ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST A GOVT. PHYSICIAN, PRESIDENT OBAMA?
“THIS IS NONSENSE.”
I agree.
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269341/posts
AMA to oppose Obama’s health care reform
Examiner.com ^ | 6-10-2009 | Dianna Cotter
Posted on June 10, 2009 11:21:35 PM PDT by Danae
...concerns have been raised about the course the President has thus far chosen to reveal. Robert Pear for the New York Times reports that the AMA will oppose a government sponsored insurance plan that Mr. Obama’s plan is thus far espousing. The opposition of the AMA could well be an insurmountable hurdle to the Obama Administration’s plans for Socialized Health Care.
The Times goes further:
“But in comments submitted to the Senate Finance Committee, the American Medical Association said: “The A.M.A. does not believe that creating a public health insurance option for non-disabled individuals under age 65 is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs. The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans.”
If private insurers are pushed out of the market, the group said, “the corresponding surge in public plan participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers.””
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
Old people, die.
Younger sick people who are enemies of the state, PREPARE to die.
Babies, you are already dying.
Young, healthy people, you must “volunteer,” or risk sickness. THEN you will die.
HELLO?????
Adding to post no. 2:
This is the url that is error code “404” at this time:
QUOTE:
Page Not Found
The page you requested wasn’t found at this location. The Obama Administration has created a brand new White House website, and it’s possible that the page you were looking for has been moved.
Please take a moment to explore our new site, learn more about President Obama and his team, and read about their plan to bring about the change America needs.
You can even read the blog, hear all the latest news and current events, and share your thoughts and feedback with the President.
We’ll be adding new content and features every day, so we hope you’ll bookmark WhiteHouse.gov and visit often. In the meantime, you can use the search field below to find more information on President Obama and the Administration.
SEARCH THE SITE
I like this better:
“Tax cuts are no longer just a moral imperative, they are a fiscal imperative. If we want to create jobs and rebuild our economy, then we must address the crushing cost of taxes this year, in this Administration.”
I like your version better too, Pressure Point.
We need to fight this with all we’ve got. It’s all lies about “saving.” It’s all taking away from the freedom of doctors and patients. And there is no way we can afford “free” medical care.
“And there is no way we can afford “free” medical care.”
#
OPINION:
I agree.
It's fun to play. Sometimes, just for fun, I like to take some of his choice sentences and plug in things I want (like free beer) and it's incredible, it sounds like I'm helping people by getting free beer.
http://cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=49481
“Congressional Republicans Speak Out against Obama’s Plan for Government-Owned Health Care”
Friday, June 12, 2009
By Matt Cover
SNIPPET: “Washington (CNSNews.com) - Republican leaders in both the House and Senate voiced opposition Thursday to the Obama administration’s plan to establish a government-run health insurance entity, saying it makes no sense to give government control over health care.
House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that House Republicans were against Obama’s idea, “period.” Boehner said that any American who does not want their doctor’s office to be run like the Department of Motor Vehicles should oppose the plan, too.
“I’m opposed to the government option, period,” Boehner said at his weekly press conference Thursday. “If you like going to the DMV and you think they do a great job, or if you like going to the post office and think it’s the most efficient thing you’ve run into, then you’ll love the government-run health care system, because that’s basically what you’re going to have.””
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