Analysis: Some Health Care Numbers Don't Tally

AP Report ^ | August 03, 2009

[Steelfish]

Analysis: Some health care numbers don't tally

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer – Mon Aug 03

WASHINGTON – Some of President Barack Obama's health care numbers don't seem to add up. And that's complicating his efforts to pass his top domestic priority.

Obama could be falling into the same trap that snagged George W. Bush when he was pushing private accounts for Social Security as part of his "ownership society" in 2005. Bush's claims that the proposal would help shore up Social Security's long-term finances were hard to document mathematically and wound up feeding greater public skepticism.

Obama claims his health effort will not dig the nation deeper into debt and over time will help reduce deficits. He has vowed to not sign any health bill that raises deficits.

But even the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says that none of the health plans pending on Capitol Hill would control long-term spending, and that ones with the elements Obama wants would add around $1 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years.

Furthermore the CBO said an administration-backed independent council of medical experts to recommend Medicare cuts would only yield modest savings.

The White House stands by its claims. Its allies claim that CBO forecasts, for instance, don't reflect potential future cost savings that might be expected from the prevention of illness achieved from wider health care coverage.

[Razz Barry]

Being that the dems are so hot for socialized medicine they should fund it. Take Obama’s donor list, add everyone who has voiced support for him, and tax them down to $250 thousand. I'm sure people like Oprah and George Soros could live on that amount of money. They might have to let go of four or five houses but I'm sure they'd do it for the children.

[Iron Munro]

[carumba]

That’s all folks.