Posted on 02/12/2020 6:14:49 AM PST by prairiebreeze
President Donald Trump said he wouldn’t touch Medicare before pitching a budget plan that would do exactly that, along with steep cuts to Medicaid. Democrats are calling it “savage” and “heartless,” while administration officials are insisting they are only slowing explosive growth in future years and that current Medicare benefits would remain untouched.
Here are three things to know about the election-year fight on health care spending:
Trump proposed spending $1.6 trillion less on future health care spending, including $451 billion less for Medicare.
On Twitter, two days before releasing his budget, the president said, “we will not be touching your Social Security or Medicare.” It was a promise he also made in his State of the Union address.
Whether he broke that promise depends upon how you look at it.
There’s no doubt the president’s budget plan would whack away at federal spending on health care over the next 10 years, with an estimated $1.6 trillion reduction, including $451 billion less spent on Medicare and $920 billion less for Medicaid. (con't)
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Did ABC conveniently forget that the Democrats control the House?
Trump is negotiating.
CMS is overseen by HHS which has a trillion dollar budget and 80,000 employees.
I think some cuts can be made in that financial black hole.
And CMS has over 6,000 employees...
There’s no doubt the president’s budget plan would whack away at federal spending on health care over the next 10 years, with an estimated $1.6 trillion reduction, including $451 billion less spent on Medicare and $920 billion less for Medicaid. (con’t)
...
I interpret this to mean a reduction in planned spending increases rather than a reduction in an absolute amount.
This makes sense because Trump’s policies will reduce the growth of healthcare costs.
Remember kids, Slowing the Rate of Increase in spending is a CUT to these people. The article says it wants to reduce the RATE OF GROWTH from 5.4% to 3.1%, How about slow the growth to ZERO?
Go after the fraud & save $$$$
You are exactly correct. There are no cuts just reductions in increases and elimination of inefficiencies.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/press-briefing-acting-omb-director-russ-vought/
No matter....these budgets are made to be picked at.
To read later.
Don’t get all “concern troll” on this - ABC has no reason to try to discourage Trump voters.....right?
We need to know our facts because you know the donks and media will spin this.
That’s a great addition to the thread, thank you
Aw, Geez, not this Push Grandma’s Wheelchair Over the Cliff sh** again!
From your excellent link:
This budget will keep our communities safe and secure. It will also help the promises — it will also keep the promises that the President Trump has made to the American people to protect Social Security and Medicare for seniors. This President is a “Promises Made, Promises Kept” kind of President, and this budget is no different.
Despite what you hear from the other side, Medicare will grow at 6 percent under this budget. The budget does propose good government reforms to lower drug prices, to root out improper payments, and to address wasteful and inefficient spending. For instance, this budget proposes to remove from Medicare certain programs, such as uncompensated care in graduate medical education that are draining the Medicare trust fund and benefit more than just seniors. These costs would still be funded outside of Medicare, but with reforms to moderate their growth.
Similarly, this budget proposes payment neutrality for the same service being performed at different locations so a CAT scan that costs the same at an outpatient hospital as it does in a physician’s office.
Reducing the cost of healthcare is not a cut. Medicaid will grow more than 3 percent on average, which is much higher than the rate of inflation. Medicaid had $57 billion in improper payments last year and HHS lacks the tools to recoup most of these. This budget would provide such authority, while giving states the option of a block grant or a per capita payment.
Only in Washington, D.C., does one look at a budget that grows every year and say it’s a cut. The budget proposes other commonsense mandatory savers, such as a universal work requirement for Medicaid, TANF housing, and food stamps. This will ensure that we are helping to lift able-bodied adults off of a cycle of dependency and onto a ladder of economic opportunity.
We’d best get the facts, this will be a dem campaign point. And who is the anonymous “senior administration official”?
...
See post #15.
The insurance industry is like a gigantic boa constrictor around you, and government health insurance is some sort of device to deliver just enough air to keep you alive and fresh.
What’s needed is to remove the big snake.
It’s like healthcare in general. It isn’t hard to get signed up for benefits, or being labeled with a disability; all of which incur costs to taxpayers. I think the amount of tax dollars that goes to support the various forms of fraud is in excess of 30%.
There are ways to lower costs:
Lower prescription drug prices.
Get hospitals and doctors to post prices.
Heavily promote preventative care.
Remove illegals from Medicaid.
Eliminate fraud.
Encourage companies to restore health care benefits in a robust economy with full employment.
Here we go with the “pushing granny off a cliff” BS again.
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