High noon on Capitol Hill. Surrounded by Ted Kennedy’s relatives, an adoring Democratic majority and a perfectly coiffed Speaker of the House, the President came to shoot down opposition to health care reform. Armed with the “I” word, it was clear that he was going to employ his favorite phrase, “let me be clear.” Although he was clear on many points, he became uncharacteristically vague…
With his first mention of Medicare and Medicaid. He acknowledged that Medicare and Medicaid are costly:
Finally, our health care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers. When health care costs grow at the rate they have, it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
If we do nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined.
He tried to reassure people vested in Medicare, Medicare, or the VA health care, they have nothing to worry about:
First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.
Let me — let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.
But then he mentioned that if you have Medicare or Medicaid, WHAT YOU HAVE MIGHT CHANGE!
Second, we’ve estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system, a system that is currently full of waste and abuse. Right now, too much of the hard-earned savings and tax dollars we spend on health care don’t make us any healthier. That’s not my judgment. It’s the judgment of medical professionals across this country.And this is also true when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid
Most of the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan.
This is the heart of the matter. This is GROUND ZERO.
1. Can the benefit of cost cuts actually be pre-determined?
2. What do you consider to be areas of waste?
3. How will these cuts keep up with the “skyrocketing” rise in the cost of health care?
We have been given a plate full of fuzzy logic. We need to face facts, unless we raise taxes, we must lower the cost of Medicare or Medicaid through service reductions.
I’LL BET THERE WILL BE A TRIGGER HERE
The minute that health care costs can’t be covered by the above plan, the trigger will be in two phases:
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Cut Medicare and Medicaid and VA service.
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RAISE TAXES!
Wanted: Someone to prove me wrong!
http://votingfemale.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/barack-obama-now-has-a-new-list-of-enemies-the-progressives-who-put-him-in-office/
LisaInTX
September 10, 2009
SH
You NAILED IT!!! The man’s double talk gives me a case of the hives, plus, it raises my blood pressure in outrage, that he thinks we will not understand or know that he is sticking his forked tongue out!!!
samhenry
September 10, 2009
So good to hear from you and with a good review. – it means a lot especially coming from you – BIG THANKS
m2
September 10, 2009
This is a great blog post.
Sam Henry, did you see he said there were “30 million” uninsured? Not “47″ not “50″….
30… because they finally stopped putting in the illegals as citizens of America in order to fear-monger bill passage.
boudicabpi
September 16, 2009
“Most of the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan.”
Let them show us they can cut the waste and fraud, then maybe a further reaching plan could be developed without affecting those who are satisfied with their current plan.
samhenry
September 16, 2009
So glad to see you here. You had me reading up on the warrior Queen – I had forgot about her and I did study English History both in High School and College. So much for memory.
I would like them to show us how they can cut the waste before the vote not after. I am on Medicare so perhaps I am overly sensitive. I’m getting more and more over the top daily – never thought I would be so fiscally conservative but I am – I am more socially “liberal.” I want universal health care but not at the expense of one sector of the population or at the financial security of the nation. Our nation indebted to China is NOT secure.