Posted on 07/07/2009 8:34:05 AM PDT by Jim Noble
The nation's hospitals agreed last night to contribute $155 billion over 10 years toward the cost of insuring the 47 million Americans without health coverage, according to two industry sources.
The agreement that three hospital associations reached with White House officials and leaders of the Senate Finance Committee is the latest in a series of side deals that aim to reduce the cost of revamping the nation's health-care system and to neutralize influential industries that have historically opposed such reforms...
Most of the savings -- about $100 billion -- would come through lower-than-expected Medicare and Medicaid payments to hospitals, said the two industry sources. About $40 billion would be saved by slowly reducing what hospitals get to care for the uninsured, they added. The reductions would probably not begin for several years, after a significant number of people have enrolled in the new insurance programs...
Agreeing to the plan were the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and the Catholic Health Association...
A source close to the negotiations said a deal was struck after discussions about the "shared responsibility" of the entire health-care system -- including doctors, insurers, individuals and the government -- and an understanding that each part of the system would sacrifice to make it work...
Two weeks ago, drugmakers agreed to sacrifice $80 billion over the next decade in expected revenue. Last week, Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private employer, announced it was endorsing a requirement that nearly every business in the country contribute to their employees' health costs...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Does anybody actually believe numbers like these? They practically tell you in the story they're making them up...
‘$155 billion over 10 years toward the cost of insuring the 47 million Americans without health coverage’
That has worked so well with illegal aliens going into emergency rooms. No matter, we are slaves and will pay.
Seems to relate:
Dinner at the White House - a parable
by Richard Gleaves
Once upon a time, I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with the President. I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics. There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a free country. There’s nothing that the government can do to me if I’ve broken no laws. My wealth was earned honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor.
I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the President in a yellow dining room. We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed staff served our dinner.
The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate, and began nibbling it as he walked back to the kitchen.
“Sorry about that,” said the President. “Andrew is very hungry.”
“I don’t appreciate...” I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty. It was just a dinner roll. “Of course,” I concluded, and reached for my glass. Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed the wine in a single gulp.
“And his brother Eric is very thirsty.” said the President.
I didn’t say anything. The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I will play along. I don’t want to seem unkind.
My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite.
“Eric’s children are also quite hungry.”
With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from under me. I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the room.
“And their grandmother can’t stand for long.”
I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool. Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game. I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken. I turned back to the President.
“Their grandfather doesn’t like the cold.”
I wanted to shout- that was my coat! But again, I looked at the placid smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my hands helplessly and chuckled. Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side table. I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had been thrown out of our home. Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in. The President hadn’t moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to face him.
“Andrew’s whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven’t planned for retirement, and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a subprime mortgage. I told them they could have your home. They need it more than you do.”
My hands were shaking. I felt faint. I stumbled back to the table and knelt on the floor. The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak and drank his wine. I lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on the tablecloth that were water drops.
“By the way,” He added, “I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing your factories. I’m firing you as head of your business. I’ll be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind. There’s a whole bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can’t come to you for jobs groveling like beggars.”
I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which had been his creme brulee. He drained the last drops of his wine. As the table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. He stared at me. I clung to the edge of the table as if were a ledge and I were a man hanging over an abyss. I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle. Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise that there was no game board between us.
What had I done wrong?
As if answering the unspoken thought, the President suddenly cocked his head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling wryly as he folded his hands.
“You should have stopped me at the dinner roll,” he said.
http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Gleaves/Dinner_at_the_White_House_-_a_parable.shtml
Our idiot countrymen have no clue as to who will pay for this.
There are NOT 47 million Americans w/o health insurance. That's total BS.
...”Agreeing to the plan were the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and the Catholic Health Association.”...
So, how will this “agreement” be enforceable? I think this is wool being pulled over the eyes of Americans to ease the politics of this health “reform” scam.
They’re literally dealing with the “devil” and the price will be high...they just don’t know it...at least not yet.
The hospitals are not contributing anything. They have agreed to increase hospital prices leading to higher health care insurance premiums and consumer costs.
But of course care will remain high quality and universally available! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
After all...where will physicians prefer to practice...Detroit or Cancun...? Seriously, the border towns may reap the benefits...if Mexico can clean up its gang problems......that is a big if.
Which will lead to louder calls for the government to “do something”. Exactly the desired outcome the administration wants. They’ve bought the knife and placed it in his hand. Then exposed their throat, ready to be sliced.
Fools.
“Most of the savings — about $100 billion — would come through lower-than-expected Medicare and Medicaid payments to hospitals, said the two industry sources.”
Translation- Costs will be shifted to everyone else.
What a joke. This article makes it sound like the hospitals are cutting a check for 100 billion and sending it to the government.
Another new tax.
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