Posted on 07/25/2009 12:26:01 PM PDT by tatown
For the second time this month, congressional budget analysts have dealt a blow to the Democrat's health reform efforts, this time by saying a plan touted by the White House as crucial to paying for the bill would actually save almost no money over 10 years.
A key House chairman and moderate House Democrats on Tuesday agreed to a White House-backed proposal that would give an outside panel the power to make cuts to government-financed health care programs. White House budget director Peter Orszag declared the plan "probably the most important piece that can be added" to the House's health care reform legislation.
But on Saturday, the Congressional Budget Office said the proposal to give an independent panel the power to keep Medicare spending in check would only save about $2 billion over 10 years- a drop in the bucket compared to the bill's $1 trillion price tag.
"In CBO's judgment, the probability is high that no savings would be realized ... but there is also a chance that substantial savings might be realized. Looking beyond the 10-year budget window, CBO expects that this proposal would generate larger but still modest savings on the same probabilistic basis," CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf wrote in a letter to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Saturday.
The proposal's meager savings are a blow to Democrats working furiously to bring down costs in order to win support from their party's fiscally conservative Blue Dogs, who have threatened to vote against the bill without significant changes. The proposal was heralded as a breakthrough on Tuesday after Blue Dogs and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman emerged from the White House with agreement on giving the independent panel, rather than Congress, the ability to rein in Medicare spending.
Saturday's CBO analysis caps a tough week of blown deadlines, partisan bickering and fierce intra-party fighting among Democrats. On Friday, the tension between the Blue Dogs and Waxman exploded when Waxman threatened to bypass his committee and bring the reform bill straight to the House floor without a vote. The move infuriated Blue Dogs who have used their crucial committee votes to leverage changes to the bill.
But by late Friday, Waxman said their colleagues had pulled the two groups "back from the brink" and back to the negotiating table.
Still, Hoyer said there was little chance that that the House would pass a health reform legislation before Friday when lawmakers are expected to leave Washington for summer recess.
I think it’s worse than even the CBO can calculate.
WT? Does anyone here speak Washingtonese?
With so much doubt about Obamacare, can’t we just say, there’s too much doubt about the cost, too much doubt as to whether it will solve the nation’s healthcare problems, etc. and Just Drive A Stake Through Its Heart????
I agree totally with Democrats and liberals that there are serious issues with healthcare and Medicare funding and all that. But let’s scrap the socialized medicine based plan and START OVER.
And let’s have a bipartisan approach. This president wanted to be a post partisan president and change the tone in Washington and all that. Yet on a major issue such as this and “global warming”, he wants to shove the liberal/radical agenda down our throats. What ever happened to changing the tone and being post partisan?
And this analysis is only based on what is known at this time. The more the details of this bill are revealed, the higher the costs will be.
I think it means he’s scared to be completely honest so he is speaking out both sides of his mouth.
Actually, this bill strips money from Medicare, breaking promises to the retired folks, in order to give hand outs to illegal aliens, crack heads and gang bangers!
Money should not be the only gauge of any reform. What good would heart surgery do me if it only cost me 200 dollars but winds up killing me?
If we start rationing health care we can save a lot of money - especially after all those baby boomers die off.
Get ready for a purge of all the infidels in the CBO and the replacement of them with a czar.
But what we are really talking about is:
a) Democrats admit they will be cutting services, not just costs and
b) Congress doesn’t want to be held accountable, just like with the military base closures. Let some unelected “board” make the tough choices so the elected pols can claim it wasn’t their choice. And, in fact, they are likely to grandstand to prevent the cuts which means the “savings” they are trying to save us won’t actually happen at all.
This is all just smoke and mirrors to get the Blue Dogs and a few RINOs on board. They all just want political cover when their enormous socialist power grab blows up in their faces as it surely will.
I think it means that in 10 years the seniors and the special needs people will be euthanized, so the savings will materialize.
Does the cost REALLY matter? It is socialized medicine, it is not moral, it is wrong for this country. Period.
Why dicker about details? If it was revenue neutral would you support it? Of course not - it is socialism! Let’s not let this argument be framed ANY other way.
WONDERFUL! Just in time for the Sunday news shows.
“What ever happened to changing the tone and being post partisan?”
Please. You actually bought into that?
Somewhat off-topic but I have some wealthy retired cousins who travel a lot. This summer, they traveled to Labrador and Newfoundland and went north through Canada until they reached small villages inhabited by remaining small groups of Indians.
What they saw were communities with few jobs, no work incentive and everyone simply living off the government. The Canadian government builds them houses which they strip down so they have more firewood in the winter. Alcoholism is rampant and suicide rates are high becuase, frankly, these people have no reason to get up in the morning when their every sustenance is government-provided and controlled.
THIS is what liberals call “compassion”. And this is what they want to give America.
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