Free Republic

Wall Street investors hungry for advance information on upcoming federal health-care decisions repeatedly held private discussions with Obama administration officials, including a top White House adviser helping to implement the Affordable Care Act. The private conversations show that the increasingly urgent race to acquire“political intelligence” goes beyond the communications with congressional staffers that have become the focus of heightened scrutiny in recent weeks. White House records show that Elizabeth Fowler, then a top ­health-policy adviser to President Obama, met with executives from half a dozen investment firms in 2011 and 2012. Among them was Kris Jenner, a stock picker with...

WASHINGTON -- In the last three months, the biggest battle here has been about carving a relatively tiny amount of money out of this year's $3.7 trillion budget. But while Republicans, Democrats and the White House bickered over whether to cut anywhere from $61 billion to $33 billion -- or else shut down the government -- a far bigger battle looms in the months ahead over the fiscal 2012 budget and trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see. House Republican budget leaders were expected to unveil their budget proposals Tuesday that called for spending reductions in the...

Well this ends that debate "This bill will strengthen Medicare and extend the life of the program." - President Barack Obama, after the Senate health care bill secured 60 votes. The notion that the health care reform bill would make Medicare more solvent and also expand benefits never made any sense. The health care reform bill makes cuts to Medicare, and uses them to pay for new spending; to the extent that we think we need to pay for, um, Medicare with cuts to Medicare, this bill actually weakens either the program, or our future budgets. I mostly ignored claims...

Democrats held fast Saturday against another Republican attempt to restore funding for a Medicare program facing cuts in the Senate healthcare bill. During a rare weekend session, Senate Democrats blocked a GOP move to restore about $42 billion in funding for a home healthcare Medicare program. Democrats argued that the cuts wouldn't affect Medicare patients' quality of care and would make the home healthcare benefit stronger by forcing it to be more efficient. The amendment received the support of 41 senators, most of whom were Republicans. A floor amendment to the healthcare bill needs 60 votes to be adopted. Republicans...

Speaking on the Senate floor today, Sen. Chris "Where's the mortgage paperwork?" Dodd, D-Conn., was telling another sob story about someone being denied treatment by a private insurer. This supposedly demonstrates the need for government run insurance. "That would not have happened under Medicare. Had she been just under Medicare, she would have gotten that help, no questions asked," said Dodd. But is it really easier to get medical treatment under Medicare than private insurance? The idea that government-run health care would deny fewer claims than private insurers callously concerned about maximizing profits is an article of faith among Democrats....

As Congress fights over health care coverage, the public is expressing support for private sector options. A recent Zogby poll reveals that --82% of all voters surveyed and 67% of seniors agree that “seniors should have the option of picking a private health plan approved by the Medicare program to provide their health benefits.” --Only 16% of seniors believe that the Senate drug plan would be better than the one they have, while 74% said no. --Only 42% of seniors without drug coverage said they would be likely to buy the new policy. --66% fear that a government-controlled prescription drug...