Report: House Health Care Bill INCREASES Costs By $289 Billion

The Politico ran a story this weekend pointing out a very inconvenient truth for proponents of the House version of big government health reform legislation: contrary to its goal of “bending the cost curve downward” over time, the bill would actually INCREASE health care costs by $289 billion.

The report issued by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” would increase health care costs from the current level of 20.8 percent of GDP up to 21.1 percent a decade from now. It also adds yet another voice to the chorus now showing that preventive care and wellness programs do NOT decrease long-term costs.

In a fascinating development, the White House has now actually admitted, apparently for the first time, that the House bill would increase health care burdens despite President Obama’s repeated assertion that he seeks a health care bill that would reduce costs. In response to the CMS study, Obama aide Nancy-Ann DeParle said, “the good news was that, despite extending coverage to 36 million people, health care spending would rise by only by 0.8 percent.”

The CMS findings could make it very difficult for Congressional Democrats and other proponents to follow through on what might be the central argument for their plan of massive tax hikes, subsidies, and regulations: that it would reduce crippling health care costs.  Several Members, particularly those facing tough re-election fights, have committed themselves to only voting for a plan that would cut long-term health care costs.

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Tags: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, health care costs, health care reform, ObamaCare, Pelosicare
Posted Nov 16th 2009 at 11:13 am in Congress, Healthcare, News, Obama, Politics | 3168242 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/amoylan/2009/11/16/report-house-health-care-bill-increases-costs-by-289-billion/Report%3A+House+Health+Care+Bill+INCREASES+Costs+By+%24289+Billion2009-11-16+18%3A13%3A13Andrew+Moylan

Is Baucus Strong-Arming Humana? FOIA Requests on the Way

The good folks at Let Freedom Ring pass on this news:

Let Freedom Ring today submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding answers after The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched a massive investigation into Humana’s role in influencing the healthcare reform fight.  Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) called for the investigation, slamming Humana for inciting fear among its beneficiaries.  

The FOIA letter requests “access to and copies of all correspondence, notes, emails, faxes, telephone logs, office visit logs, records of meetings and related documents exchanged between United States Senator Max Baucus’ office and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (CMS) directly or indirectly related to a letter that Humana, Inc. sent to its Medicare Advantage policyholders suggesting that proposed health-care legislation could lower their benefits.”

 “We filed the FOIA letter today to dig deeper into the possible political pressure that was applied to CMS, and what implications that could have in the middle of a pitched fight over the future of healthcare,” said Let Freedom Ring President Colin Hanna.  “Our letter requires the government to provide timely and complete information that could shine some sunlight on what is driving the investigation.

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Tags: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, Colin Hanna, FOIA, health-care legislation
Posted Oct 8th 2009 at 6:02 pm in Congress, Healthcare, Politics | 1461025 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/publius/2009/10/08/is-baucus-strong-arming-humana-foia-requests-on-the-way/Is+Baucus+Strong-Arming+Humana%3F+FOIA+Requests+on+the+Way2009-10-09+01%3A02%3A48Publius