The ObamaCare Lies Are Still Coming

[Warph]

The ObamaCare lies are still coming
By MICHAEL TANNER

Last Updated: July 20, 2010


Does President Obama have any idea what's in his own health-care reform law?

Since he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act a bit more than 100 days ago, the president has given a number of speeches and interviews in which he continues to say things that, well, just aren't so. Just last Friday, he told MSNBC's Chuck Todd that the law "not only makes sure everybody has access to coverage but is reducing costs."

Wrong on both counts.

The bill doesn't come close to giving "everybody" access to coverage. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 10 years from now there will still be at least 21 million uninsured Americans. That's an improvement over today, but it's a far cry from the universal coverage that Obama once promised.

And nearly half of the newly covered aren't getting access to true health insurance but are being added to the Medicaid program, with all of its attendant problems of access and quality.

Indeed, access to health care may be about to get harder. The RAND Corporation reports that the new law may result in severe overcrowding and longer waits in emergency rooms.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services warn that some of the mandated cuts in Medicare could result in the closing of up to 15 percent of US hospitals.

We've already seen a near doubling in the waiting time to see a doctor under Massachusetts' universal health-care law, which is very similar to ObamaCare.

Even further from reality is the president's continued insistence that the new law is "reducing costs." In fact, the administration's own chief health-care actuary reports that the law will actually raise US health-care spending by $311 billion over 10 years. This failure to control costs means that the law will add significantly to the already crushing burden of government spending, taxes and debt.

Accurately measured, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will cost more than $2.7 trillion over its first 10 years of full operation and add more than $352 billion to the national debt. This doesn't even include more than $4.3 trillion in costs shifted to businesses, individuals and state governments.

Anyone who thinks that their insurance premiums will be going down in the foreseeable future is going to be disappointed. The law Does nothing to restrain the growth in insurance costs. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office says that premiums will double over the next six years, roughly the same rate of increase as would have occurred without health-care reform.

Some workers can actually expect higher premiums. For example, according to RAND, younger and healthier Americans could see a rise of 17 percent. And the CBO says that workers who buy insurance on their own, rather than getting it via an employer, could see their premiums rise 13 percent faster than if the legislation had never passed.

Obama seems to have dropped one of his claims: the promise that if you have health insurance you like, you can keep it. Apparently, not even he could keep that one up with a straight face.

After all, just a couple of weeks ago, an internal memorandum leaked from the Obama Health and Human Services pointed out that more than two-thirds of companies could be forced to change their current coverage. For small businesses, the total could reach 80 percent.

Other reports have shown that seniors with Medicare Advantage and those workers with health-savings accounts are also likely to be forced out of their current plans. Even Americans whose plans are "grandfathered" under the law may still be forced to change coverage to a plan that meets government requirements if they make any material changes to their coverage.

As Mark Twain said, "It's not what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Words of which the president should surely be mindful.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/the_obamacare_lies_are_still_coming_qfNobsi0SBKpZ8e98sztRI#ixzz0uHYrBeJ9

[Warph]

Income Redistribution: ObamaCare Fraud

First, it was Pennsylvania.  Now, Maryland will pay for abortions using federal tax dollars under Obuma's health care overhaul.   Maryland will get $85 million in federal funds, while Pennsylvania is in line to receive $160 million to fund a "high-risk" insurance program that will cover abortions.  (New Mexico had been set to use $37 million for a similar program, but the state removed abortions from coverage following media attention and pro-life protests.)

Of course, ObumaCare's abortion funding is no surprise, Obuma's "no federally funded abortions" pledge and equally useless Executive Order notwithstanding.  As Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review notes, "Obamacare never prohibited abortion funding. It's a matter of administrative discretion.... And the administration will have to provide a new myth or actually act ... to prohibit that which is not currently prohibited." Another promise broken. Surprise, surprise.

Speaking of fraud, federal authorities recently busted a Medicare fraud ring spanning five states and siphoning $251 million from the entitlement program.  The elaborate scheme used tactics such as submitting fraudulent claims and billing Medicare for unneeded treatments and equipment.  Obuma promised to reduce Medicare fraud and abuse, but lest you think this translates into cost savings for taxpayers, think again.  This corrupt president aims to use the money for "reform."  In other words, what might have been a $251 million return to taxpayers is now a $251 million check made payable to Uncle Sam.

[Warph]

The GOP House Leadership Speaks Out On Defunding And Repealing Health Care Reform
by John Hawkins)


The centerpiece of Barack's Obama first two years in office has been the health care reform that the Democratic Party shoved through Congress over the objections of the Republican Party and the American people. Not only was the legislation unpopular when it was passed, polls have consistently shown that the American people want to see the legislation repealed. That's doubly true for conservatives, who view health care reform as a disastrously expensive government program that will destroy the quality of health care in America.

With that in mind, one question has been asked over and over again: If Republicans get back in power, will they try to repeal health care reform? In order to answer that question, I contacted the Republican leadership in the House to see what they had to say about the issue.

Minority Leader John Boehner, Republican Whip Eric Cantor, Chairman of the House Republican Conference Mike Pence, and Vice-Chair of the House Republican Conference Cathy McMorris Rodgers all went on the record for this article.

Now, the first thing you have to keep in mind is that in order to fully repeal health care reform, the GOP will need to have 60 votes in the Senate, the presidency, and the House. While the GOP could conceivably take the House in November, they won't be able to acquire the needed votes in the Senate or the presidency. Still, there is an effective tactic they can use: refusing to fund health care reform.

So, my first question was: "If the GOP retakes congress, would you support cutting off the funds needed to implement health care reform?"

Boehner, Cantor, and Pence all answered in the affirmative while McMorris Rodgers essentially punted on the question. Still, 3-out-of-4, including the top 3 members of leadership, isn't bad.


We are going to fight to repeal this government takeover of health care and start over with solutions that focus first on lowering costs. Cutting off funding for ObamaCare is absolutely something I support. For example, I would support moving as soon as possible to deny any funding for the estimated 16,500 IRS employees that will be needed to implement ObamaCare. House Republicans will continue to stand with the American people against this unconstitutional government takeover of health care.
-- John Boehner


Yes, without question. Republicans will use every tool available to us to repeal the harmful law. Even in the minority, House Republicans have forced votes to immediately repeal some of the most egregious provisions of the law, including a vote to repeal the individual mandate. -- Eric Cantor


Congress holds the power of the purse, and yes, I will support all efforts to cut off funding for ObamaCare. The Democrats' government takeover of health care will kill jobs, infringe on individual liberty, and it fails to contain costs. -- Mike Pence


If we are successful in repealing ObamaCare - and I'm going to work my heart out to repeal it - that would automatically - by definition - cut off the increased, out-of-control spending in the Obama-Pelosi health care bill. As House Republicans constantly told President Obama and Speaker Pelosi "We need to start over." Once we're back at Square One - the way things were before ObamaCare - we can begin a better process focused on smaller reforms that can gain bipartisan support -medical liability reform, enabling small businesses to pool together to purchase health insurance, allowing insurance to be purchased across state lines, etc. -- Cathy McMorris Rodgers

While that's the most practical step Republicans will be able to take if they recapture the House, it's not the key question most conservatives want to have answered. That would be question number two, "If the GOP retakes congress, are you willing to pledge that you'll work to 'repeal' or 'repeal and replace' the health care reform that passed Congress?"

In this case, all four members of leadership were willing to come out unambiguously for the repeal of health care reform:

Absolutely. I've signed the discharge petition for Rep. Steve King's (R-IA) bill, and also cosponsored the Reform Americans Can Afford Act, introduced by Wally Herger (R-CA), which would repeal and replace ObamaCare and will be the subject of a similar discharge petition. The number one concern Americans have with our current health care system is rising costs, and ObamaCare will only exacerbate that problem. House Republicans want to repeal it so we can start over with a step-by-step approach focused on lower costs. -- John Boehner

Yes, we are going to work to repeal it, because if the Democrats had listened to the American people it would have never been signed into law in the first place. Republicans have always advocated for proposals to improve the health care, so a Republican majority would offer solutions that will lower costs and empower doctors and patients. -- Eric Cantor

I, and my fellow House Republicans, will not rest until this government-takeover of health care is repealed, lock, stock and barrel. Then, I will work to replace ObamaCare with a law that will lower the cost of health insurance without growing the size of government by allowing Americans to buy health insurance across state lines.
We can repeal and replace ObamaCare with real malpractice reform, ending the scourge of junk lawsuits and defensive medicine.
To those who say it would be too difficult to repeal and replace ObamaCare, I say it's a two-step process: We repeal the Pelosi Congress in November, and we replace the Obama Administration in 2012. -- Mike Pence


Ideally, we want to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a better version of health care reform that uses common-sense, market-based solutions to increase access and lower costs. Clearly, though, the most urgent task is repealing ObamaCare. And if there was an opportunity to repeal ObamaCare - even it didn't include a smaller, better bill as a replacement - that would be something we would gladly enact. -- Cathy McMorris Rodgers

So, there you have it. If the GOP takes over the House in November, not only can you expect them to work to repeal health care reform, but you can expect them to attempt to cut off the funds needed to implement it starting next year.

=====================================================================

So, if you want to keep your doctor, your choice and access you will have to resist the pressure to cave when the Democrats say: "Republicans are denying the elderly medicine," "Republican don't care about minorities and children," and any of the other misnomers about the Conservative position. It's gonna get uglier before it gets better. Fortitude will deliver us, but weakness will float us down the river of debt.  

Riddle me this. Who drops more people Medicare or private insurance?
Medicare rejects more claims:

http://www.independent.org/blog/?p=4459

.....Warph

[Warph]

Somewhat surprised that there hasn't been any comments on this thread.... especially the last reply:
"Defunding And Repealing Health Care Reform."  I guess no one cares if they wind up with ObamaCare or not.
I care, for my kids and grandkids.  I care because obamacare will be a disaster on the economy, pure and simple. 
The repubs may not have a solution yet and it may take years for one but, as one said, start defunding and get back to
square one and start working on a common sense approach to Health Care.  Medicare fraud and sitting down hard
on insurance companies should be the first thing to look at. 

Anyway... what do y'all think?

[Varmit]

I think either way you look at it R or D or Inp. we're screwed.

[jarhead]

Maybe not Varmit. The way the "old timers "on Capitol Hill are falling it's possible the Repubs will learn a lesson but The Demo's will never change. They are too full of themselves.
Newt in 2012 !!!

[Jo McDonald]

If any of them will have guts enough to try - then enough fortitude to stay with their ideas, in time, maybe something
can be done.  Things just seem to roll on - business as usual -- and we, the citizens of this great country, are bottle necked behind the
"do nothing loud talkers".  We must have this Obamacare defunded and repealed.
  The candidates that we have running for office spend time and lots of money saying NOTHING!! 

[greatguns]

I so agree Jo.

[Warph]

Oh where, oh where is the Social Security Trustees' Report
7/2/2010
by Sheila Weinberg, founder & CEO, Institute for Truth in Accounting


How can the country operate without knowing the amount of the huge liabilities associated with these programs?

The Social Security & Medicare programs' liabilities are tens of trillions of dollars.  Each year the trustees of these programs issue reports which present the current and projected financial status of the programs.  Included in these reports are calculations done by professional actuaries that calculate the Social Security and Medicare unfunded liabilities.  For the last five years the trustees' reports have been used between April 5 and May 19.  Now we are into July and there is no sign of these reports.

Corporations must report to the IRS amount their tax liabilities are by March 15.  You must report your tax liability by April 15.  Why doesn't the government need to tell us our Social Security and Medicare liabilities until more than seven months after the year end?

The most recent actuarial reports, which are included in the trustees' reports, are for January 1, 2009.  Many financial decisions have been made by the president and Congress since that date, including a trillion dollar health care bill.  I would think that knowing the amount of our Social Security and Medicare liabilities would be critical before these decisions were made.  How can they know what we can afford to spend on the war, current government services, health care and any other government programs, if they don't know how much these liabilities are?  

The reason I have heard for these reports being issued late is that the trustees wanted to include the effect the health care bill had on these liabilities.  The health care bill was signed on March 23.  Four months after this huge bill was signed we still do not know the effect is will have on our country's finances.  I would think that little bit of information would be important in the decisions the president and Congress are currently making.  Won't that be an important piece of information they should have known BEFORE the health care bill was passed and signed into law?

We can not make informed decisions if we are not told the truth.
--Sheila Weinberg, Institute for Truth in Accounting


Facts:

"The federal government keeps two sets of books...the set the government doesn't talk about reports a more ominous financial picture."
--Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY

We've all heard about the federal debt. But most of us haven't heard the truth.
Politicians will tell you that the federal debt is around $11 trillion.

That sounds bad enough—but it gets even worse. Together with unfunded liabilities (all of the benefits that the government has promised to seniors, Baby Boomers, and other citizens) our nation is in the hole for nearly $62 trillion dollars.

That's more than $200,000 for every man, woman, and child in America, and it's growing every day.

"We have been diagnosed with fiscal cancer," says David Walker, the retired chief auditor of the United States government. "It seems clear that our nation's current fiscal path is unsustainable."

As the people who pay the bills, it's time to demand more of our political leaders—and to demand real solutions to an issue that could soon lead to a crisis. That's what Truth in 2010 is all about. Join us today.

Why does our national debt matter?

Nonpartisan financial experts tell us that our nation faces a unique set of pressures (to spend increasing amounts on health care, to sustain retirees' benefits with fewer active workers, and to fund the growing amount of interest on the national debt) that could culminate in a massive economic crisis.

Bob Bixby, the head of the Concord Coalition, points out that no one can predict when this crisis will erupt—or if it will unfold as "a long, slow erosion in the standard of living." To each of us, that would mean less choices in life, less freedom, and less of the things we take for granted each day.

With its shaky financial position and dozens of unfunded promises, the United States also faces threats to national security. With its financial assets in quicksand, the US would be less able to compete on an international level and less able to counter threats from competitors abroad. As our nation slips deeper and deeper into debt, it loses its flexibility, its power, and even its ability to operate on a very basic level.

The bottom line: the national debt matters because we, the people, are the ones who pay the bills. We are the ones who will be impacted by a financial crisis. That's why it is crucial to spread the Truth in 2010.

More facts:

**It took the country from George Washington until Ronald Reagan—approximately 200 years—to reach the first $1 trillion in debt.

**When politicians talk about reducing the deficit, they are not talking about the debt. Politicians driven by short-term election goals focus on short-term problems. For example, President Bush once told us the problem was shrinking, pointing to  the  annual federal budget deficit, which fell from a high of $413 billion in fiscal 2004 to about $163 billion in fiscal 2007. The debt, meanwhile, continues to skyrocket.

**All of the taxes you pay, including Social Security, are used for today's government services and benefits, not saved for the future.

**According to the government's Office of Management and Budget, "there are no economic assets in the Social Security trust fund."

**According to the Government Accountability Office, if spending on government retirement programs remains on its current course and revenues grow at their historical averages, interest on the debt could skyrocket from its current 9 percent to almost 30 percent of the budget by 2040.

**Fed Chairman Ben Bernake has stated that the time to solve this problem was "ten years ago." Meanwhile, Congressional Quarterly reports that a delay of even 10 years in solving this will double the required pain to solve it.

**We are now considering making the nation's fiscal problems much worse by expanding entitlements and bail-outs.  Fiscal 2009 will add more than a trillion dollars to the federal debt via deficit spending and as much as another five trillion in unfunded liabilities.


Where do our candidates stand?

As the field for 2010 and 2012 races begin to form, taxpayers and concerned Anericans should be asking what these hopefuls intend to do about the fiscal hole we're in and which we are digging deeper.