Thread: Obama Health Care Plan's Price Tag Jumps to $950 Billion

"A Walk Through The President's Proposal" with additional links:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/02/ ... s-proposal

Patricia Murphy
Columnist

Obama Health Care Plan's Price Tag Jumps to $950 Billion

Posted: 02/22/10

President Obama unveiled his plan for health care reform Monday morning, four days before the summit at which Republicans and Democrats are scheduled to sit down with the president to forge a bipartisan compromise on the matter.

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said Monday that Obama's proposal is designed to "bridge the gaps" between the different health reform bills passed by the House and Senate last year, and represents Democrats' "opening bid" for the talks with Republicans this week.

"The president is coming to the meeting with an open mind; we hope the Republicans will come with an open mind too," Pfeiffer said.

The plan, which is posted on the White House's Web site, keeps much of the health reform framework passed by Senate Democrats in December, including a mandate that requires individuals to purchase health insurance, a process for the federal government to subsidize people who cannot afford coverage, and taxes and fees to raise revenue to pay for those subsidies.

Like the Senate-passed bill, the president's plan would create health insurance exchanges, where individual customers could shop for insurance, in some cases across state lines. A public insurance option is not in the president's plan, although Pfeiffer said Obama "supports a public option."

The new proposal does make some significant changes to the Senate bill. For example, it eliminates the "Cornhusker Kickback," the provision negotiated by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) to require the federal government to pay for his state's portion of the costs for Medicaid expansion in the bill. Instead, the federal government will pay for 100 percent of the Medicaid increase for all states through 2018, and will cover a declining share after that.

Also, the president's proposal delays the implementation of the excise tax for expensive insurance policies for all policy holders, not just union members (as had been negotiated), until 2018, and increases the threshold of plans that are subjected to the tax to $27,500 for a family plan, an increase from the $23,000 threshold in the Senate bill.

Finally, the White House proposal creates $40 billion in small-business tax credits to help employers pay for insurance for their workers, although only businesses with more than 50 employees will pay penalties for not doing so.

One element in the plan that neither the House nor Senate has passed is a proposal to give the federal government authority over insurance rates. Right now, rates are regulated only at the state level, and in some states are not regulated at all. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced a federal-rate-authority measure this month after California's largest insurance provider for individuals alerted its customers that their premiums could increase by as much as 39 percent this year.

White House adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle estimated that the changes proposed by the White House would increase the cost of the overall health care bill to $950 billion over 10 years, which she said will be offset by additional fees for health providers and penalties on large employers that do not cover their workers.

Democrats struggled earlier this year to move health care reform to a final vote, but House and Senate negotiators failed to come to agreements on several issues, including language restricting abortion funding. Pfeiffer said Monday that the president will recommend using the Senate abortion language, originally proposed by Nelson, rather then the stricter House language championed by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.)

Since the election of Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Democrats have searched for a process to move reform through Congress with or without his support, including the possibility of breaking the larger package into small pieces for individual votes, or using a Senate procedure known as "reconciliation," which allows legislation directly related to the federal budget to pass the Senate with 51 votes, instead of having to clear the 60-vote threshold required for most other bills.

With expectations low that Thursday's televised meeting will yield many real results, senior Democrats have refused to rule out any procedural tactic to pass health care reform this year. At the end of January, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi explained the approach Democrats are taking to pass health care reform.

"We will move on many fronts, any front we can," she told reporters at a press conference. "We will go through the gate. If the gate is closed, we will go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we will pole-vault in. If that doesn't work, we will parachute in. But we are going to get health care reform passed for the American people for their own personal health and economic security and for the important role that it will play in reducing the deficit."

On Monday, White House advisers indicated that reconciliation remains a viable option. "There have been no determinations on which process we will use going forward," Pfeiffer said. But he warned that Democrats will examine all of their options, "if the opposition takes the extraordinary step of filibustering health care reform."

"The president expects and believes the American people deserve an up-or-down vote on health care reform."

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/02/22 ... lan-today/

"The president expects and believes the American people deserve an up-or-down vote on health care reform."

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY GIVEN AND TOLD OBAMA AND CONGRESS "WE ARE AGAINST THIS HEALTH SHAM BILL AND IT'S A DOWN VOTE -- START LISTENING YOU IDIOTS!!!!"

While a modest part of the total price tag, the new health care legislation would require millions of additional dollars to provide free translation services for non-English speaking "consumers". You can send a free email to your congressional representatives objecting to this by clicking on the link below:

Health Care Bill Requires Free Translation Services: Take Action!
http://capwiz.com/proenglish/issues/ale ... 6&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]

Quote:
"The new White House plan would give the federal government the power to regulate the health insurance industry much like a public utility."

GOP: Obama $1 Trillion Healthcare Plan Copies Senate, House Bills

Monday, 22 Feb 2010 12:28 PM

WASHINGTON – Making a last-ditch effort to save his health care overhaul, President Barack Obama on Monday put forward a nearly $1 trillion, 10-year compromise that would allow the government to deny or roll back egregious insurance premium increases that infuriate consumers.

The White House immediately demanded an up-or-down vote in Congress on the plan, or something close to it. But it's highly uncertain that such sweeping legislation can pass. Republicans are virtually unanimous in opposing it, and some Democrats who previously supported a health care remake are having second thoughts in an election year. After a year in pursuit, Obama may have to settle for a modest fallback version of what once was his top domestic priority.

Release of the plan on the White House Web site comes just four days before Obama's one-of-a-kind, televised health care summit with Democrats and Republicans. The White House said the plan would provide coverage to more than 31 million Americans now uninsured without adding to the federal deficit.

On Capitol Hill, Democrats cautiously welcomed the plan, while Republicans gave a thumbs down.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement she looks forward to reviewing the plan and discussing it at the summit. "We must pass comprehensive, affordable health insurance reform, and I am hopeful that Thursday's meeting will help us achieve this goal," she said, reaffirming her commitment.

House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio dismissed the proposal, saying, "the president has crippled the credibility of this week's summit by proposing the same massive government takeover of health care based on a partisan bill the American people have already rejected."

The plan is Obama's most detailed proposal since he took up the health care overhaul effort a year ago. At the time, he sought to avoid the problems former President Bill Clinton encountered when he issued Congress a detailed prescription in the 1990s. Now Obama is being criticized for having been too deferential to lawmakers.

White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said the plan is an "opening bid" going into Thursday's summit. It would cover more than 31 million Americans now uninsured — but also includes a new tax on investment income that Republicans object to.

"The president is coming into the meeting with an open mind," said Pfeiffer. "If the Republicans do, too, our hope is that we can find some areas of agreement. If the Republicans bring good ideas to the table we will find ways -- look for ways to incorporate those into our proposals."

Weeks ago, the president and congressional Democrats were on the verge of an historic step — a long-sought remake of the nation's health care system after a half-century of unsuccessful attempts by scores of politicians. Then Republican Scott Brown stunned Washington with an upset win in the Massachusetts Senate race, denying Democrats their 60-seat majority and reversing any political momentum.

Now, Obama may have to settle for a scaled-down plan that smooths some of the rough edges from the current health insurance system, but stops well short of providing coverage for all Americans. It could include ideas Democrats and Republicans have both supported, such as federal funding for high risk pools that would extend coverage to people denied because of medical problems, and a new insurance marketplace for small employers and individuals buying their own policies.

Determined not to abandon Democratic bills that took a year of arduous effort, Obama's plan builds on them. That's no guarantee that it won't run into problems.

The plan conspicuously omits a government insurance plan sought by liberals and viewed as a nonstarter by conservatives and some congressional moderates. It includes Senate-passed restrictions on federal funding for abortion that have been adamantly opposed by abortion foes as well as abortion rights supporters.

The new White House plan would give the federal government the power to regulate the health insurance industry much like a public utility. The Health and Human Services Department — in conjunction with state authorities — would be able to deny substantial premium increases, limit them or demand rebates for consumers.

Obama, who deferred to Congress on the specifics for more than a year, has finally put forward a detailed plan of his own. By and large, it follows the bill passed by Senate Democrats on Christmas Eve, with changes intended to make it acceptable to their House counterparts.

It would require most Americans to carry health insurance coverage, with federal subsidies to help many afford the premiums. Insurance companies would be barred from denying coverage to people with medical problems or charging them more.

The plan dramatically scales back a Senate tax on high-cost health insurance plans objected to by House Democrats — and labor unions. Instead of raising $150 billion over 10 years, it would bring in just $30 billion, the administration said. A Medicare payroll tax increase on upper-income earners would help plug the revenue gap. For the first time, Medicare taxes would be assessed on investment income, not just wages.

Like the Senate bill, the Obama plan would create competitive insurance markets in each state for small businesses and people buying their own coverage. But it would strip out special Medicaid deals the Senate bill granted to certain states, including Louisiana and Nebraska, that have drawn public scorn. It also would gradually close the Medicare prescription coverage gap, make newly available coverage for working families more affordable. Those changes move in the direction of the House bill.

Estimated to cost about $1 trillion over 10 years, Obama's plan would be paid for by a mix of Medicare cuts, tax increases and new fees on health care industries.

Oversight of insurance companies has traditionally been a state responsibility. Obama's proposal for a new federal role calls for setting up a seven-member Health Insurance Rate Authority to monitor insurance industry practices and issue an annual report. States that beef up their consumer protection programs would be eligible for a share of $250 million in federal grants.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., declined to say that House leaders have the votes now to pass the new plan, but said some of the concerns of House members were addressed by the changes Obama is proposing.

"So I do believe that there is more fertile soil today than when we first took this up," Clyburn said.

Democrats, who now hold 255 of the House's 435 seats, drew only one GOP ally when the House passed its health care bill, 220-215, last November. Since then, one Democrat who voted for the bill has resigned, one has died and a third plans to leave office Feb. 28.

http://newsmax.com/Headline/US-Health-C ... /id/350531

Source: The Associated Press

Him and his bunch are going to do anything to pass this garbage. I do not know if he will get away with it after all is said and done. He and his bunch are so radical. Not one of them (except Bo, the dog)(well he is a Kennedy!) believe in anything that has made America the greatest.