Outrageous news from The Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Today's CBO Calculations

The Congressional Budget Office announced today that the Senate Finance bill [even though no bill has yet been officially generated] would cost $829 Billion over ten years and would reduce federal deficits by $81 Billion.

How could this be so? Sen. Charles Grassley was interviewed on the Greta Van Susteren Show, FoxNews tonight (10.7.09). Greta asked Sen. Grassley where the Congressional Budget Office arrived at their figures. He said the following information represents close estimates of what the CBO stated:

$400 Million would be cut from Medicare. Senior citizens who pay extra to be in Medicare Advantage (20% of seniors) would see their benefits cut $123 Billion; this would either raise the cost of premiums or would cut such benefits as wellness plans.

$400 Million would be raised from taxes on various healthcare products, insurance companies, etc. The increased taxes on insurance companies would be passed right on to the consumers through increased premiums.

Families who refuse to buy the government-approved healthcare plans would be penalized $1,500 per family. The IRS would be charged with collecting these penalties through people's income taxes.

Those people who pay for high-end insurance plans would pay 40% more in premiums.

$155 Million in cuts to hospitals would be made. Many rural hospitals that are heavily dependent on Medicare/Medicaid funding would be driven out of business.

16.6 million citizens would remain uninsured.

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To: Congressman Chet Edwards

From: Donna Garner

Date: 10.7.09

Congressman Edwards, you have had plenty of time to study HR 3200; and you should know by now that the voters in District 17 do not want the healthcare reform that is being pushed in Congress. We voters know the issues and have studied them thoroughly.

Congressman Edwards, if you vote for the bills that are on the table right now, we voters in District 17 will not forget when Nov. 2, 2010 rolls around. We will dedicate ourselves to making sure that you never represent us in Congress again.

Here is a summary of the healthcare "reform" that is currently emerging. If you really care about all of the people who live right here in Central Texas, you will not vote for these mandates. Yes, health reform is needed; but these mandates will destroy instead of improve our healthcare system:

The bill will contain new taxes on the middle class. It will add to the deficit. And it will put government bureaucrats between Americans and their doctors, among other things.
71 percent of the individual mandate penalties in Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus’s (D-MT) bill would be paid by Americans earning less than $250,000. (Emphasis added)
A full $2 billion will be paid by taxpayers earning less than $120,000 for a family of four.
Levies of $215 billion in new taxes will be placed on employers and health insurers for offering high-value insurance benefits, which will surely be passed onto all consumers. (Emphasis added)
H.R. 3200 will increase the deficit by an amazing $239 billion over the next decade. (Emphasis added)
The Baucus bill pretends to be deficit neutral but it’s an accounting gimmick. “It pays for itself” by forcing a new $250-300 billion unfunded mandate on the states. And it doesn’t include nearly $300 billion that will be spent to adjust physician payments in Medicare.
[The CBO at 4:22 P. M. today just announced its findings: The Senate Finance bill would cost $829 Billion over the next decade. This is not a surprise estimate by the CBO because the Senate Finance bill is an accounting gimmick. Actually the Medicaid burden will fall on the backs of state governments who cannot print money to pay their bills. States will be forced to pass on the costs to middle-class Moms and Pops who pay taxes. The worst part about the Senate Finance bill is that the burden will not be shared equally by the states. Rhode Island, Nevada, Oregon, and Michigan will pay less; Florida, Illinois, and California will pay more.]
CBO testified before the Senate that, under the Senate bill, the benefits of seniors under Medicare Advantage would be cut in half. (Emphasis added)
88 million people will lose their current insurance under government health care.
The bills would disrupt vision care for more than 100 million Americans.
Several doctors who are former leaders of the American Medical Association (AMA) have stated:
“Now the government is saying that additional Medicare cuts are coming—thus forcing doctors to try and make up the difference in volume, by seeing more patients. If you ask patients about this, they understand that more volume means less time with the doctor. That's something that all patients and doctors should oppose. In time, it will be difficult to find a physician.”
And here’s what the executive director of the Mayo Clinic said: “We will have to violate our values in order to stay in business and reduce our access to government patients.”
Senate Baucus' bill creates an “Independent Medicare Commission” with the ability to deny benefits to the elderly or the disabled based on a government calculation of the costs versus the benefits.
Baucus' bill will place a tax on medical technology companies and drug makers that will raise the cost to American families for thousands of drugs and devices, including pacemakers, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and powered wheelchairs. (Emphasis added)
The Senate bill will tax small businesses -- the engine of American economic growth and job creation. These small businesses cannot afford to purchase health insurance for their employees. It’s hard to see how the economy recovers when small businesses are prevented from hiring new workers by a new government tax. (Emphasis added)
The CBO has determined that the Senate bill will leave about 25 million non-elderly Americans uninsured.

(Excerpts taken from Human Events, "Will President Obama Veto Health Reform?" by Newt Gingrich -- 10.7.09)

Comments:

From Michael Dullea: "This poses an interesting cross roads. Apparently if you don't sign up for Medicare you can't get SS. Assuming Dick Army and friends' lawsuit to make that unconstitutional wins -- and that insurance companies in Canada, Mexico or some island off our coast will sell us insurance and provide medical care -- it may be smarter to opt out of the entire Medicare package.

"I asked my agent, what about the items Medicare presently doesn't cover, how do I get insured for that and he said at this time there is no plan. So clearly there is a business opportunity here and it will have to be offshore.

"As we all have known SS & Medicare can't continue. Either benefits or people will be slashed."

Donna Garner - wgarner1@hot.rr.com

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Look What Obama and Congress Have Planned for Us

Just How Much Is $1 Trillion Dollars?

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