Disappointing Report On Dems, Obama Health Care Proposals
The AP came out yesterday with a report on how the various health care reform proposals of Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama are penciling out in terms of adding to the federal deficit (or not), requiring new taxes (or not) and whatnot. It doesn’t look good for any proposal right now:
“Obama claims his health effort will not dig the nation deeper into debt and over time will help reduce deficits. He has vowed to not sign any health bill that raises deficits.
“But even the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says that none of the health plans pending on Capitol Hill would control long-term spending, and that ones with the elements Obama wants would add around $1 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years.
“Furthermore the CBO said an administration-backed independent council of medical experts to recommend Medicare cuts would only yield modest savings.
“The White House stands by its claims. Its allies claim that [Congressional Budget Office] forecasts, for instance, don’t reflect potential future cost savings that might be expected from the prevention of illness achieved from wider health care coverage.”
It goes from there.
I’ve become pretty pessimistic about the chances of health care reform getting through Congress, covering the many instead of getting a few million more, and doing so without requiring new taxes or adding to the deficit (I don’t think our shaky economy can handle much of the latter two right now). Absent a “September surprise” of some kind, it’s beginning to look as though no one’s plan will pencil out. And that means at least some Democrats in the House and the Senate will vote against the proposals and that really imperils getting health care reform done anytime in the next few years.
I haven’t had health insurance in over two years now and was fairly hopeful that something could get done here. Oh, well, so much for that sliver of hope.
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