Bush Puts Higher Medicare Costs on More Seniors Moving to HMOs, PPOs

[papau]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAKMGFW6QD.html


Bush Puts Higher Medicare Costs on More Seniors Moving to HMOs, PPOs

By Mark Sherman Associated Press Writer
Published: Feb 2, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration figures that more than 12 million seniors will be enrolled in managed care plans under Medicare within five years, a threefold increase that is driving higher cost estimates for the new Medicare law. <snip>

CBO projects that about 15 percent of Medicare participants will sign up for managed care plans. The administration said in the proposed budget released Monday that more than 30 percent of seniors will be in managed care by 2009. <snip>


"The bottom line is that, despite Republican rhetoric, the government actually pays more for each Medicare beneficiary who enrolls in an HMO or other private plan," Stark said.

COMMENT: OK - Will broadcast media note the lie by the GOP that is now a confessed lie -given the reason for the new budget's increase in estimated cost of the Medicare Drug benefit?

GOP prevents single payer health, saying "market forces" will keep costs down - and then assumes they are successful in getting more Seniors to sign up for "market forces" HMO/PPO plans - then says these plans will cost more than the Government run version of Medicare drug benefit - so by pushing folks into the "market forces" plan, we get higher costs.

We need market forces to keep costs down, and by the way, they will cost more if they are used to provide the drug benefit than the drug benefit would cost when it is run by the government!


AT WHAT POINT DOES THE MEDIA GET THE SPINE TO SAY THAT THE GOP ARE LIARS - indeed the media by not saying anything are in effect liars themselves.

[wryter2000]

1. Ack

I can't stand any more of his lies! I can't stand it! Why do we have to wait until November to get this lying thief out of our government?

[ClintonTyree]

2. There hasn't been...........

a "free market" in this country in decades. Everything is controlled by big business, everything.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

4. That's what a free market *is*.

Where the companies are free to do whatever they want.

[CO Liberal]

3. Uh, Wasn't The Move To Managed Care HIS IDEA??????

What a moran.....

[rexcat]

5. Market forces can work unless the system is corrupt

like is now with Bush* and company in charge

The government has tried to get seniors on managed health care programs in the past and it has failed every time. The HMOs can’t make any money on the older crowd because they have more health problems and it costs more, unlike relatively healthy younger people. The program will be another dismal failure because there will not be enough money in the coffers to spend on the seniors. All these damn tax breaks to the top 1% will kill just about all of the social programs we now have or ever wanted to do to help society. Bush* does not care about the general welfare of society, he just cares how he and his buddies are going to make more money on the backs of the rest of this country.

[whathappened]

6. dirty shame

how much money is enought , this has gotten way out of hand in this world , money , money , money , these sob have enought money to pass on to many generations and yet they still seem to want more of it

[Malva Zebrina]

7. more than anything they could ever spend in their lifetime

and the senior citizens are getting jerked around and exploited by Bush who could care less. The Republicans could care less. My senator, Snowe, supposedly a moderate Republican (OK, she is pro choice and pro environment) was here a few weeks ago visiting the senior centers to push the Medicare bill and tell them how wonderful Bush was, and herself, for putting this initiative into law.

After that, it turns out, well it just need one third more of the money than Bush told us it would cost.

Senior citizens are vulnerable and the most exploited in all of the population. It has been that way for a long time.

They are vulnerable because they are, out of necessity, dependant, because they often do not have the resources or the physical ability to keep abreast of all that is going on concerning their welfare, politically,and because of that, are forced to trust and believe anyone who comes along, seems compassionate and understanding, and pretends to have great concern--like Snowe who is, at her core, as Republican as Bush.

Senior citizens have been skunked by the Republicans with this atrocity that they pretend is going to help seniors. It will become obvious that what has really happened is that seniors are being exploited and herded once again.

[0007]

8. I'm an old Senior Citizen ready to croak

It is the new Senior Citizens that I feel so sorry for. I hope the Dem's can turn this nightmare around.

Start by firing Terry the DNC cat.

[The White Rose]

9. I absolutely agree...except for one thing.

If * wins in November, the Medicare reform will be will be a great success. More and more seniors will be forced by spiralling costs into private plans, more and more subsidies will be paid to the HMOs to "care" for them, and eventually the eviscerated Medicare program will really be small enough to "drown in a bathtub". Just like Grover Norquist wants...