Sensitive to voter anxiety about a soaring federal deficit, Obama and congressional leaders have vowed to pay for a sweeping expansion of the health-care system -- expected to cost more than $1 trillion over the next decade -- without additional borrowing.
Much of the money is likely to come from reining in spending on federal health programs for the elderly and the poor. Obama has proposed trimming more than $600 billion from Medicare and Medicaid by 2019 -- including more than $300 billion in cuts unveiled in his Saturday radio and Internet address -- which could fulfill the promise to curb the growth of federal health spending.
The rest of the cash will probably come from new taxes. But Democrats are deeply divided over which taxes to raise, and the issue has become a central stumbling block in the push to enact legislation by fall.
In recent days, Obama has revived a tax plan he first offered in February: limiting itemized deductions for the nation's 3 million highest earners. Polls show that the idea is popular -- it was Obama's biggest applause line last week at an event in Wisconsin -- and it would enable him to abide by a campaign pledge to pay for coverage for the uninsured with new taxes on the rich.
"He believes this is the most equitable way to do this," said senior White House strategist David Axelrod. "It places the burden on people who can most afford it."
But many Democrats, particularly in the Senate, have balked at the idea, saying they prefer a tax that has some hope of winning Republican support. In legislation that could be unveiled as early as this week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is expected to propose a new tax on the health benefits that millions of Americans currently receive tax-free through employers.
So, all things work together for good! Obama proposes to fuck the old and the poor (which the Republicans love), and tax the rich (which the Republicans hate) the Senate Dems propose to fuck the old and the poor (which, again, the Republicans love) and fuck the employed (which the Republicans love) ... And you know what I'm guessing? In a splendid exercise of Bipartisanshit, the Dems will, with heavy sighs and great regret about what's politically "feasible," fuck the old and the poor (which the Republicans love) and fuck the employed (which the Republicans love).
Oh, and the insurance companies (which the Republicans and the Democrats love) get to not only keep, but through EMR, improve their business model of denying us care (which the Republicans and the Democrats love) for profit (which the Republicans and the Democrats love).
Mission accomplished! Yay!
Ponies
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOTE Meanwhile, single payer is off the table entirely, making the entire exercise about as legitimate an exercise in democracy as Bush v. Gore.
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are there any nursing home bloggers?
Because the cuts to medicaid will have a devastating effect upon our most vulnerable.
This is a deal only lobbyists could love. Unpopular to the point of being radio active.
Bush v Gore '00 and RBC '08
Can you really trust someone who happily takes power knowing full well that their ascension was illegitimate? I know I can't. Just as I wouldn't trust a car thief or someone who knowingly accepts a stolen car, so too with elections.
Throw in "frivilous lawsuit reform" to the current Dem "ideas" and you can't even recognize the current Dem Party from the Dem Party of five years ago. "Progressives" who pushed Obama on us deserve blame for this potential travesty.
Only tyrants rig elections.
Hah, my mother can't afford nursing home care NOW
let alone with funding cuts. Medicare doesn't cover long term care, or even home health aides. I've cut back on my own work to be available to help care for her, and she is scraping by. If I could talk to Obama about this, I would probably just slap him. And she voted for the sob. When she listens on the news to what he's up to she just looks more and more hurt.
Elliot Lake
Funding
Well maybe if we quit pissing money away on unnecessary wars, quit increasing defense spending for useless weapons/expensive contractors, invaded tax havens, restructure the finance industry instead of maintaining the status quo with taxpayer bucks, cut out most of the more than 700 foreign military installations, actually seriously raised taxes on the under-taxed filthy rich, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum, maybe we could quit screwing the most vulnerable among us.
The most vulnerable can’t make big time campaign contributions. Easiest to screw.
Among the biggest blunders that Obama’s MORON supporters made was ignoring the fact that while he got a pile of dough in $20 here $50 there increments he also got a huge amount of dough from Wall St. and Wall St. speaks with one BIG voice. The little contributors were too numerous to hear and therefore silent, just suckers buying into a load of obvious crap.
Single Payer Would Provide Billions! Why don't they get it?
A new study shows that SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE REFORM WOULD BE A MAJOR STIMULUS FOR THE US ECONOMY and would provide:
** 2.6 Million New Jobs,
** $317 Billion in Business Revenue,
** $100 Billion in Wages, and
** $44 Billion New Tax Revenues
The press release is here: http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/pr...
Here’s the study: http://www.calnurses.org/research/pdfs/i...
YouTube clip (5 minutes) about how to pay for healthcare reform “HR676 - The Single Payer Solution, Part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxi7DnCH3zk It’s about public financing and private delivery.
It’s clear that single-payer is the solution, not only in terms of providing quality care for all, but also economically!
The powerful don't get it bcz they want 1) big donations and 2)
post career lucrative jobs and sinecures.
Money is important and it's important to keep the monied well supplies with money. This means pampering the parasites and increase their ability to feed on the body politic.
I keep asking why, as well. It seems now that the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party is in decline, and the Finance Wing is well on its way to taking over.
Hence, lambert's Formerly Known as Democartic Party, of FDK Party
Your post is much appreciated, good links. The slogan, We Can't Afford to NOT Have Single Payer, encapsulates all the good points you make.