“Congressional Quarterly has produced a July 21 letter from Sen. Harry Reid to Secretary of Health and Human Service Kathleen Sebelius. In it, Reid complains that ObamaCare’s cuts to Medicare will ‘result in a net reduction in payment to Nevada’s hospitals when they are unable to absorb such a cut.’ Furthermore, he questions the method used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to calculate the payments to hospitals, and he is ‘very concerned about potential effects on beneficiary access if this regulation is finalized without adjustment.’ Did Senator Reid finally read the bill, almost four months after passing it and a year after masses of Americans began to demand that Congress do so?”
“Obamacare’s apologists would like Americans to believe they have set in motion a sophisticated and carefully considered plan to slow cost growth in Medicare — and the rest of the health system for that matter. But the truth is that all they have done is put into law a formulaic requirement for deeper price cuts in Medicare. That’s it. Presto! Problem solved! But of course, the problem is not solved. Arbitrary price controls always and everywhere drive out willing suppliers of services. Who will see Medicare patients at 33 cents on the dollar?”
Democrats are trying to convince senior citizens, a key voting demographic in the upcoming mid-term election, that ObamaCare is good for them. Seniors aren’t being persuaded, and still strongly oppose the bill. A significant reason is because of the huge cuts in traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. “But political observers, even those who have served in Democratic administrations, are skeptical as to whether those benefits can offset seniors’ concerns about reduced government payments to Medicare Advantage.”
“Employers and consumers sorting through their health insurance options may see a bump in their rates next year to account for the potential impact of some of the early elements of the federal health overhaul law, according to some health experts. Jeff Sher, an independent health insurance agent and consultant in San Francisco, said he’s anticipating employee coverage at mid-size companies to go up 13 percent to 15 percent. ‘Then we’re supposed to tack on several percentage points for health reform,’ he said.”