The Hidden Costs Of Health Care Reform

If you've been reading the headlines as concerns all the industry groups appearing to sign on to Obama's health care agenda, you need to understand why and how it will only cost taxpayers in the end. They are only doing it because the administration is making sure there's something in it for them. That does not mean you! There is nothing in it in that regard except less choice and control with lower quality in health care compounded by higher taxpayer costs.

The New York Times has an item up on the potential hidden costs lurking within Obama's health care reform proposals. What's important to note is who isn't at the table. And this quote by Daschle is pure political double talk.

But, Mr. Daschle said, there is something in it for Congress and the White House, too: By getting on board early, groups like the drug makers and hospitals will be “owners of this process, and as owners they have to continue to defend it and support it.”

Yes, they might be on board and not campaign against it. But only because there will be something in it for them. For example, a Medicare reform that would cost taxpayers $250 billion to keep the doctors in line.

The deal with doctors could come at a steep price: a $250 billion fix to a 12-year-old provision in federal law intended to limit the growth of Medicare reimbursements. The American Medical Association and other doctors’ groups have sought to change or repeal the provision, and they are likely to try to extract that as their price for boarding the Obama train, people tracking the negotiations said.

And there's more:

Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private-sector employer, agreed recently to support requiring all big companies to insure their workers. In exchange, Wal-Mart said it wanted a guarantee that the bill would not “create barriers to hiring entry-level employees” — in effect, code words to insist that lawmakers abandon the idea of requiring employers to pay part of the cost for workers covered by Medicaid, the government insurance plan for the poor.

That might sound good to Wal-Mart. But relative to Obama's budgeting for the plan, it creates huge additional costs for taxpayers that won't appear to be part of the plan. In short, by co-opting various industry groups with giveaways, they are undermining opposition that otherwise would be educating you and me about some of the drawbacks to this grand plan.

As indicated below, it may be a quid pro quo environment for the moneyed interests at the table. Unfortunately, that doesn't include you and me as taxpayers. And we are the ones that will be left with the $1 trillion-plus bill for all this negotiating behind closed doors.

“It’s kind of a give-and-take, quid pro quo kind of environment,” said Tom Daschle, President Obama’s first choice for health secretary, who remains in touch with the White House on health care issues. “I think that the stakeholders wouldn’t do this if they didn’t think there was something in it for them.”

Comments

[Lala]

It seems Walmart hasn't become a true-believer, it's more like they're targeting Target per this -

http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/07/is_wal-mart_using_health_reform_to_target_target.php

[debt]

health care needs to be universal. and once it happens the world will be safer

[Lala]

Debt, are you a Miss America contestant?

[shawn]

No....just a moron!!