Who Wouldn't Believe Chris Dodd?

Given Chris Dodd's existing problems, you really have to wonder how smart it is to have him release the news of yet another could be health care plan said to cost much less than previous estimates at $610 billion over ten years. In another item below, it took the Washington Post less than 24 hours to throw water on the news and reveal even more troubling problems for the Obama administration as regards health care reform.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Kennedy’s chief deputy on health reform, today announced that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has rescored the Affordable Health Choices Act. CBO’s new score of the bill - which would reduce health costs, allow Americans to keep the coverage they have if they want it, and make health insurance affordable to those who do not have it today - would be $611 billion over 10 years, a significant reduction from earlier, incomplete estimates. The new estimate includes a provision on employer responsibility and a strong, national public option, the Community Health Insurance Option.

The $611 billion figure doesn't include hundreds of billions of increased Medicaid costs, or account for how to pay for the complete plan. There's also a $750 penalty for firms employing over 25 people, which amounts to a new tax during an economic downturn. And the news for head of the White House Office of Health Reform, Nancy-Ann DeParle is even worse. Read the last four graphs below. She may not be one of the individual Americans will want to trust when it comes to determining the future of their health care options. But then, I'm not convinced most Americans really want to turn that decision over to anyone, especially anyone in government right now.

The Finance Committee bill has not been released and aides would not discuss what provisions may be in the final plan. Outside experts say a Medicaid expansion could add hundreds of billions of dollars to the cost.

"The figures presented in this letter do not represent a formal or complete cost estimate for the draft legislation," CBO Director Douglas W. Elmendorf wrote. The draft legislation does not include details on how to pay for expanded coverage or administrative fees.

Also yesterday, msnbc.com and a reporting group based at American University published an article examining connections between several health-industry firms and Nancy-Ann DeParle, head of the White House Office of Health Reform. The Investigative Reporting Workshop concluded that DeParle served on the board of several companies "that faced scores of federal investigations, whistleblower lawsuits and other regulatory actions."

The story said that five of the firms paid more than $500 million over a five-year period to resolve fraud or product-liability suits and four signed "corporate integrity agreements" promising to improve internal oversight of billing practices.

The reporting unit is run by Charles Lewis, the founder of the Center for Public Integrity, a journalism group.

In the 18 months prior to joining the administration, DeParle earned more than $2.3 million from several health-related firms and a private equity firm with holdings in the industry, according to her financial disclosure filing.

Comments

[Ironman]

Why should we trust Dodd's estimate for health care any more than his cost etimate for his Irish cottage.

He said that was worth less than 1/2 of what it really was worth for years.

[Mark in Texas]

We already know that the way Obama plans to keep health care costs down is to deny treatment to Baby Boomers as they retire. Maybe Dodd has discovered that they can cut costs even further if they cut off drugs to people infected with HIV and put them in quarantine camps like they do in Cuba.

[Dandapani]

Think of the money they can save: Abort the unborn; Euthanize the elderly.

[Nickie Goomba]

Expect an even more attractive health care package to be offered by the Democrats. It'll be totally free, with every participant receiving a car (the new Chevrolet Walnut) and a year's supply of twirly "green" light bulbs. Let's make a deal.

[John in California]

Chris Dodd blocked two Bush appointments to the Fed until after the election. Garbage politics. And politics and the Fed do not mix well.

Expect a push for Larry Summers to replace Bernanke from w/in congress and Dodd will be right in the mix.

[happy go lucky]

At the risk of offending retards that had no control over their retardation, let me suggest you never let a bunch of LYING retards near your money, guns, or healthcare. These morons are only slightly less amazing than the libtard sheep that follow them.....but of course everything since Jesus' Crucifiction up until the year infinity will have been/be 'Bushes Fault" LMAO.....I really do feel sorry for those THINKING INTELLIGENT Americans who have to watch our country QUICKLY be completely destroyed.....ASTONISHING it is, but true sadly ....

...Now since no one really cares, let's just forget about all this unimportant stuff and go grab another latte!!!!!

[indie and a jones]

Uh, Mark, Obama is headed for universal coverage, including baby boomers. The denied coverages you speak of have been going on and will continue as long as the ones running things are trying to maximize profit over keeping Americans healthy. At least with the gov't they have to worry about re-election. The drugs we buy here are made here in many cases yet available for less to any other country. They are robbing us, and 'lobbying' politicians, R and D, to help them. Tell your GOP brethren to stop fighting universal coverage if they really care and aren't just some hypocrite senior citizens on medicare complaining about 'the system' they abuse, or even worse, healthcare professionals protecting their livelihoods.

And Ironman, you should never trust a politician, but if you want to recount big political lies of the last ten years, where does an undervalued cottage rate on the list? Did you see what Bush and Cheney made while in office? It is public info. What about Iraq? There is so much info out there on these crooks that the only way you can justify ignoring it is with your 'liberal media' fantasies. Well, Dan Rather got fired from 'liberal media' for not checking his facts. When have any of your Faux fabricators ever even had a retraction?
Irrational fear and delusion: the new neo-con party platform!

[SAM]

When are we going to discuss the "problem" of uninsured from facts? Specifically, it's time to get Dems on record regarding the 47 million uninsured. As I understand it, 25% consist of illegal aliens and who cares about them? Another 25% are eligible for existing programs, so why do we need to "fix" a problem for which a solution exists? Yet another 25% have specifically decided not to purchase insurance, so why should we care? That leaves 10 to 12 million people about whom we should have a debate about how best to deal with their situation.

Before anything else, why don't Dems address tort reform? Dems love citing European healthcare, but they fail to point out that no European countries have a plaintiffs' bar suing the sh*t out of doctors.

[Howard]

Maybe some people would just like to know whats in a bill before they support it.
Waxman did not help things when he hired the speed reader. That kind of arrogance should be enough to get him fired. People don't trust politicians. All of them have special interest groups. liberals can't stand anyone who has a difference of opinion and will try to destroy them for doing so. They are mean and believe they are the elitists. They believe that thier agenda is best for the people but, do not practice what the preach. Pelosi, Reed, Boxer
Waxmen all of them are shady birds and along with Al Gore stand to make millions off of the new energy bill