Will seniors get hurt with President

[Sebass1271]

Obama? I heard Obama will cut over a trillion in Medicare. Hope that's not true.

Any info?

[Drunken Irishman]

1. I heard he's going to send them to the death panels?

Is this true?

[Tx4obama]

5. OPer was asking a serious question. No need to post GOP talking points here without a sarcasm tag

[Indpndnt]

2. Just the opposite.

11 Myths About Health Care Reform


http://www.aarp.org/health/health-insurance/info-09-2012/medicare-and-health-care-reform-myths.1.html|

MYTH 5: The new law "raids Medicare of $716 billion."

It's simply not true. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congress' independent and nonpartisan budget scorekeeper, recently estimated that the changes to Medicare in the ACA will reduce spending by a total of $716 billion between 2013 and 2022.

"That's where the number comes from," says Guterman. The largest portion of these savings would come from changes to provider payments and correcting overpayments to insurance companies that offer private Medicare plans. "And that projected savings will be used to close the prescription drug 'doughnut hole'; to pay for free, preventive care for consumers; and to increase coverage for the uninsured," Lavarreda says.

All guaranteed benefits in Medicare were protected. These measures actually strengthen Medicare's fiscal viability: Before the ACA was passed, Medicare's Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, which is used to pay hospital bills for Medicare beneficiaries, was projected to run out of money by 2017; after the law was passed, that date was pushed back to 2024.

[snip]

[former-republican]

9. Please help me out on this question , anyone

I had a senior ask me this and I couldn't answer it.

The President plans will bring down the cost of payments to provider care?

What does this mean exactly?

If right now medicare pays lets say $50,000 for a knee replacement.
With the new plan it means it will try to get doctors and hospitals to charge less for it. ($40,000)

What if most doctors do not agree to accept the new payment from Medicare?

Do they legally have to accept the lower payment .
And if they don't is the senior on the hook for the additional 20% of the $10,000 dollars not covered?

thanks

[Freddie]

18. They cannot bill the patient for the additional 20%

By law "balance billing" of Medicare patients is forbidden.
Doctors can refuse to treat Medicare patients but given that the majority of people with serious health problems are 65+, it's not that common.
Seems like the infamous Medicare Advantage plans may be a problem as some of them are paying providers less than traditional Medicare. A good friend's dad is in one and he needed a rehab stay in a nursing home. They had trouble finding one that would accept his plan and one nursing home told them traditional Medicare is very welcome but they do not take patients with Keystone 65 at all.

[DevonRex]

3. I heard he was gonna send them to the Scientology planet

instead of the Mormon planet. You should be concerned.

[bhikkhu]

4. From a good recent article on that subject:

“Here’s what you need to know,” the president told a crowd of 3,000. “I have strengthened Medicare. I have made reforms that have saved millions of seniors with Medicare hundreds of dollars on their prescription drugs. I’ve proposed reforms that will save Medicare money by getting rid of wasteful spending in the health care system, reforms that will not touch your Medicare benefits, not by a dime.”

Obama went on to argue that those reforms have “already extended Medicare by nearly a decade.”

“Their plan ends Medicare as we know it,” the president said. “My plan reduces the costs of Medicare by cracking down on fraud and waste and subsidies to insurance companies.

http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/15/obama-continues-medicare-barrage/

The president proposes plans to reduce costs without reducing benefits.

[Tx4obama]

6. NO it is NOT true.

The plan is to cut out 716 billion of Waste, Fraud, Subsidies.

And to use a good chuck of the money to close the dough-nut hole.

There won't be any decrease on the side of benefits to seniors.

[former-republican]

10. what is the dough nut whole ?

And how do you attack waste , fraud?
Why aren't we doing this already?

Why do we need a plan for it.

[Tx4obama]

11. Here's a link that explains the Medicare doughnut hole

Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut_hole_%28Medicare%29

[former-republican]

12. Thanks

I don't understand the fraud part.
That is how the President says he will find the additional money.

What is the administration going to do different than what they are doing now to attack fraud ?

And again I ask if they know fraud is going on in the 100's of billions of dollars why aren't they stopping it now?

[Tx4obama]

13. They have been battling fraud now. I don't know about the cut in the amount ...

maybe the 'amount of fraud money' that will be 'cut' is from the fraud that they are currently finding and will find - so that is a 'savings'.

You need to find an article that explains the 'facts' - I don't have the facts in my head on this topic

[former-republican]

14. I'm sorry

I have been googling my ass off on this.


Some sites I found that up to 15 to 20 % of all medicare claims are fraudulent cases by doctors , pharmaceutical companies , scooter companies.
All kinds of fraud in medicare.

billions and billions....
Some get prosecuted and pay a fine but they go back to the same old business as before.

The President is going to need a task force to be able to go after all this fraud.
Not just use the FBI as they have been.

[Tx4obama]

15. Here are TWO article regarding different arrests, links below

There are MORE out on the net... but here's a start

Feb 17, 2011

Medicare-Fraud Suspects Arrested as U.S. Expands Task Force in Crackdown

-snip-

Strike forces, used by the Justice Department and Health and Human Services Department to crack down on Medicare fraud since 2007, have charged more than 990 people with falsely billing Medicare for more than $2.3 billion, the Justice Department said in a statement today.

-snip-

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-17/medicare-fraud-suspects-are-said-to-be-arrested-as-u-s-expands-task-force.html

May 3, 2012

Medicare Fraud Task Force Makes Biggest Bust Ever
http://www.newser.com/story/145292/medicare-fraud-task-force-makes-biggest-bust-ever.html

[Tx4obama]

16. Obama’s 4 BILLION Dollar Crackdown on Health Care Fraud

Obama’s 4 Billion Dollar Crackdown on Health Care Fraud

http://www.politicususa.com/obamas-4-billion-dollar-crackdown-health-care-fraud.html

[former-republican]

17. cool

thanks

[Freddie]

19. The donut hole thing alone is worth thousands to many seniors

I handle my parents (90 and 83) finances and they are paying far less this year for their multitude of prescriptions.

[iemitsu]

7. the worst thing that obama could possibly conjure up to harm

seniors or other vulnerable americans pales in comparison to what the republicans have in mind.
but because of bad tax policy since the reagan era and the bush spending spree we are bankrupt.
it is not obama's fault or democrats spending priorities that caused this situation (they may have been complacent) but you can be sure it will be a democrat who saves what's left of our public investments if any can be salvaged.
i would like to think that the US could adopt fair social and economic policies but i am not going to hold my breath waiting.
unless we can get the uber-rich to replenish our coffers (which we ought to do since their tax breaks are the reason we can't pay our bills) then expect to see cuts in benefits or increased costs to those still in the workplace.
the rich got the money but you can be sure that workers will pay the bill.
to avoid this we have to elect socialist candidates to office. suppose that will ever happen?

[Zoeisright]

8. Lies told by lying liars.

What exactly is YOUR point?