Health care expert Trudy Lieberman says the main thing the House health care bill does is require people to get health care insurance. She says if one is not already insured by an employer or a government program, such as Medicare or Medicaid, one will be required to purchase insurance exchange. (0:35)
The Heritage Foundation’s Dennis Smith says that healthy Americans, particularly young folks, are not going to embrace being forced to spend their money on something they don’t think they need. (:40)
Dennis Smith with the Heritage Foundation says he fears that current healthcare reform legislation would place an undue burden on Medicaid, a program he calls “unsustainable.” (:44)
Dennis Smith, the Senior Fellow in Health Care Reform at the Heritage Foundation claims that after health care reform passes, Americans may need to visit the welfare office to claim eligibility for Medicaid. (0:35)
Vice President Joe Biden announces Wednesday that hospitals from all over the country will hep raise roughly $155 billion for health care reform. The funds will be created through spending cuts on Medicare and Medicaid. (:33)
By Annie Berman-Talk Radio News Service
During a hearing with the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday, House Republicans expressed major qualms over how the formation of the upcoming health reform legislation has progressed.
“I’m very concerned and I think what many of us are struggling with today is that we don’t have the facts on this bill,” said Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) “We have been told that this will likely be our only hearing and we are talking about entirely changing the framework of healthcare in America with no debate of any substance.”
Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), the Committee’s ranking member, stated that in order for Congress to act responsibly, the members would need to know more vital facts concerning the bill.
“We need to know the price tag of this bill if we are going to do our jobs: write a bill our country can afford that will guarantee every American has access to affordable, quality health care.”
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) blasted the new health care plan for resembling the current Medicaid program, stating that he believes that most people on Medicaid are unhappy with the program.
“I have a lot of citizens in my district who are on Medicaid, and for the life of me, I can’t understand why we would want to make more people eligible for Medicaid…I don’t have anyone that I know of that likes being on Medicaid.” Nunes said.
The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to remain in session past 5:30 Wednesday evening. Witnesses representing insurance companies are slated to testify at the hearing’s end.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) claims health care reform cannot happen without first reforming Medicare and Medicaid. He says the two government programs are on an unsustainable growth path (0:22).
During a speech on health care reform today, President Barack Obama warned that without proper reform Medicaid spending could surpass defense spending (0:19)
By Michael Combier – Talk Radio News Service
Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the formation of a new interagency effort, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), to fight against Medicare and Medicaid fraud around the country. Holder and Sebelius also announced this afternoon the expansion of the Strike Force Team to Detroit and Houston. This Strike Team was already operating in South Florida and Los Angeles to fight Medicare fraud on a local level.
“This is part of the administration’s ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility and accountability and putting the best minds and resources together to combat fraud and return much needing dollars into the United States’ Treasury”, said Attorney General Holder adding that when “individuals and corporations cross the line and defraud the public, we will hold them accountable.”
“The Obama administration and the American people will not stand by while criminals and health care fraud perpetrators steal from the Medicare and the Medicaid programs”, said Secretary Sebelius. “A Small but significant number of criminals and bad operators are cheating the system and costing taxpayers billions of dollars.”
Senior officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and HHS will integrate the HEAT team to strengthen the existing programs fighting against fraud. HEAT will not only go against unlawful practices but will also prevent fraud, waste and abuse from happening the first place. The new program will be helped by a joint DOJ-HHS Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams which have successfully fought against fraud perpetrators in South Florida and Los Angeles. In the former, the Strike Force convicted 146 defendants and succeeding in securing $186 million while in the latter, started in May 2008, 37 individuals have been charged with criminal health care fraud offenses resulting in $55 million being restored to the Medicare program.
The Attorney General and the HHS Secretary pointed out that HEAT will work with Congress to work on legislation making it more difficult for fraud perpetrators to use the taxpayers money. The American taxpayers are called upon by Sebelius “to blow the whistle on thieves and criminals who are stealing from all of us.”
by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
In the midst of Congressional infighting over the $3.5 trillion budget proposed by Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling it responsible.
Republicans say the budget proposed by Democrats will put the U.S. in ruinous debt with unnecessary spending, and will create no assurance of a return for such a substantial investment.
“The difference of opinion on these budgets is indeed a difference of principle,” said Pelosi this morning at a press conference.
Pelosi said the proposal provide a tax cut for 95% of Americans, which, she said, will bring more fairness to the tax code.
“It’s about the principle of opportunity,” said Pelosi. When asked what investments for education the budget will bring, Pelosi answered: “It’s about opportunity in education, about fairness in our healthcare, about fairness in the tax code, it’s about security.”
Pelosi said that under her watch, Congress has done more for education than any in one time in U.S. history.
Pelosi called the Republican budget proposal a “hollow shell of a budget” and that the increase in tax cuts to the wealthy makes an assault on social security benefits, medicare, and medicaid.
When asked about the how the legislative agenda will continue after the break, Pelosi said Congress have to first “reconcile” the budget.
