Bush Puts Higher Medicare Costs on More Seniors Moving to HMOs, PPOs
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAKMGFW6QD.html By Mark Sherman Associated Press Writer
Published: Feb 2, 2004
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration figures that more than 12 million seniors will be enrolled in managed care plans under Medicare within five years, a threefold increase that is driving higher cost estimates for the new Medicare law(1/3rd higher cost). <snip>
CBO projects that about 15 percent of Medicare participants will sign up for managed care plans. The administration said in the proposed budget released Monday that more than 30 percent of seniors will be in managed care by 2009. <snip>
"The bottom line is that, despite Republican rhetoric, the government actually pays more for each Medicare beneficiary who enrolls in an HMO or other private plan," Stark said.
COMMENT: OK - Will broadcast media note the lie by the GOP that is now a confessed lie -given the reason for the new budget's increase in estimated cost of the Medicare Drug benefit?
GOP prevents single payer health, saying "market forces" will keep costs down - and then assumes they are successful in getting more Seniors to sign up for "market forces" HMO/PPO plans - then says these plans will cost more than the Government run version of Medicare drug benefit - so by pushing folks into the "market forces" plan, we get higher costs.
We need market forces to keep costs down, and by the way, they will cost more if they are used to provide the drug benefit than the drug benefit would cost when it is run by the government!
AT WHAT POINT DOES THE MEDIA GET THE SPINE TO SAY THAT THE GOP ARE LIARS - indeed the media by not saying anything are in effect liars themselves.