Private Sector Health Groups offer $2 Trillion

[democracy1st]

Private sector signs on for health care reform

President Obama will announce Monday that he has secured the commitment of several industry groups to do their part to rein in the growth in health care costs.

This pledge from the private sector could reduce the growth in health care spending by 1.5 percentage points a year, for a savings of $2 trillion over 10 years, a letter from the groups will promise, according to a senior administration official. Overall, it could amount to a 20% reduction in the growth of health care spending.

Six trade associations representing unions, hospitals, insurers and the drug industry have signed on to the commitment.

However, the savings depend in part on Congress passing health care reform this year.

And it was not clear how these savings would be accomplished. An official pointed to possible savings from "administrative simplification," smarter care coordination, and changing incentives so providers are rewarded for providing "better" care, as opposed to "more" care. Hospitals are now "financially penalized for providing more efficient care by current law," the official said.

The official also said savings could come from the bundling of payments, in which hospitals, doctors, insurers and other health care companies would work together to bill one fee for one treatment.

The Obama administration is positioning health care reform as critical for getting the deficit under control; for freeing up resources for other initiatives, such as education; and for reducing the burden on American families.

Under the plan to be announced Monday, in five years, the average family of four could be saving $2,500 in health care costs annually, the official said.

Given the failed health care reform efforts of the 1990s, the White House's Monday press conference aims to get ahead of potential detractors.

"It is a recognition that the fictional television couple, Harry and Louise, who became the iconic faces of those who opposed health care reform in the '90s, desperately need health care reform in 2009. And so does America," Obama is expected to say Monday, according to excerpts of prepared remarks.

One official described the participation of the private sector as a "game changer" in the discussion of health care reform. "It makes it even clearer that it's going to happen this year in Congress."

A spokesman for AARP responded to news of Monday's planned announcement by saying, "AARP believes the agreement of providers to slow the skyrocketing cost of health care is critical for the health reform we are all working toward.

"Reducing the skyrocketing cost of health care is the only way to create a health care system that works for all Americans; after all, what good is access to a system that we can't afford?" said the spokesman, AARP Director of Public Policy John Rother.

-- CNN's Kate Bolduan contributed to this report.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Private-sector-signs-on-for-cnnm-15194800.html

[lostnotforgotten]

1. Now's The Time To Step Up The Pressure For Single Payer

eom

[vaberella]

6. I disagree. Now's the time to push the public option from getting watered down.

Single payer is not going to work so let's move to the realistic. What does that mean?! The public option is on the table. Take it. We take it...and push behind what could get passed. There's nothing for single payer, at the moment. So we push for what we can get and win without getting it trampled on to oblivion. Since the PO is still on the table and put on legislation...stand by it and make sure we put pressure so that it doesn't get watered down by absolved Repubs and fucked up Dems.

You put single payer and nothing gets done and we're back at square one. We play this safe. If we get the public option and it's not watered down and it's open to make sure that everyone gets health insurance---ie the 46 million not insured---automatically crowding out will occur and offset the private sector resulting in their decline.

You stand by O's original plan. This $2 Trillion initiative is to manipulate our Senators and many stupid Dems and all the Repubs will see this as reform, stand by it and dump O's plan. We CANNOT afford that.

[lostnotforgotten]

23. Don't Agree - Single Payer Already Works - No Reason It Cannot Work In America

eom

[Triana]

2. f*ck the private sector insurace cos. THEY are THE problem. We need a public option.

period.

WITHOUT A PUBLIC OPTION IT IS NOT REFORM!

[DJ13]

4. WITHOUT A PUBLIC OPTION IT IS NOT REFORM!

Agreed.

And if they dont like it as an option then no private option, only public.

Our representatives need to learn how to play hardball.

[vaberella]

13. Totally...go after your senators and congressman and write to the WH. n/t

[vaberella]

8. +1. That's what I'm talking about. Stand by O's plan & don't let it get watered down. n/t

[sandyd921]

3. Want savings?

Eliminate the f___ing middleman!

[madfloridian]

5. The NYT article on this says admin admits no way to force insurance to keep word.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5630977

"At this point, administration officials said, they do not have a way to enforce the commitment, other than by publicizing the performance of health care providers to hold them accountable."

And sounds like they think this trusting insurance is cheaper than universal care with a public option.

"In a relatively rosy forecast, the White House said Sunday that the savings from a more efficient health care system would far exceed the costs of achieving universal health coverage, with federal subsidies for people who could not afford insurance on their own."

It's called mandatory insurance...you have to buy it. Ask MA how it is working.

[vaberella]

9. It doesn't matter.

O and Sebelius said that the 46 million people would still not function within structurally reformed health care system. Why? Most people can't afford the price even though they're working. O and Sebelius said there would be a Public Option, and the public option is modeled (in a small respect) after the Kansas version not the MA version if I'm correct. But it most definitely expands on the medicare/medicaid model. I just want the public option on the table because it will lead to universal health care----probably not single payer and I doubt that will ever happen. But most definitely universal.

[shraby]

7. Somehow this whole idea makes me think of

Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football...it will get started and then the ones with the football will grab it back after attention is diverted elsewhere.

[vaberella]

10. Exactly...it's a diversion.

I think they just want to buy off the stupid Repubs and cheap Dems who will definitely see that as the supportable change and will find a way to use that move to water down O's plan or just get rid of it. That's unacceptable.

[eleny]

11. They'll find the money by reducing services

MEH!

[vaberella]

12. Some of their plan is going to be by increasing Co-pay.

At one point my dad paid co-pay of $5. My sister is still on that plan and she now pays $30. 5 years does amazing shit. They will increase their fees everywhere. What they will do is what the banks have done.
Here's how banks fuck us:
They push paperless so when they fuck you over, it's your loss. They increase fees over everything and get people into traps of paying late fees by posting the payment days on weekends and not on week days. They make the time for making payments on cards ealier around mid afternoon so that people coming home from work who pay on the day it's due will either pay a fee to get posted or autmoatically get a late fee. Or they find other ways to screw someone's credit and get a bail out.

Health insurance will do the same:
Increase co-pay. Have a nominal increase in fees of seeing specialists or having a service. If you don't have an option but have a need for it will cost you several dollars more to get that service, ie Dental, eyes and the such. They'll probably cut back on a few of the doctors incentives and have definitely made deals with the Pharma's on this before they made the projected number.

That won't fly.

[eleny]

15. We have a deductible and it keeps going up, too.

:(

[avaistheone1]

22. Wow. They are going to save us money by charging us more money.

These folks are brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

:sarcasm:

[vaberella]

24. Basically...

This is why this $2 trillion is like hush money and we can't allow it to water down O's plan for a public option. It's just to silence us, since single payer won't be the path----> they're sidelining O's plan which actually would lead to universal coverage. And with that announcement they just got all the Repubs on their side and a few Dems.

[rpannier]

14. ...slow the skyrocketing cost of health care

Given how expensive health care is in America, slowing it is not the answer.
Reversing the cost is.

[quakerboy]

16. Exactly

Slowing the increase is no help at all for those of us who cannot afford the current screwing.

[rusty fender]

17. When I heard about this, I thought, how lame.

It's a stalling tactic. The health Ins. industry sees the writing on the wall and fears it.

[avaistheone1]

18. Cheers to today's bogus reform news.

:party:

And a toast to one of the most undemocratic processes that unfolded in the U.S. Senate in a our democratic republic.

:toast:

The Democratis have a great deal to be proud of today.






:sarcasm:

[AtomicKitten]

19. That's letting the foxes dictate policy in the hen house. No thanks. n/t

[anonymous171]

20. We should just raise the minimum wage.

It would do more to help the common American than begging the insurance companies to be nice to us.

[newportdadde]

21. Slow growth by 1.5% a year?? My premiums have gone up 500% in 9 years!

Give me a fucking break already. So this means next year it will just be 23.5% instead of 25%?

What a joke.

[AngryAmish]

25. There are only so many ways to squeeze

1. Provide less care.
2. Pay people less to work in medicine.
3. Have people treated by less expensive people (my favorite - no primary care MDs, use nurse practioners. And have a crash course in making nurse practioners. Maybe stop calling nurse practioners that name - make it something with a more impressive title to attract more folks - read men. Cap pay at around 100k. Save the MDs for specialists.)

About 1 in 7 have no medical care, right? So if we have universal coverage we need about 1/7 more medical care. Is there really that much unused medical infrastructure?