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[...] Obama proposes more cost savings in health care, but details are thin « – Blogs from CNN.com. Posted by Man In The Middle on Jun 13th, 2009 and filed under Big Business/Wall Street, Credit & Debt, Economy, Family Finances, Get Healthy, Health, Health Alerts, Insurance, Latest News, Medicare, Money, News, Politics, The States. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response by filling following comment form or trackback to this entry from your site [...]

How is he planning to get more Americans insured thats what I want to know. Premiums just went up 20% for our emloyee's which we pay for. We had to take a bigger deductible so we can still pay for our employee's health insurance. Obama doesn't have a clue what he is talking about.

The "details" will be VERY expensive. Just like all of Obama's other ideas. Taxpayers, prepare to get screwed, agian...

Neither President Obama nor any member of Congress has suggested "free" health care, single payer health care or rationing of care – all misconceptions being bandied about by the Republican party and the insurance/pharmaceutical lobbies. The President has proposed reducing costs by increasing efficiency and offering a public health option (in addition to the private options you now have) that will force private insurers to be more competitive in their pricing. 47 million Americans are uninsured and millions more are under-insured. 50% of all bankruptcies in America are caused by medical bills. People over 50, people with pre-existing conditions, and self employed people often can not find any insurer who will cover them at any cost. We MUST do better.

To all those 'Nay' sayers on this blog. Try going bankrupt or getting a second or third mortgage then after using all your savings for a new liver start gripeing about the cost of health care. The people who don't like any plan are usually healthy individuals. Well morons just you wait till you get sick and have to pay through the nose.

If you are old and need a heart transplant or a serious surgery too bad! Obama is a poor leader just a good talker.I know a lot of people that voted for him just because he promised free health INS. if you need a flu shot that might take 3 weeks lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obama thin on details, who would have ever thought??

the republicans and alarmists in this conversation wish to see more of the same - more expenditures for war and killing, and less for domestic uses like caring for our own people.

this country has the largest military budget in the world. let's try allocating government funds for more practical uses than immature superiority chants across foreign soil.

GI Joe – have you ever seen a photo of Obama's manse in Chicago ? The point man for the new proletariate is a Marxist Leninist. Egalistarianism for thee, but not for me.

There are no savings unless we restrict care.

It is a simple as that. Further, if everyone stops smoking and stays at a good wieght thus living longer, medical costs will go up (as will Social Security costs as well).

Think about it-the longer one lives the more medical care we consume. We all will get sick and die and it is the last phase where we all consume a lot of medical care because we are seldom sure that is the last illness.

Obama is not thinking very clearly. He is intelligent, thus, I think he simply wants government control. He thinks his way is better. Do you think the government offices will be efficient, fair, and timely?

No part of Socialized medicine do we nee. Is the president and all of congress out of theie minds?

Ron , you are off your rocker.!!!!

No estimate of cost or savings by any federal government agency or individual has been accurate. The savings have never materialized, or the spending has been many multiples more than estimated.

I refuse to risk the quality of health care we have to this inexperienced, socialistic president's ideals for pushing everyone to the government trough....................GIVE IT UP.

katiec – you play a wonderful good cop / bad cop game. CNN has its nose so deep in Obama's ass it is a crime. I am guessing you will escape the education camps Barry is funding through Americorp.

I say give Barry a free reign to do whatever he wishes. He is such a wise and brilliant individual. His idols in Venezuela and Cuba have taught him well. We will be just fine. Trust me.

How dare this man even speak the same two words, Medicare and Medicaid, in the same breath! Doesn't he know that one is for people who worked for a living and earned this health care benefit while the other is for people who did not, do not, and will not work to help themselves! Yes, cut the freeloaders out, but do not cut any benefit for those who have earned it by paying their taxes all these years.

Of course he is ....The dude is an empty suit and the soon the idiots , I mean democrats realize it the better off this country will be.......Obama is already the biggest failure ever to live in the White House. ANd would take Bush over that idiot any day of the week. At least Bush stood for something and didnt change his views based on weekly opinion polls......

Obama is ALWAYS THIN ON DETAILS...He was thin on details throughout the election (you were a racist if you asked him for any details)...He's been thin on details about ALL THOSE CZARS HE"S APPOINTED AND WHY HE NEEDS THEM...He is thin on details about Gitmo (He's just doing whatever he wants and telling the US people to suck it up)...He was thin on details for the Spendfest but we had to do it quickly or the sky would fall.

HIS ENTIRE PRESIDENCY WILL BE SUMMED UP WITH "THIN ON DETAILS" but that's usually how it works when a despot is attempting to change a Republic into HIS DICTATORSHIP!

What is the magic formula to provide more health care for all and still reduce the over all cost without quality SUFFERING? Where numbers and mathematics should balance, it seems highly improbable!! Is it to take from some and give to others without additional cost?? I see a lot of 'IFs' in these proposals.

In the Sermon on the MT, it is said a few loaves and fish were split among thousands. Is there to be providential intervention in these proceedings concerning health care???

When's the last time you were wowed by a government run program? This will stifle innovation in the health care industry. I'd love some more details on how this is going to be affordable long-term. Like most of Obama's plans, full on fancy words but empty of any real substance.

you left out the part about 600 billon more in taxes, ummmm
that aint thin is it

There is too much money being spent by the Health Industry in Congress for us to expect too much. These companies are running scared because they know if public medical care becomes available they are in deep trouble.

It's time for the leeches to find other blood to suck.

and I am going to buy my first million dollar home. Details are sketchy on how I am going to do this. This presidency is being marred by statements without action.

I'm a Democrat but this man is only proving each day why he should not have been elected. Now to a Government jet for party with his family. Ridiculous. We're still ungoing people like George Bush. Don't let this man take down America.

How about some hate-mongering from Insurance people? They have the biggest, best buildings in any town or city and run the most ads n TV. Paid for with Profits from YOUR Premums.

Anything from you all?

So in the short time the democrats in congress have been working on this health plan it should be laid out down to each period and semi-colon already. Come on republicans...... After all it took bush and his republican crooks in congress to ruin everything in this country, it is going to take TIME to fix them.

And with the daily whining and moaning and obstructing of the republicans it is hard to try to work the MIRACLES the republicans of all people expect.

Maybe we should call the republicans The Kiddies Party instead of the Party of NONSENSE.

A simple immediate way to create health care cost savings would be to rewrite the Medicare Prescription Drug Program to allow the government to huge its huge buying power to negotiate lower prices for pharmaceuticals for senior citizens. That would save Tens of Billions of dollars. The Repiglicans specifically wrote a provision into the original bill to prevent the government from doing so therefore preserving the huge transfer of wealth from the backs of the middle class to the Repiglicans' corporate masters in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

If saving money through buying in bulk is good enough for Wal-Mart, it's good enough for the Federal Government.

Come on people – let's hear the ranting and raving from the wealthy that have health insurance – or those that are so dead-set against this country having health care.

He's going to destroy healthcare like he's destroyed everything else that he's attempted to fix so far.

I am very nervous about these nebulous healthcare proposals. To begin with, stop telling me about costs incurred now, but savings coming over the next ten years. I'm also seeing the perception that providers administer healthcare based on volume rather than outcome. The legal climate dictates that the outcome had better be good, or we get sued. Why do we want more patients to be treated under the existing formula, which is less pay than our cost of operation? We want to see fewer patients, not more. There are no appointments available for new Medicare or Medicaid patients as is. How can we cram more patients into an already overcrowded day and have better outcomes? Who will pay for and own all the high tech equipment that is considered necessary for good treatment if the providers have the revenue cuts that Obama refers to? A sonogram machine currently costs us about $60,000.00. Reimbursement is negligible. Will the government pay for that, or do the patients do without? Reduce ER care? If you can't get into a clinic, the emergency room is your only choice. Who will pay for all this is a mystery to me, but this looks like excessively high taxes for everybody, not just the rich, and less access to medical care seem the most likely outcome.

Thin on everything. Fat on verbosity.

Give him some time to make the details up.

'thin on details' because if people find out the details they will rebel.
87% of citizens have some form of healthcare. we are talking about changing the entire system to accomodate 13%.

this will result in the 87% paying taxes on their benefits. (reason fro thin details).

next will come rationing as we try to accomodate more people with the same number of doctors and hospitals.

obama's plan, put the entire country on MEDICAID.

if you like gov't programs this is for you.

CNN, has now, and always will have a pro-republican slant to all of it's reporting. After all, where would the country be if CNN, didn't try to influence all it perveys.

What the President is proposing sound very clear to me. Now is the time to act.

This can't be! Obama has had a "plan" to save the world for the past 4 years. Someone has something wrong here.

Old people will not be provided health care under Obama's plan.

What's new? He is thin on specifics for everything. He always speaks in general terms...

If we are going to "fix what's broken" and "build upon what works" then we need to fix existing government-run healthcare (Medicare) before adding any new programs. Medicare currently pays providers, doctors and hospitals, only about 75% of what it actually costs to deliver their services. That's why healthcare costs are so high. The rest of us are indirectly subsidizing government-run healthcare every day to keep the whole system from collapsing. The notion that the government is going to "fix" our healthcare system with more government-run insurance is absurd and will only bankrupt the country.

Way to go prez! Sounds like a smart move. I am sure enough bloat and waste in government can be found to more than pay for national health care without big taxation. The republicans are still going to block it no matter what. You may have to use reconciliation if the lame ass senate is unwilling to do it's job!

Isn't it funny how Bush could spend and spend and spend on the war in Iraq and no one ever said "Enough" to him? He was just an expert at manipulating the American psyche and faking concern for our troops and our safety to get the billions into the pockets of his contractor buddies.
Now we have President who cares about OUR health and safety, and all we will hear from the right is that we can't afford it because we might have to-gasp!-pay for it through tax increases! Yes indeed, we might be asked to support a program for the good of America, all of America, with tax dollars and some sacrifice. I'd much rather support that than Bush's mindless wars, paid for with promises and Chinese loans that really have mortgaged our childrens' future earnings.

The Rush Limbaugh Party has a solution dont exercise to risk injury stay home, be lazy, get fat like him and take pain pills that way you wont take up doctors time fixing your broken bone from running or biking.

Just like his lies about creating or saving 150,000 jobs, no actual way of proving or disproving it, but he gets a way with it.

Someone actually had the "audacity" to ask Biden the other day how that figure comes about and he said it was "above his paygrade", good job compliant sheep, this idiot is next in line to the presidency?

He doesn't even know the difference between a auto tunnel from a train tunnel.

Why can't anyone ask Obama questions about the lies, errr, figures, that he puts out over and over, is it against protocol to question this man who Newsweek refers to as "god"?

Obviously the media selected him, elected him and now they have successfully protected him

Instead of buying off nations with hundreds of billions of our tax dollars to take in a handful of terrorists or, giving money away to African despots, maybe we ought to apply that money toward funding Obama's healthcare plans.

It will help if they ban against the government negotiating prescription drugs was lifted. Right now they cannot negotiate the amount Medicaid or Medicare pays for drugs.

The status quo of course makes the rich and greedy pharmaceutical companies happy, but it does nothing to help Americans who are dependent on prescription medications to get them through their day.

At least someone is now trying to formulate a plan to help Americans instead of just enjoying their personal "for life" benefits paid for by taxpayers.

How does the president propose to controldecrease health care costs while covering 46 million previously uninsured patients as well as all the patients who are covered now.at what everyone agrees is exhorbitant expense. One word: RATIONING. When ever you see the words "efficiency" or *cost cutting" or any other industry or government buzz words think RATIONING of services and facilities. Think waiting months for treatment that is needed now, Furthermore, allowing private health insurance companies to dominate the health care payment system, the Republican option, is counterproductive, Private insurers' first priority is profitability. Their second priority is executive compensation. Their last priority is the actual health care of their customers.

Obama is pretty thin on a lot of issues but do you really want him cutting back on medicare treatment for the elderly? And covering any and all illegals under his heath plan?

Pass the Fair Tax Bill HR25 and you'll have more than enough money to fund your socialist programs.

"If the drug makers pay their fair share..." give me a break, you socialist

Would you buy a house without caring what it cost or how you would pay for it? Oh wait, that is what caused the economy to crater. Furthermore, should we rush this through Congress before the public understands the long term effect.... oh wait, that is what gave us TARP and the "stimulus" debacles. We can improve on what is the greatest healthcare system in the world without turning it into another bloated entitlement program.

You can't give people more access and lower costs. It's impossible. If you give people more access then you either have to take care away from people who currently have coverage or you have to increase cost. We need to stop lying to the voters.

We also need to STOP PROMISING FREE STUFF TO PEOPLE!!!!

EVERYONE in this country should WORK.
EVERYONE in this country should pay for their own care. People do NOT need cable TV, they do NOT need the latest cell phone, they do NOT need expensive clothes or cars. They NEED to pay for their own healthcare.

I work 60 hours per week. If anyone is working 60 hours per week and living modestly and still cannot afford healthcare then I would GLADLY allow the government to help them. But I'm sick of lazy people smoking and drinking and not working thinking that when they get sick or get cancer taxpayers should pay for it. We do NOT want to SOCIALIZE medicine (or banks or car companies for that matter!)!!!

Mr. Obama is nothing but smoke and mirrors. Shame on him and shame on you Obamots who worship at his feet.

When the government gets involved in our health care, they will drive out private insurance because no one can compete with the governments deep pockets. Once the private insurance companies have broken up, we will be under obama care which is what the Europeans are getting away from because it is to expensive and people cannot get life saving health care once they are over a certain age and many die in pain because the government will not allow the money to be spent on older people. Why do you think European and people from Canada come to the US for their health care. obamas plan is to have everyone on his health plan that way he and his can control everything from cars to banks to your own health.

Let Obama have whatever he wants. Don't ask questions, don't resist. Listen to his words but ignore his actions. No one in Washington had commonsense before he arrived. He's the first in 230+ years.

In all of the talk about pay as you go for healthcare, I do not recall hearing
anything about members of congress paying also. I believe that when they need treatment, they are taken to Walter Reed hospital, a military
establishment. Do they get billed ? Most of these members are worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars. Surely they can cough up (no pun intended) just like the little guy. These politicians make a career
out of office for the perks. Its time they considered laws and included themselves in the mix.

On the health care question.
What I don't understand is that AllState Insurance Company decided to open up it's own body shop chain called Sterling Auto Body. So, if the insurance industry can get into related businesses, thereby forcing the independent shops out of business, why can't the hospitals get into the insurance business and receive premium payments directly?
I have a hospital close by that is Riddle Memorial Hospital. Why can't they join up with other specialized institutions, such as Wills Eye Hospital, and smaller independent specialty practices, and become part of the "Riddle Group". That way when you make premium payments directly, anything that goes wrong with you, the hospital takes care of it.
As I understand it, with our existing system, insurance "agencies" that write the policies take 30% of the premiums off of the top. Then the remaining 70% has to cover the insurance companies expenses, buildings, corporate jets, and large profits, before even one dime goes toward healing the sick.
So.... my vote is for a new thing called "Hospitalized Insurance Groups" If people want to keep their existing insurance, fine, but if they want to buy a hospitalized plan, then they can shop that too. I have a good idea, why doesn't this country develop a free enterprise system??? Your thoughts are appreciated. Barack are you listening?

If it is anything like everything else he has done it won't be "thin on details" by the time it is law and dramatically improving our lives.

"On Monday, he will address the American Medical Association — a group that has long been skeptical of his health care agenda."

Skeptical huh that is where he does his best work.

Details are thin? No, I refuse to believe that. 313 billion in savings over ten years! Well if he keeps on his pace of 3.94T dollars a year for his budgets, that will leave us slightly in the hole. But I am almost positive that universal health care will pay for itself. Just raise taxes on those who have private insurance so we can pay for it. Or maybe he can raise the federal tax. I don't understand why people who never ran a business in their life feel like they can. He should do what he does best, organize a block party or festival in a park. At least with that he has some experience.

Aren't all this guys details thin.... Socialize medicine, check...

That is how socialism work. The government tells you what they want done and force free enterprise to follow the directions or else.

Now Obama will tell you whether you can have treatment. Where are the objective reporters who would ask him the tough questions?

I came from government controlled health care and IT DOES NOT WORK. The government needs to provide sensible regulations of the insurance companies to make sure that patients are treated fairly based on their medical needs not for the government to be a giant insurance company that controls people's health and quality of life.

It is the President's job to provide vision and direction, and it is Congress' job to write the legislation and work out the details.

Our President understands this. He is doing HIS job. Now it is up to Congress to do THEIR job.

More of Obama's smoke and mirrors. This guy will do anything and say anything to convince people his socialised medicine scheme will actually work and won't further bankrupt the country. Medicare and Medicaid. all by themselves, programs that cover only a small percentage of the population, already cost the country many billions of dollars–and Obama wants to, in effect, make these programs ten times bigger.

We can't afford that.

Just think of what's happened in recent history: Obama made a big deal of having cut a billion dollars from a budget. Sounds great, until you do the math–which Obama thinks you're too dumb to do–and realise that he was making a big deal about a savings of one-tenth of one percent of the total. When Obama talks about "cutting costs," he'll count it as keeping his promise if he can save ten cents out of every hundred dollars–a tenth of a percent.

Basically, Obama is lying.

Does his pure lack of details on anything surprise anybody?

A disaster in the making. This guy wants a single-payer gov't system that will unravel the best health care system on the planet. Prediction: We will now get the 17th czar – the Care Czar. But eyes will just glaze over as all the "O" devotees swoon before their messiah on this train wreck.

Typical CNN.
For once give our president a break. Did you expect him to discuss every cost saving method?
If you think that is needed than you need to also post the republicans "cost savings", if there are any.

How do they stack up versus "W's" plan? Oh, that's right, he didn't have a plan – per usual! That would have interfered with "the making wealthier of my friends companies," right?!

President Obama is doing an excellent job. Brilliant man, brilliant statesman.

I hope he can do it. We need a better health care system that isn't so vested in profit.

Sounds like health care rationing to me

There are many ways health care costs can be drastically reduced:
Eliminate the no bid dictate the republicans put into the prescription plan.
Remove insurance companies from making medical decisions, give them serious competition with their charges for policies.
Revamp drug companies drug prices to U.S. They are now spending more money on advertising than on research which they have always maintained they needed to charge us more to maintain their research. They are raping us.
The hospitals seem to have unlimited spending. If one builds a two deck parking lot, another builds a three deck. Thier quests for monoply, duplication of equipment are costing us dearly.
There is an overabundance of tests, physicals and prescriptions.
Medical procedures are scheduled to be beyond 30 days, as you have to have every procedure redone after 30 days.
There is so much waste, unfair policies, overabundance of charges by all and we are the victims.

Take a look a who else blogs on this issue. Pretty much every negative blog will come from someone in either the health insurance or pharmaceutical industries. The way that they have been gauging the American people is horrific! They have the largest stake to lose here – over-the-top profit mongering.

The American people deserve Better! We don't deserve to have the insurance company make decisions of what medical procedures that they will pay for! 2/3 of the bankruptcies in this country are due to medical insurers NOT TAKING CARE ON AMERICANS!

The American people DESERVE AN OPTION! It is the medical insurers that are socialist and UN-AMERICAN in denying good people what they deserve!

What Obama needs to explain to the country is that while costs for regular Americans (private citizens) will go down (reduced insurance costs) the cost to government will likely go up (even after savings coming from efficiency). When added together the costs to society should go down a great deal, but let's face it, taxes will have to go up.

No country in the world (other than America) lives under the illusion that you can have government funded health care and insurance without higher taxes. One must remember however, the added tax burdern of a government plan is NOT going to be as high as the current private, profit-based insurance, so it should be done.

Of course they are THIN, they don't have a CLUE about what they are doing.

After all, "they are just words".

Since Obama is going to use McCain's plan for healthcare, could someone please tell me why my middle income family making under $100,000 a year is going to pay $1,800 in taxes for healthcare? What happened to "nobody making under $250,000 will see a tax increase"?

How about we slow down – let's get out of this recession and begin to add jobs and revenues before spending more money – what's the hurry – let's work through ideas and ensure choice and private solutions are options. If Government can't fix issues like, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Education – why do we really think it can fix healthcare?

Obama's details have always been thin or misleading. So why is this issue any different? When will the majority of Americans figure it out?

He is thin on details, because he does not know what he is talking about. Raising prices for healthcare for youngsters and lowering prices for the aged, is not the way to reform healthcare.In a capitalist economy one cannot have government controlled nationalized health care.

THink about this a little bit more "Mr.PRESIDENT".

HaHa what to do think "additional resources" means?? More and higher taxes. Did you really think he was telling the truth when he said he was only going to raise taxes on the "rich". America has fell for this guy and it is really going to cost us.

There is no such thing as FREE medical care. Can't you see that!!!!!

He has already spent more than any other Pres in history and now he going to add another TRILLION or so with this fantasy.

$2 Trillion dollar deficit this year (including a $700Billion so-call stimulus plan that was not stimulus but rather pork). $1.5 Trillion deficit next year, $1 Trillion the following, $800 Billion the following for a grand total of $5.3 Trillion in new deficits over 4 years. Worst than Bush (including the wars) worse than any president in history.....

Now he wants to add a $1 Trillion health plan? He wants the debt to increase by $6.3 Trillion over 4 years? That's not even including the future costs of GM, the guaranteed contracts of AIG, The medicare and social security shortfall!!!!

President Obama will go down in history as being the most fiscally irresponsible president ever. Recession is part of the normal business cycle, If you look back we've had a recession every 6 to 9 years. You cannot borrow your way out of a recession. Especially one that was partially based on too much borrowing.

We need change! We need a 3rd party that cares about fiscal responsibility. We need Obama, Pelosi and Reed out of office and more independent, fiscally responsible leaders in office. STOP THIS CRAZINESS!!!!

We need better healthcare in this Country.... People who are do not have any medical insurance and they are truely sick, and cannot go to the doctors, somehow could eventually die... which is not right.... Someone out there should never condemn what President Obama is doing, we have some smart Lawmakers and they should however give their ideas, and if it is good ideas then maybe it could be a win win situation....

Thanks and have a nice day....

Big cost savings would be to reduce the doctor's visits for specialists. The unpatriotic AMA and the doctors won't go along because they can hide their exhorbitant fees now in the paperwork.

$350 for hi , how are you feeling, let me schedule a few more tests and I'll see you again in 2 weeks