Tuesday, October 27, 2009

How to Cover the Cost of Health Care Reform


1) Previous approved budget set asides of $635 Billion over 10 years from the Health Care Reserve Fund. Over $300 Billion will come from raising revenue by limiting tax deductions the wealthiest Americans can take.

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2) Medicare Program Spending cuts [projected to save ~$25 Billion over 10 years]

· End over payments to Medicare Advantage

o Offer competitive bidding into the Medicare Advantage Program. A program under which private insurance companies can offer Medicare Coverage. [projected savings of ~$180 Billion over 10 yrs]

· Use Medicare reimbursements to reduce preventable hospital readmissions. (approximately 20% of Medicare patients discharged from hospitals are readmitted within a month, often because their not getting the comprehensive care they need. This puts people at risk and drives up cost.

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3) Introduce generic biologic drugs into the market place, thereby getting better deals on prescription drugs for poorer seniors, while better off seniors pay a little more for drugs they want. [projected saving of ~$30 Billion]

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4) Adjust Medicare payments to reflect new advances and productivity gains in the economy [projected savings of ~ $110 Billion]

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5) Reducing Medicare payments to hospitals for treating uninsured people by providing a system where people have coverage. [projected savings of ~ $105 Billion]

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6) More efficient purchasing of prescription drugs. [projected savings of ~$75 Billion]

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7) Weed out waste, abuse, and fraud of the health care system.

[projected savings ~$1 Billion]

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{Cost Savings on the Table ~$850 Billion}

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Left of Center

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