AP Touts ‘Non-Partisan’ Study Saying Obamacare Great for States

November 29, 2012 | Filed Under Associated Press, Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Entitlements, Ethics, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, Medicaid, Medicare, Nanny State, Obamacare, President, Progressives, Regulation, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Associated Press has done it again, pushing on readers a “study” by purported “nonpartisan” organizations that aren’t nonpartisan at all. This one claiming that Obamacare is a “good deal for states.”

The AP notes that this “report” by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute says that Obamacare is good for the states because it picks up the largest amount of healthcare costs through its Medicaid expansion.

Expanding Medicaid to cover about 20 million more low-income people will cost over $1 trillion nationally from 2013 to 2022, said the joint report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute. But the analysis found that states will pay just $76 billion of that, a combined share of roughly 7 percent. The feds will pay the other $952 billion.

But what of these two groups? Are they really “nonpartisan”?
Read more

Marines Over Medicaid

November 22, 2011 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Health, Liberals, Medicaid, Obamacare, President, Senate, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

To the great surprise of nobody, another blue-ribbon panel of Washington’s A-list nabobs has failed at its task: In this case, it is the so-called supercommittee charged with nudging the federal government away from the edge of the debt abyss. Investors despaired at the news, and there was talk of a second downgrade of U.S. Treasury debt.

The failure of the supercommittee is a testament to Democrats’ tax obsession. With the supercommittee having fizzled, the next step is the automatic sequestration process, which imposes 50 percent of the cuts on a program that accounts for only 20 percent of spending (national defense) while leaving the entitlements largely untouched. But the country needs the Marines more than it needs Medicaid.
Read more

Dems Plan Proves Medicare Dead by 2024

June 23, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Congress, Conservatives, Democrats/Leftists, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, House of Representatives, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Liberals, Medicaid, Peter Roskam, Regulation, Republicans, Social Security, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Congressman Peter Roskam, House GOP Deputy Majority Whip, got on record the fact that as things stand right now Medicare is dead by 2024. No ifs, ands, or buts, unless a major overhaul of the system is undertaken, Medicare is done in a little more than a decade.

Before congress two officials testified that based on our current path in 2024 there would be “actual” cuts to Medicare at 17%. They also confirmed that Medicare would end itself by 2024 unless actions are taken to save the program.

Democrats have tried to claim that it is Republican cost cutting that dooms Medicare, but this is simply untrue. Bt the very rules under which it now works, it seems that Medicare is already headed for doomsday.
Read more

Planned Parenthood’s Stranglehold on Congress

June 13, 2011 | Filed Under Abortion, Barack Obama, Budget, Congress, Kevin Roeten, Liberals, Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, Senate, Thomas Jefferson | Comments Off

-By Kevin Roeten

Young unborn tigers being killed in their mother’s womb is not accepted in our society. What about killing young unborn golden retrievers? If large enough, the baby retrievers would have to be removed piece by piece, or if almost full term, would have to be wholly removed and left to die outside of the womb somewhere.

One could kill the mother, but no more babies would be produced after that. But with humans, the mother is a “life”. It would be unacceptable to kill her. But many decide to kill the baby instead. Wasn’t it thought to be unacceptable to kill “life”?

But humans fall back on Roe v. Wade, not only to justify, but to claim as ‘legal’ the killing of unborn children. It’s difficult to answer the question—what happens to the soul if I abort? Then we comprehend that diabolical accomplice—Planned Parenthood of America (PPA).
Read more

Congress Must Work Together to Reform and Save Medicare for Future Generations

May 26, 2011 | Filed Under Adam Kinzinger, Budget, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, House of Representatives, Illinois, Liberals, Medicaid, Medicare, President, Senate, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, ILL)…

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-11), last night appeared on “America’s Nightly Scoreboard” on Fox Business to discuss the Senate Democrats’ failure to produce a budget or to work with House Republicans to save Medicare less than two weeks after the bi-partisan Medicare Trustees produced a report that said Medicare will be exhausted five years earlier than anticipated. Kinzinger also discussed job creation in Illinois.

On whether Senate Democrats plan to address entitlements

The big key is it’s been 755 days since Senate Democrats have passed a budget.

This is something we’re supposed to do every year. We have a responsibility out here, a responsibility to pass a budget.
Read more

Newt’s Tuesday Blogger Conference Call

May 17, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Conservatives, Economy/Finances, Elections, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, Medicaid, Medicare, Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan, President, Republicans, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

I just finished with a blogger conference call held by Speaker Gingrich in which he tried to further explain where he stands on Paul Ryan, the budget, and Obamacare.

Newt has have been characterized as “trashing Paul Ryan,” and Ryan himself took a swipe at him on a Chicago radio show (Ryan said something like, “with conservative like him who needs enemies?”), and of course many see his purported attack on Ryan as a violation of Reagan’s famed 11th Commandment. So Newt has a lot to answer for, for sure.

He’s badly confused the situation and some are calling for him to drop out and give it all up. Even Rush Limbaugh is claiming that Newt knows he can’t win the nomination and this whole thing is just an effort at positioning himself for other things in the future. (Rush says Newt might just be angling for a position at the Aspen Institute)
Read more

Kinzinger, House Freshmen Call on President Obama to End “MediSCARE” Tactics

May 12, 2011 | Filed Under Adam Kinzinger, Budget, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Ethics, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, House of Representatives, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Liberals, Medicaid, Medicare, Policy, President, Republicans, Social Security, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill. 11)…

Yesterday, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-11) along with his freshman colleagues, reiterated their call on the President at a press conference to keep his commitment made at the 2010 Republican Retreat in Baltimore to have a fact-based conversation immediately over reforming spending on entitlement programs and addressing the debt crisis now before it is insurmountable. (See .pdf of letter)

Last year, President Obama asked, “At what point can we have a serious conversation about Medicare and its long-term liability…or a serious conversation about budget and debt in which we’re not simply trying to position ourselves politically?’ The President went on to say we cannot start these discussions by asking “who’s to blame,” who is “trying to hurt our senior citizens” or “how can we make the American people afraid of the other side.” The President said this is what he’s “committed to doing.”
Read more

Obama Doubles Down on Socialist Appointee

March 11, 2011 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, Liberals, Medicaid, Medicare, President, RightPundits.com, Senate, Socialism, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Democratic leadership has been reported to have “cooled” on support of Dr. Donald Berwick, Obama’s appointee to run Medicare and Medicaid. The Senate has decided not to take up Berwick’s appointment because of Berwick’s controversial, socialist ideology. But Barack Obama has doubled down on his support of the Euro-loving Doc and given Berwick another recess appointment despite his far left, out of touch policy ideas.

Berwick is now well known for saying that the U.S. “must redistribute the wealth” in its administration of government healthcare systems. His sentiment is far, far outside the mainstream of American opinion. Statements such as this have caused even Democrats in the Senate to shy from his appointment. But not Obama…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.
Read more

FDA: Dec. 17, Countdown to a Death Panel for Breast Cancer Drug Avastin

December 15, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, FDA, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, Liberals, Medicaid, Medicare, President, Regulation, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

In a few days the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to release its final decision on whether or not 17,000 women across the country will have the same access to the breast cancer drug Avastin that they now have. Several congressmen, thousands of doctors and patients, and many small government activists stand against this perceived example of Obamacare-like rationing.

As I reported last week, with this Avastin situation five Congressmen have become alerted to the threat that government is instituting cost-based rationing of healthcare and have become alarmed at the effects that will have on the sick. It seems that this FDA decision will set the table for the rationing war to come under Obamacare unless that legislation is repealed or inhibited.

Avastin is, admittedly, an expensive drug. But are we ready for government to decide if your lifesaving medicines are “too expensive” to be allowed for use? Is that the cost-based road down which we wish to travel? And how far down that road do we go? How much cost-cutting do we want government to indulge where it concerns our health? And should government even have that role in the first place?

These are questions that the Avastin decision evokes.
Read more

Obama Claims Power to Decide if Your Medicine is Too Expensive to be Allowed

December 10, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Elections, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, Liberals, Medicaid, Medicare, Nanny State, President, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

It’s very easy for Obamacare supporters to scoff at the whole idea that there are “death panels” ensconced in Obama’s health care power grab. But the fact of the matter is that they exist in a defacto form. One of those defacto death panels is the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), an agency invented under Obamacare that has no congressional oversight and will be able to summarily cancel your drug prescriptions as paid for by Medicare.

The IPAB is not well known by Americans, but it is a 15-member board appointed by the president and while members are confirmed by the Senate, the board is not otherwise answerable to anyone but the president. As to its duties, this board was given the responsibility to put a spending cap on Medicare. One way that the IPAB intends to do that is to decide what drugs are cost effective enough for government to pay for.

In other words, the IPAB will decide whether or not Medicare patients will be allowed to have a drug and its decision to eliminate the drug will be based solely on cost, not effectiveness or medical necessity. These decisions will also not be made with your doctor. It will be a top down, bureaucratic decision, not a decision based on medical science.
Read more

Obama’s Socialist-Admiring Medicaid/Medicare Chief Gets Hearing

November 18, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Communism, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, Liberals, Medicaid, Medicare, Socialism, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Donald Berwick, Obama’s nominee to head up the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, made himself infamous earlier this year when video came to light showing him telling a British audience how much he admired their socialist healthcare system because it “redistributes” the Brit’s wealth.

Berwick went all warm and fuzzy over the socialist features of the British National Health Service saying,“Any health care funding plan that is just, equitable, civilized, and humane must, must redistribute wealth from the richer among us to the poorer and the less fortunate. Excellent health care is by definition redistributional.” The Heartland Institute had an extensive report on Berwick’s British address back when the video first surfaced.

Recently Senator Jim Bunning (R, KY) challenged Berwick, who accepted a recess appointment after his initial nomination never came to a vote in the Senate. Republicans are concerned that a man so taken by socialist policies would be in a position to attempt to implement similar left-wing policies here.

Berwick was brought before the Senate on Wednesday and The Heartland Institute covered the hearing in a live blog. It makes for interesting reading.
Read more

The Truth about Social Security and the Federal Budget

November 14, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Capitalism, Dan Scott, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, Liberals, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Taxes | Comments Off

-By Dan Scott

The coming federal budget debacle is one shrouded by lies wrapped in euphemisms, obfuscated by spin. Just as an example of the less than truthful statements coming from the Federal Government in it’s denial of the impending disaster to befall the nation I need only to point to the excerpt from the Trustee’s Report on Social Security.

The outlook for Medicare has improved substantially because of program changes made in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the “Affordable Care Act” or ACA). Despite lower near-term revenues resulting from the economic recession, the Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund is now expected to remain solvent until 2029, 12 years longer than was projected last year, and the 75-year HI financial shortfall has been reduced to 0.66 percent of taxable payroll from 3.88 percent in last year’s report. Nearly all of this improvement in HI finances is due to the ACA. The ACA is also expected to substantially reduce costs for the Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) program; projected program costs as a share of GDP over the next 75 years are down 23 percent relative to the costs projected for the 2009 report.
Read more