Concord Coalition: H.R. 3962 Costlier Than CBO Says

[Roland99]

Concord Coalition: H.R. 3962 Costlier Than CBO Says
http://www.lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com/News/2009/11/Pages/Concord-Coalition-HR-3962-Costlier-Than-CBO-Says.aspx

If Congress continues to let Medicare provider reimbursement increases soar, the House health bill could increase the federal budget deficit by $141 billion over 10 years.

...

Successfully putting a brake on Medicare reimbursement rates “is unlikely to happen, particularly in the absence of a Medicare Commission (such as that contained in the Senate Finance bill) to monitor costs and recommend new savings with an up-or-down vote in Congress,” Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert Bixby warns in a comment on H.R. 3962.

...

The CBO did not make any projection of what H.R. 3962 might do to public or private national health care expenditures, and “it’s unclear if the bill would have a major impact on lowering private costs,” Bixby writes.

Predicting how measures such as requiring patients to choose “medical homes” or changing provider reimbursement systems would affect health care expenditures “would, in fact, be very difficult to do,” Bixby writes. “Thus, the long-term effect of these policies is highly uncertain, at best. This is the risk of expanding coverage before testing cost containment strategies.”

Yeah...a real winner we got us there.

[Zynx]

1. So...an extra $14.1 billion a year. Not a big deal.

Also, I trust CBO over the Concord Coalition. There is a great deal more technical expertise at CBO.

[Roland99]

2. $14.1 Billion + $141 Billion = $155.1 Billion. Skip that first paragraph?

And I've been following the Concord Coalition for nearly 5 years now. They know exactly what they're talking about.

Check out the Fiscal Wake Up Tour.

[Zynx]

3. Ummm...No.

$141 billion/10 years = $14.1 billion a year in additional cost. I read that more carefully than you did.

I'm not disputing that the Concord Coalition has some expertise, but CBO dwarfs it.

[Roland99]

4. Egads...yeah. That's egg on my face alright.

Guess I should put my contacts in.

[Zynx]

5. It's okay. Most federal budget numbers are presented as ten year figures, but most deficit

numbers are presented on an annual basis. For example, people say "We're running a $1.7 trillion deficit this year and Obama wants to pass a $1.2 trillion healthcare bill. That'll double (roughly) the deficit." Well, no. That's not how that works.