The two biggest cost saving schemes are the most damaging. The first is the enormous attack on Medicare. Since its inception, the corporate elite wanted this program struck down. Now they have their man for the job � ��" a Republican could never get away with such obvious treachery.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Senate version of health care would cut $404 billion from Medicare and Medicaid; the house version would cut $570 billion. The final cut could be much more. Obama made the ridiculous claim that only � ���"wasteful� �� � parts of Medicare would be cut. The truth is far different.
One way that both Congressional health care bills will gut Medicare is referred to as � ���"forced productivity gains� �� � � ��" cost saving measures essentially; trimming the fat.
What are these savings? The most mentioned device � ��" by politicians and media alike � ��" is the reduction of � ���"wasteful tests� �� � and procedures that doctors routinely perform, an idea that the health care mega-corporations love. It will save them billions, while having catastrophic effects on the health care of millions of people.
For example, the recent announcement that women will now be persuaded to cut back on screenings for breast cancer and cervical cancer have caused an uproar nationwide: people are correctly making the connection behind Congress' � ���"forced productivity gains� �� � and the new � ���"recommendations� �� � that will be used by insurance companies to justify cutting these services, both of which will boost profits. The general agreement behind rationing health care in this way will be an attack on not only Medicare, but serve as the backbone of any health care bill passed, negatively effecting everyone unable to afford luxury health care.
Another piece of Medicare that's being trimmed is Medicare Advantage, a favorite program of the elderly because of its comprehensive services. Premiums for this program are already rising drastically in anticipation of the health care bill's passage, considered by Congress to be � ���"wasteful.� �� � Without this program, Medicare will be greatly devalued and be more appropriately named: � ���"band-aides for seniors.� �� �
Finally, The Senate health care bill attacks Medicare by reducing payments to doctors by 25 percent. If doctors receive such a drastic reduction in pay, they will simply refuse to see Medicare or Medicaid patients; people will thus be insured only on paper.The newly insured Medicaid patients under any new congressional bill will be sorely disappointed.
Once Medicare is undermined in the above ways, the corporate sponsored right-wing will make a very convincing argument that � ���"Medicare doesn't work� �� �, leading to future cuts that will further destroy the program.
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