Dalton Daily Citizen
June 13, 2009 08:55 pm
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Senior citizens and others who voted for President Barack Obama may be in for a very big surprise.
Obama said on Saturday that he wants to reduce federal payments to Medicare and Medicaid by $313 billion over the next 10 years. He says that “efficiencies” and wider insurance coverage (including a federally funded plan) will make up the difference for patients dependent on the two long-established health programs.
That Obama is willing to even discuss cuts to Medicare and Medicaid is interesting. A similar concept floated by the GOP would surely result in widespread condemnation in the media. We suspect Obama’s proposals will be met by a more accepting audience.
Of course what Obama really wants to put in place is a structure that will eventually replace private insurance, or make it so prohibitive that millions of working class Americans are forced into the publicly funded system.
That’s the health care “competition” the administration and its allies look forward to.
Meanwhile, U.S. health care providers and pharmaceutical companies are growing increasingly nervous about their futures.
They should be nervous.
So should we.
The Daily Citizen
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