Fwd: Seniors Will Lose Big Under Obamacare

May 25, 2010 Seniors Will Lose Big Under Obamacare Passage of Obamacare will have negative consequences for practically all Americans. However, it is the nation's senior citizens who will get the short end of the stick after enactment of the President's health care agenda. In a recent paper, Heritage health policy expert Robert Moffit, Ph.D., lays out the specific provisions of Obamacare that will hurt seniors: – Less Choice. Obamacare will reduce payments to Medicare Advantage, likely decreasing benefits and causing approximately half of current participants to drop out. These seniors will have little choice but to go back to traditional Medicare, and buy a supplemental policy to cover Medicare's big gaps in coverage. – Reduced Access to Care. Writes Moffit, "With the retirement of 77 million baby boomers beginning in 2011, the Medicare program will have to absorb an unprecedented demand for medical services. For the next generation of senior citizens, finding a doctor will be more difficult and waiting times for doctor appointments are likely to be longer. The American Association of Medical Colleges projects a shortage of 124,000 doctors by 2025." Obamacare does nothing to reverse this worrisome trend, instead making it worse. – Medicare Payment Cuts. Moffit explains that "creating a real problem for seniors, the CMS Actuary estimates that roughly 15 percent of Medicare Part A providers—the part of the Medicare program that pays hospital costs—would become unprofitable within 10 years" due to reductions in hospital payment updates under the new law. – Higher Taxes. "The higher taxes on drugs (effective in 2011) and medical devices (effective in 2013) will affect seniors especially, as they are more heavily dependent on those very products." Moreover, federal premium taxes will apply to Medicare Advantage, as well as federal retirees' health plans. Moffit's research outlines how Obamacare fails to address the pressing need for systemic reform of the Medicare program while also hindering the entitlement's ability to adequately meet the needs of those it serves. To read more, click here. RECENT ENTRIES ER Overload Will Only Get Worse Small Businesses Still Left Empty-Handed Fewer Flippin' Hamburgers at White Castle Share Today's Side Effects Facebook Myspace Digg Linkdin Twitter   Facebook Twitter YouTube Kindle Flickr Support our work by becoming a member with your gift of $25 or more. The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002-4999 Call us at (202) 546-4400 Add newsletters@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us.

Fwd: Obama?s Nominee to Run Medicare: ?Please Don?t Put Your Faith in Market Forces?

Today's Headlines Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Obama's Nominee to Run Medicare: 'Please Don't Put Your Faith in Market Forces' (CNSNews.com) – Dr. Donald Berwick, nominated by President Barack Obama to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, published an article in the British Medical Journal, advising leaders of Britain's socialized health care system: "Please don't put your faith in market forces." The article, published in the July 26, 2008 issue of the BMJ, compared the U.S. health care system unfavorably to the British system, which Berwick said he was "romantic about." White House, Congressional Dems Reach Agreement to Force Vote on Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (CNSNews.com) – The White House and congressional Democratic leaders reached an agreement Monday night on a "compromise" that could force a vote within days on a bill to end the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy on homosexuality -- after the congressional elections. "Tonight, President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a back room deal that disregards the views of our troops and uses the military to advance the political agenda of a radical special interest group," Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in a statement. New York Times' Front Page Announces U.S. Expansion of 'Secret Military Acts' in Middle East (CNSNews.com) – The New York Times, giving America's friends and foes a heads-up, reports that Gen. David Petraeus signed a "secret directive" in September authorizing "a broad expansion of secret military activity" in the Middle East. Poll Finds 65 Percent of Texas Voters Still Support Off-Shore Drilling (CNSNews.com) – Nearly two-thirds of all Texans believe off-shore drilling should continue, despite the Gulf oil spill, according to a new poll. The poll places Texas voters in line with the national average of 64 percent of Americans who support offshore drilling, according to the Rasmussen Report. Dave Matthews: 'Too Bad If We Have To Pay a Little Extra Money for Gasoline' (CNSNews.com) – Grammy award-winning musician Dave Matthews told CNSNews.com that higher energy prices are what "we have to do" to protect the environment. He also said although he admires the military, he would like to see it downsized. Rocker Dave Matthews: 'I Would Pack the Bags' and Leave Afghanistan and Iraq (CNSNews.com) - Grammy award-winning musician Dave Matthews told CNSNews.com that if he could, he "would pack the bags" and remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, adding that the ongoing wars there are a "big disappointment." He also said there is enough evidence that "fighting for peace is a broken model." Despite U.S. Prodding, China Does Little More Than Call for Restraint on the Korean Peninsula (CNSNews.com) – As South Korea and the United States turn up the pressure on North Korea over the sinking of a South Korean warship, Kim Jong-il's closest ally looks unwilling to do or say anything about the incident beyond its customary calls for calm. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Beijing for bilateral strategic and economic talks, urged China Monday to "work together" with the U.S. to address the "serious challenge provoked by the sinking of the South Korean ship." CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Sen. Rockefeller Tells Neil Armstrong: America's Drive to Explore is Not All 'Glorious' (CNSNews.com) - Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-W.V.) says he is "a substantial skeptic of human spaceflight" and that not all outlets for American exploration are "glorious." Rocker Dave Matthews on Energy Policy: 'Algae is the Future' (CNSNews.com) - Grammy Award-winning rock musician Dave Matthews said Thursday that he is confident his carbon footprint is "bigger than most people's" and suggested that people who do not need to travel as much as he does with his band "can take a bike" to help save the planet. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Obama Administration Says Virginia Lacks the Standing to Challenge New Health Care Law Obama Administration Warns Health Insurance Industry on Mergers Obama White House Is First to Mark Jewish Heritage Month Deadly, Ultra-Pure Heroin Arrives in U.S. From Mexico Wyoming Judge Blocks Newspapers From Publishing Stories About College President's Trip Hillary Clinton Gets Personal in China, Discussing Daughter's Wedding in TV Interview Fired U.N. Diplomat Galbraith Running for Seat in Vermont Senate Arizona Sheriff Urges no Travel to Mexico After Ad House May Vote This Week on Proposal to Repeal Military's Ban on Homosexuals Salazar Calls Inspector-General's Findings on Federal Drilling Agency 'Deeply Disturbing' Offshore Drilling Here to Stay, but Changes Coming Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP: Government keeping records of people who show temper, mouth off at TSA employees FBI details surge in death threats against lawmakers When passengers spit at them, bus drivers take months off Warning labels urged for food that can choke Police classify vandalism at Catholic Church as hate crime Attempt to recall U.S. senator moves to N.J. high court Congress gets ready to quadruple tax on oil L.A. council panel backs 37 percent hike in ambulance fees Income from private sector shrinks State Department to increase 'nonimmigrant' visa fees Ariz. immigration law said to be making Census count tougher Number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan exceeds total in Iraq for the first time Gov. Ritter signs bills to lessen punishment, promote rehabilitation of criminals New York City police furious at 'don't-shoot-to-kill' bill Funding for Ground Zero mosque would come from Muslims in U.S and overseas Animal hoarding called a gathering crisis Oil spill linked to Congress' policy of tax breaks and financial benefits, some say COMMENTARY The War Over America's Past By Patrick J. Buchanan Liberals are enraged that a Republican-dominated Texas Board of Education is rewriting textbooks. But is the rewrite being done to falsify history, or to undo a liberal bias embedded for decades? Pass A Budget, Or Take A Pass? By Ed Feulner Every year we spend more. Every year we owe more. And there's no end in sight. In fact this year, Congress won't even bother passing a budget resolution: "It's difficult to pass budgets in election years, because they reflect what the [nation's fiscal] status is," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told FOX News last month. But isn't that exactly the point? Americans elect lawmakers to make the spending decisions for the government. We deserve to know what those decisions are before we go to the polls.