Section 4:
"See Michael Steele kiss up to seniors. Now you try to appease up to seniors.
While the Republicans did not vote for Medicare and have tried to eliminate the program several times in the past, the new bill preserves the current fee-for-all provider payment structure, utilization and cost variation around the country, and inherent cost enhancement trends for frequently voting seniors. It also continues the 14% average extra payments to insurance companies under Medicare Advantage, so that their executives and shareholders can afford to maintain their own health care coverage. There is no guarantee, however, that future seniors will have a Medicare trust fund. Anyway, their health savings accounts, invested in quality mutual funds and stocks, should be able to cover whatever medical care they will need in their golden years.
Section 5:
"See John Boehner scratch the surface on malpractice reform. Now you can scratch the surface on malpractice reform!
The bill would reduce malpractice insurance costs and frivolous malpractice suits by limiting awards to 250,000 frequent flyer miles on Alaska Airlines, usable between the months of October and April. It would also limit the number of billboards featuring ads for attorneys to 1 per mile along federal highways.
The Congressional Budget Office issued a preliminary scoring of the bill during lunch on November 4th on the back of a napkin in the House cafeteria. The CBO analysis indicated that the bill would go a long way towards reducing the uninsured by 1% point (3 million people) over the next ten years. Unfortunately, due to population growth, the actual number of uninsured would increase to 52 million (including 35 million "real Americans ). Meanwhile, the bill reduce the federal deficit by a whopping $68 billion over ten years, or about $7 billion a year, or half of what those big-spending Democrats would save. By comparison, the federal government and states now spend about a trillion dollars per year on Medicare and Medicaid. So saving $7 billion a year is quite a feat " 7/10ths of 1%! Not coincidentally, the Senate Republicans will soon be coming out with their companion bill, entitled the "Goodnight, Medicare Act of 2009, or Whenever.
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