The health reform proposal, sent for a cost analysis to the Congressional Budget Office, is championed by Senate Liberals as an alternative to a public option, which they have agreed to give up, but the hospital organizations say Medicare should not be expanded because its pays too little.
The Federation of American Hospitals issued a bulletin telling members that “hospitals have already agreed to the largest voluntary provider contribution to pay for health reform — $155 billion in Medicare and Medicaid cuts…. Any Medicare Buy-In would invariably lead to crowd out of the private health insurance market, placing more people into Medicare.”
“If more people move into Medicare we’d … bear the financial brunt of this,” AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock told USA Today.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said they would like to see more details about the proposal.
Read the New York Times’ report on health reform.
