Even the NY Times know when they are being jerked around.
First of all, the article points out, the $2,500 figure includes not only the portion of premiums paid by individuals, but also the large portion paid by employers and, in the case of Medicare and Medicaid, the government.
Given that caveat, what’s the source of the $2,500 figure? It comes from this memo, put out by three Harvard professors who are unpaid advisers to the Obama campaign. They cited RAND findings that investing in health IT could $77 billion a year, and improving management of chronic disease could save another $81 billion. Cutting administrative costs in the insurance industry could save up to $46 billion, the memo said, citing the Commonwealth Fund.
The memo points out that it’s impossible to predict actual savings, and cites a wide range of possible outcomes. But the authors say their best guess is annual savings of $200 billion.
They took that figure, divided it by the population of the U.S., multiplied to get a family of four, then rounded down to $2,500 to get a round number, the article says.
Whether all those savings estimates are realistic — and what time frame it would take to realize the savings — are both subjects of debate. Earlier this year, the Congressional Budget Office said stirred things up when it said that RAND may have overstated potential savings from investing in health IT.
And what about giving everyone else the same health care coverage members of Congress have? The plan would be paid for by cutting payments to doctors and hospitals. Obama's model for the national plan is not what his colleagues in Congress have but how states have tried to expand Medicaid to create universal health coverage.
Obama's National Health Exchange would set up a public planrequire all private insurers to accept everyone regardless of illness, pre-existing condition, etc. set premiums and then " require that all the plans offered are at least as generous as the new public plan and have the same standards for quality and efficiency. And that means price controls.
Obama claims this will eliminate bankrupcty from health care expenses and reduce uncompensated care expenses.
Not so. Rationing will force patients to sell off houses and pay out of pocket for services biggovhealth says no to. Just like in Canada and England. Allowing states to extend coverage to illegal immigrants and a new provision to provide health insurance to the children of illegal immigrants via SCHIP and Medicaid will see costs skyrocket and private hospitals will be forced to make up the difference between the federal reimbursement and what they have to spend on care, just as they do now.
Finally, "Obama will require that providers that participate in the new public plan, Medicare or the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) utilize proven disease management programs. This will improve quality of care, give doctors better information and lower costs."
Is there any evidence of that? No. But we will have a government agency that will tell doctors what they can and cannot use based on one-size fits all and outdated studies of how to treat chronic illness. Such studies, because they ignore genetic, gender, racial differences will deepen health disparities. Combined with cuts in payments to doctors, care and coverage in the poorest areas will dry up.
Change. Yes we can.
