We-Have-To-Pass-It-To-Find-Out-What’s-In-It Fact of the Day
The White House has apparently decided that it won’t enforce the unpopular parts of its health-care plan until after the 2012 election. The latest evidence is its decision not to slash Medicare Advantage …. Last Friday, Health and Human Services released its annual “call letter,” which introduces the formula that will set Medicare rates for 2012. Out of nowhere, per capita Medicare Advantage payments will increase by 1.6% on average. The update was 0% for 2011, and most Wall Street analysts were forecasting a negative update for the coming year, given that ObamaCare cuts $136 billion over a decade and indirectly steals another $70 billion through such payment adjustments.
Even though the Dept. of Health & Human Services didn’t cut funding this year, the uncertainty regarding the future of Medicare Advantage plans will cause many insurers to scale back or drop plans.
I continue to be amazed at the discretionary power Sebelius seems to have. This is not a government of laws. For that matter, it’s not a government of men either. We seem to have a female autocrat.
I agree with Ken. For the White House to pick and choose which laws to enforce seems arbitrary and dangerous. What ever happened to the rule of law? It is isn’t just Obamacare, they’re also doing it with other laws like the Defense of Marriage Act.
This is the calm before the storm.
The attack on Medicare Advantage plans is part of the deal with AARP. When seniors lose their Medicare Advantage plans they will have to buy Medigap insurance, and AARP is one of the largest (the largest?) sellers of Medigap insurance.