1 February 2008
When Bush unveils his new budget next week, we oldies and low income people will get kicked in the teeth. He plans making legislative changes in Medicare and cuts in Medicaid. The two health programs cost nearly one-fourth of all federal spending and is expected to double in a decade. The budget will probably be the largest request by a president, $3 trillion. I can hardly wrap my head around that large a figure. He figures that health care savings are part of a plan that will head us to a surplus by 2012. How we’ll be able to do this as the deficit will probably grow in in 2008 and 2009, is beyond me since the economy is weak and a stimulus package will add to the deficit. I don’t believe that a few shekels in the pocket is going to make people run out and spend, spend, spend.
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1 and money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be funded for only a few months until an new president takes over. To my mind, that would be the perfect time to stop combat operations, pull the plug on war funding and start bringing the troops home. On July first doctors are due for a 10 percent cut in Medicare fees so lawmakers need to pass a Medicare bill as soon as possible to avoid that cut. Conservatives want to cut federal payments to doctors and hospitals, but not touch programs like Medicare Advantage, which subsidizes private insurance companies. Progressives feel that reform is needed to cut the waste of hundreds of billions of dollars in administrative and advertising expenses. Congress should refuse the Bush’s cost-cutting proposals and make proposals for reform of our health care system.
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