Health care cuts proposed in deficit negotiations Congress reconvenes this week to consider options in budget talks By ROBERT PEAR updated 7/5/2011 12:19:56 AM ET
WASHINGTON — Obama administration officials are offering to cut tens of billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid in negotiations to reduce the federal budget deficit, but the depth of the cuts depends on whether Republicans are willing to accept any increases in tax revenues. Other political news of note
Administration officials and Republican negotiators say the money can be taken from health care providers like hospitals and nursing homes without directly imposing new costs on needy beneficiaries or radically restructuring either program. Before the talks led by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. broke off 12 days ago, negotiators said, they had reached substantial agreement on many cuts in the growth of Medicare, which provides care to people 65 and older, and Medicaid, which covers lower-income people. Those proposals are still on the table when Congress reconvenes this week, aides said, and are serious options that Democrats could accept in exchange for Republican concessions that raise revenues. Story: Obama: 'Nothing can be off-limits' in budget “Congress smells blood,” said William L. Minnix Jr., the chief lobbyist for nonprofit nursing homes. Mr. Minnix, the president of a trade group known as LeadingAge, is urging nursing homes to “bombard your senators with the message that Medicaid cannot be cut by $100 billion” over 10 years, as President Obama and many Republican lawmakers have suggested.............................>>>>....................>>>>...................http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43635698/ns/politics-the_new_york_times/
The health-care plan already cut 500 million out of Medicare how much more can be left to cut. There's a lot that could be cut from Medicaid due to waste and fraud.
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