OBAMACARE ENDORSEMENTS: WHAT THE BRIBE WAS

OBAMACARE ENDORSEMENTS: WHAT THE BRIBE WAS

By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

Published on TheHill.com on November 6, 2009

As the suicidal Democratic congressmen proceed to rubber-stamp the
Obama healthcare reform despite the drubbing their party took in the
'09 elections, the president trotted out the endorsements of the AMA
and the AARP to stimulate support. But these -- and the other
endorsements -- his package has received are all bought and paid for.

Here are the deals:

* The American Medical Association (AMA) was facing a 21 percent cut in
physicians' reimbursements under the current law. Obama promised to
kill the cut if they backed his bill. The cuts are the fruit of a law
requiring annual 5-6 percent reductions in doctor reimbursements for
treating Medicare patients. Bravely, each year Congress has rolled the
cuts over, suspending them but not repealing them. So each year, the
accumulated cuts threaten doctors. By now, they have risen to 21
percent. With this blackmail leverage, Obama compelled the AMA to
support his bill...or else!

* The AARP got a financial windfall in return for its support of the
healthcare bill. Over the past decade, the AARP has morphed from an
advocacy group to an insurance company (through its subsidiary
company). It is one of the main suppliers of Medi-gap insurance, a
high-cost, privately purchased coverage that picks up where Medicare
leaves off. But President Bush-43 passed the Medicare Advantage
program, which offered a subsidized, lower-cost alternative to
Medi-gap. Under Medicare Advantage, the elderly get all the extra
coverage they need plus coordinated, well-managed care, usually by the
same physician. So more than 10 million seniors went with Medicare
Advantage, cutting into AARP Medi-gap revenues.

Presto! Obama solved their problem. He eliminates subsidies for
Medicare Advantage. The elderly will have to pay more for coverage
under Medigap, but the AARP -- which supposedly represents them -- will
make more money. (If this galls you, join the American Seniors
Association, the alternative group; contact sbarton@americanseniors.org
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need
JavaScript enabled to view it .)

* The drug industry backed ObamaCare and, in return, got a 10-year
limit of $80 billion on cuts in prescription drug costs. (A drop in the
bucket of their almost $3 trillion projected cost over the next
decade.) They also got administration assurances that it will continue
to bar lower-cost Canadian drugs from coming into the U.S. All it had
to do was put its formidable advertising budget at the disposal of the
administration.

* Insurance companies got access to 40 million potential new customers.
But when the Senate Finance Committee lowered the fine that would be
imposed on those who don't buy insurance from $3,500 to $1,500, the
insurance companies jumped ship and now oppose the bill, albeit for the
worst of motives.

The only industry that refused to knuckle under was the medical device
makers. They stood for principle and wouldn't go along with Obama's
blackmail. So the Senate Finance Committee retaliated by imposing a tax
on medical devices such as automated wheelchairs, pacemakers, arterial
stents, prosthetic limbs, artificial knees and hips and other necessary
accoutrements of healthcare.

So these endorsements are not freely given, but bought and paid for by
an administration that is intent on passing its program at any cost.

Order a copy of CATASTROPHE - Go here!

http://reports.dickmorris.com/t/2318725/27179057/8473/0/?u=aHR0cDovL3d3d
y5kaWNrb W9ycmlzLmNvbS9ibG9nLz9wYWdlX2lkPTU3Mw%3d%3d&xñaca794

View Dick's videos on YouTube, Go here!

http://reports.dickmorris.com/t/2318725/27179057/9936/0/?u=aHR0cDovL3d3d
y55b3V0d WJlLmNvbS91c2VyL2RpY2ttb3JyaXNyZXBvcnRz&x•d6f43f

Browse Dick's book CATASTROPHE - Go here!

http://reports.dickmorris.com/t/2318725/27179057/10170/0/?u=aHR0cDovL2Jy
b3dzZWlu
c2lkZS5oYXJwZXJjb2xsaW5zLmNvbS9pbmRleC5hc3B4P2lzYm4xMz05NzgwMDYxNzcxMDQw
JldULm1j X2lkPUFVVEhXRUJfQ0FUQVNfQlJPV1NFXzA2MjYwOQ%3d%3d&x…4ad4a5

Sign-up to follow Dick on Twitter - Go here!

http://reports.dickmorris.com/t/2318725/27179057/10654/0/?u=aHR0cDovL3R3
aXR0ZXIu Y29tL2RpY2ttb3JyaXN0d2VldA%3d%3d&xScffa8c

Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!
________________________________________________________________________
________ __________________________________________________________

PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND TELL THEM THEY CAN
GET THESE COLUMNS E-MAILED TO THEM FOR FREE BY SUBSCRIBING AT
DICKMORRIS.COM!

THANK YOU!

***COPYRIGHT EILEEN MCGANN AND DICK MORRIS 2009.  REPRINTS WITH
PERMISSION ONLY***
[ Auf dieses Posting antworten ]