Jackson Jambalaya

Isn't this good news since Medicare is an entitlement and cutting entitlements is part of the conservative and libertarian agenda?

I mean this is the Dole bill of 1994 almost word for word.

This is the type of answer that comes from a so-called President that can spend millions to take a trip for himself and in return to cut spending by taking away vital services that are needed more now and in the next decade for the mass number of retiring baby boomers who need these services! I say it is time we control his spending of our dollars for his own pleasure and we take the good ole USA back before Obama ruins us for good.

Obama is not responsible for the current crisis in health care for Americans. At least he is brave enough to take some action in dealing with situation. It may not be the best, but it's a start, and no other president has gone this far.

You watch, a lot of people are not going to be able to stay on medicaid. The requirements now required are as loony as the "1099 issue" he spoke of in his speech after the "shellacking" of 2010.

So if he doesn't cut costs, he's a typical Democrat, and if he *does* cut costs, then he's ... what? a socialist? Muslim?

Certainly not a Republican, anyway.

Home health has been a huge area for fraud (broadly defined to include "claims for insufficiently documented services").

While not up on the issue, I tend to agree that CMS should not be lumping OT, ST, and PT together so that one is regarded as a repetition of the other. Let's see what happens as the rule's implemented.

Not so much a rule as a fee schedule.

12:27 get the facts on the trip ...that blogger was widely reported , even by media and then , OOPS, wrong info. Media will quote any town idiot without checking the facts.

Look, I'm all for cutting entitlements. I'm for means testing and it's OK with me if we just stop eligibility for entitlements NOW ie. no new enrollees.

But, get real, people, when grandma has to come live with you or you have to support your little pregnant darlin',it's going to cost you more than you pay in taxes.

Too many people are now dependent on the government's promise of support. They planned retirement and bought insurance supplements and are no longer employable BECAUSE they had a " safety net". Take it away without warning and you might get unintended consequences.

FYI 75% of teen mothers are on welfare within 5 years of giving birth. All that anti-sex education, anti-planned parenthood is, at least, IMPRACTICAL.

You have bought into rhetoric or as Boehner put it " hi PER ble" without bothering with the inconvenient details , much less FACTS.

You tell me how to pay down even personal debt JUST by reducing spending and without increasing income when your NON_DESCRETIONARY EXPENSES aren't significantly smaller than your income.

$300 billion in descretionary spending and THEN what?

It's MATH just like Stockman( Reagan's guy) says.

It's MATH just like Stockman( Reagan's guy) says.

You losers will appeal to any higher authority if you think it augurs your case.

You tell me how to pay down even personal debt JUST by reducing spending and without increasing income when your NON_DESCRETIONARY EXPENSES aren't significantly smaller than your income.

The above statement solidifies your position amongst the lunatic fringe.

Go play with Brian Johnson's dick. We can play with our own just fine.

8:12, what kind of experience do you have that leads you to say that home health has been a huge area for fraud? You shouldn't change the definition of fraud to include insufficient documentation just to support your claim. I happen to have a little home health experience and I object to what you seem to be saying about these dedicated men and women.

There has been fraud in home health. There has been fraud in every aspect of medical care, probably in every aspect of government spending if you really want to get down to brass tacks. However, be careful when you accuse the very people who are arguably the most important and most highly skilled providers in the health care spectrum. I'm not going to hijack the thread or take over Kingfish's blog, and space constraints prohibit me from going into as much detail as I need to in order to fully explain why home health should really have its federal budget increased, not decreased, but I'll be happy to give you a private explanation if you'd like. Message me on my Facebook page or drop me an e-mail at billb0925@aol.com. Bill Billingsley

There isn't enough space in this blog or hours in the day for me to address all the Medicare issues. Just suffice it to say that Congressional staffers who have never been providers of health care, or receivers either for that matter since most of them haven't been around too long, are drafting the policies under which our Medicare dollars are spent. We need to get health care professionals back into the business of overseeing the health care system. Bill Billingsley

8:05 I know you are just a troll, but apparently there are many who don't know anything about the actual US budget so...

The national debt is $13 trillion or $4 billion a DAY. The government takes in 1 trillion in taxes. The budget is $3.5 trillion. MANDATORY spending ( social security, medicare, interest on the debt) is 2 trillion . Defense is another $700 billion. Homeland Security is 42.7 billion, Education is 46 billion and taking care of our veterans is 52 billion.And, we haven't addressed FDA,EPA,Justice, Energy,Commerce, Treasurey,Transportation.

I know you hate experts, but every single one agrees there is only #300-500 billion that could be cut. Eliminate $78 billion for welfare if you like. End SS and Medicare,too and you are STILL in the debt. Eliminate Medicare fraud and you only get $65-75 million depending on who you believe. You aren't even close to a trillion.

Cut every government agency in half and eliminate welfare and you are STILL in debt.

While you are waiting for the economy to recover enough to bring in more revenues from taxes because people and business are making more money ( that's the only way the government GETS money except for interest on loans), we get deeper in debt.

Health care reform to some seemed a sensible way to REDUCE medicare costs. Means testing seemed to some a sensible way to reduce Social Security costs. But, those who profit from the status quo successfully scared the beejesus out the the American public.

As JJ points out, the reform bill cuts medicare costs by cutting services. Someone's ox will be gored when you cut ANYTHING and the non-cutting political party will holler and take of the defense of the one gored( and get their contributions).

A Democrat cutting Medicare?...OMG...surely is a Muslim or liberal communist, right?

So, what's YOUR PLAN STAN? If you're so sane, 8:05 and sensible and smarter than the "higher authorities", do share your brilliance with those of us who are lunatics. Are you relying on your own genius or just hearing voices? Oh, I forgot, you are too busy playing with your dick to pay attention to anything else.

8:05

1 trillion in revenues /3.5 trillion in spending

2.5 trillion of the spending is Social Security and MediCARE( not CAID) and payment of the debt/900 billion in defense and homeland security and veteran's services.

$78 billion for welfare. $70 billion in waste and fraud. Eliminate those right away. So what if most are unemployable, we can tolerate beggars and those kids with sunken eyes like other countries do. I'll give you that cut.

Start cutting . Balance the budget and reduce debt without increasing revenues ( that'd be taxes and interest on government loans). Give us he benefit of your genius. Or stimulate the economy fast enough to significantly reduce the deficit while it climbs.

Please stop playing with your dick and share your genius with us poor lunatics since conservative economists like Stockman who advised Reagan on his budget are less brilliant than you. Or do you have an economic guru? Pray tell , who is it?

Ever been to an ER in any large city in America? Obamacare is and has already been here. You should see the medical complaints (sarcasm off) these people have that call an ambulance and take up precious bed space from true emergencies.

12:20 do you know the reason ER is filled with non-emergency patients?

If you are sick, with no money and no health insurance,and aren't eligible for medicare, it's the ONLY treatment option available.

There are hypocondriacs and those who will get well on their own in doctor's offices as well. There won't be any who used alcohol to try to get pain relief though as they will get a 'script for pain when their turn comes.

I'm not willing to let those who are poor or mentally incompetent,or disabled or even crazy die because they are unemployable.

I can't think of a good way to ferret out in advance those folks who are just sorry and lazy or when to decide they are lost causes. We could just say, I suppose, if you haven't worked by age 25 and can pass battery of tests, we'll write you off forever. No redemption or change is possible. Oops...un Christian, so now what?

By the way, 12:20, this article is about MEDICARE...OLD FOLKS. It's not about MEDICAID or the UNINSURED.

I want to know how many people commenting here are up to their eye-balls in debt. How many actually have a 30 year mortgage FIXED. I also want to understand how many have NO DEBT.

Just curious.