Obamacare: Where is Tort Reform? CBO Says Tort Reform Would Reduce Deficit by $54 Billion

 

WHERE IS TORT REFORM NOW?

If Obama and Democrats are truly serious about health care reform, why are they waiting until Obama_DR_coat2013 to implement it? Conveniently enough that is after the 2012 elections. Why are we waiting until 2013 to reduce the cost to our deficits when there are measures now like tort reform that could begin reducing the costs now! But there is nothing political about Obamacare, right?

Does anyone really believe that Obama and the Democrats are going to stand up to the special interest groups and Trial Lawyers on tort reform? Are they going to bite the hand that has and continues to feed them? Hardly.

As the Astute Blogger astutely states, the only thing crazier than giving Obama the Nobel Peace Prize, is to pass Obamacare. Why are we waiting for 2013 when tort reform and going after waste and fraud in Medicare & Medicaid could occur tomorrow? Is it any wonder why no one trusts Obama or Democrats on healthcare? They state that this is needed immediately, yet they will not implement these changes until 4 years later. The sky is hardly falling.

Under the Democratic bills, federal tax credits to help make health insurance affordable for millions of low- and middle-income households won’t start flowing until 2013 — after the next presidential election. But Medicare cuts and a sizable chunk of the tax increases to pay for the overhaul kick in immediately.

Obama_Favors_Lawyers

As pointed out by Hot Air with regards to the Baucus healthcare non-existent bill  the CBO stated that TORT REFORM would reduce the deficit by $54 billion over the next 10 years.

According to CBO director Douglas Elmendorf on his blog, the CBO studied the impact of both the reduced cost of litigation and the elimination of defensive medicine that would result with tort reform.  Elmendorf says that tort reform would reduce the federal deficit $54 billion over the next ten years

The CBO analysis:

CBO now estimates that implementing a typical package of tort reform proposals nationwide would reduce total U.S. health care spending by about 0.5 percent (about $11 billion in 2009). That figure is the sum of a direct reduction in spending of 0.2 percent from lower medical liability premiums and an additional indirect reduction of 0.3 percent from slightly less utilization of health care services. (Those estimates take into account the fact that because many states have already implemented some of the changes in the package, a significant fraction of the potential cost savings has already been realized.)

Enacting a typical set of proposals would reduce federal budget deficits by roughly $54 billion over the next 10 years, according to estimates by CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee of Taxation. That figure includes savings of roughly $41 billion from Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, as well as an increase in tax revenues of roughly $13 billion from a reduction in private health care costs that would lead to higher taxable wages.



If you liked this post, you may also like these:

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  • Obamacare: Lipsticking the Heathcare Reform Pig … What Ever Happened to the Uniter Obama that was Promised?
  • Obamacare Backlash … Poll Shows Romney With Commanding Lead Over President Barack Obama With Doctors




  • Comments

    5 Responses to “Obamacare: Where is Tort Reform? CBO Says Tort Reform Would Reduce Deficit by $54 Billion”

    1. Scared Monkeys on October 11th, 2009 5:13 pm

      Hmm, how is it that we have to wait for healthcare reform when the government could be preventing waste & fraud right now. Let alone tort reform.

      Just goes to show that this is nothing more than a power grab, not health reform.

    2. krieton on October 12th, 2009 4:36 am

      hey obama,you realy want to save money on health care.why don’t educate yourself on the only thing that can stop a heart attack in progress .So simple, cayenne pepper.don’t believe me,just check it out on the net.dozens of sites there.I wonder how many americans die every day because no one told them.evan more suprising ,ambulance drivers and parimedics showing up at heart attack calls without it.me thinks a they knowingly show up without it and then tell loved ones .WE DID ALL WE COULD BUT HE OR SHE DIDN’T MAKE IT.NICE GOING MEDICAL COMMUNITY

    3. krieton on October 12th, 2009 4:41 am

      Just google health benifits of cayenne pepper or google heart attacks and cayenne pepper,I think you will be plesantly suprised

    4. Michael Kirsch, M.D on October 12th, 2009 7:53 am

      Who needs tort reform? We physicians should continue to deliver perfect medical outcomes for all patients. No mistakes or complications. 100% patient satisfaction. This is my strategy. See http://www.MDWhistleblower.blogspot.com under Legal Quality category.

    5. Jeremy on November 11th, 2009 7:40 pm

      Unfortunately, $5.4 billion per year is a small amount of the $2.2 TRILLION we spend each year on healthcare in this country. That’s less than one half a percent.

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