ro-h2o
07-11-2009, 07:16 PM
Jim Brown and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow
A healthcare expert is skeptical of hospitals' claims that they are going to save the government billions of dollars over the next ten years.
Vice President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that hospital executives have agreed give up $155 billion in future Medicare and Medicaid payments to help defray the cost of President Obama's government-run healthcare plan. The White House also says healthcare providers have promised $2 trillion in savings over the next decade.
James Lansberry is vice president of Samaritan Ministries International. Lansberry, a supporter of patient-centered healthcare reform, says the Obama administration is going to be working overtime to get some of the stakeholders back to the table.
He points out that while the American Hospital Association has not yet weighed in "vehemently" against the new plan, the American Medical Association has. "And the insurance companies are talking about...being against the new government option that's coming out," he adds.
The government's proposal for healthcare reform, he says, faces a difficult fight against the likes of the AMA and health insurers. "They're all going to be looking to try to preserve themselves," Lansberry explains, "and I think that as Americans we need to be looking for how to preserve the overall freedom of individual choice in healthcare -- and not looking for ways that the government can get their fingers into more parts of the pie."
Lansberry urges people to "be wary" when industry lobbyists say they are going to reduce costs, because "nobody gets hired by an industry to make their clients make less money."
Do you think Capitol Hill is on the right track when it comes to healthcare reform?
In a recent press release, the Samaritan Ministries spokesman criticizes one specific aspect of several healthcare proposals being considered in Congress: a mandate that employers provide health insurance for their employees. Lansberry contends such a mandate would impose "crippling costs" on many small businesses, resulting in a negative effect on the economy.
"An employer mandate will mean lost jobs -- and those jobs will be lost in small, local businesses that we need to see thrive," he states. "Small businesses are the strength of our economy, especially in the local area."
He says if Congress is serious about preventing unemployment rates from increasing, it needs to pay attention to the costs associated with added regulations like an employer mandate.
Latest news: Conservative House Democrats are demanding significant changes before they can support a sweeping healthcare overhaul, forcing the House to join the Senate in delaying action on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. Read more...
A healthcare expert is skeptical of hospitals' claims that they are going to save the government billions of dollars over the next ten years.
Vice President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that hospital executives have agreed give up $155 billion in future Medicare and Medicaid payments to help defray the cost of President Obama's government-run healthcare plan. The White House also says healthcare providers have promised $2 trillion in savings over the next decade.
James Lansberry is vice president of Samaritan Ministries International. Lansberry, a supporter of patient-centered healthcare reform, says the Obama administration is going to be working overtime to get some of the stakeholders back to the table.
He points out that while the American Hospital Association has not yet weighed in "vehemently" against the new plan, the American Medical Association has. "And the insurance companies are talking about...being against the new government option that's coming out," he adds.
The government's proposal for healthcare reform, he says, faces a difficult fight against the likes of the AMA and health insurers. "They're all going to be looking to try to preserve themselves," Lansberry explains, "and I think that as Americans we need to be looking for how to preserve the overall freedom of individual choice in healthcare -- and not looking for ways that the government can get their fingers into more parts of the pie."
Lansberry urges people to "be wary" when industry lobbyists say they are going to reduce costs, because "nobody gets hired by an industry to make their clients make less money."
Do you think Capitol Hill is on the right track when it comes to healthcare reform?
In a recent press release, the Samaritan Ministries spokesman criticizes one specific aspect of several healthcare proposals being considered in Congress: a mandate that employers provide health insurance for their employees. Lansberry contends such a mandate would impose "crippling costs" on many small businesses, resulting in a negative effect on the economy.
"An employer mandate will mean lost jobs -- and those jobs will be lost in small, local businesses that we need to see thrive," he states. "Small businesses are the strength of our economy, especially in the local area."
He says if Congress is serious about preventing unemployment rates from increasing, it needs to pay attention to the costs associated with added regulations like an employer mandate.
Latest news: Conservative House Democrats are demanding significant changes before they can support a sweeping healthcare overhaul, forcing the House to join the Senate in delaying action on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. Read more...