HR 3961 - you need to know about it [Bumped to Top]

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[ed: I've bumped this to the top of the page because it's important. To quote P J O'Rourke: "If you think health care's expensive now, just wait 'til it's free."]

H.R. 3961 passed the House last week by a vote of 243-183. This bill was formerly a part of HR 3962 “Obamacare”. Here’s a link to the voting by Yea and Nay, by Democrat and Republican, and by Not Voting.

This bill would block the 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement to physicians, scheduled to take effect in January 2010. The bill would instead increase physician payments in 2010 based on the Medicare economic index, and implement an entirely new formula for 2011 and after. That’s a pretty big swing – minus 21% to plus something. So it has a significant cost. This bill was scored by the Congressional Budget Office as costing about $210 billion when it was part of Obamacare. So the House leadership, bless their hearts, seeking to reduce the cost of Obamacare, just made it go away. Like magic, the cost of Obamacare was reduced by $210 billion. But like reality it's back as HR 3961. I think this illustrates how governments - anyway our government – anyway most of our Representatives - pretend that charging us more is really a savings. It’s also a pretty good insight into how gullible they think we are.

Wait, there’s more.

The bill would entitle physicians to more than a 20% increase in Medicare reimbursements relative to CURRENT LAW.

Why the capital letters? Because, when CMS calculates the Medicare premiums each year, it can take only the CURRENT LAW into account. Based on current law, “the standard Medicare Part B monthly premium will be $110.50 in 2010, which is a 15% increase over the 2009 premium.” 15% is a whopping increase for Medicare Part B.

But if physicians will become entitled to 20% MORE in 2010, the 2010 Part B cost will be higher than CBO projected and that means premiums are too low even after that whopping 15% increase. The Part B premiums for 2010 need to be a lot higher. Would that happen? Heck no, it’s too late in the year to change the premiums. So the government (that means the taxpayers) would eat the entire additional cost. Medicare participants won’t pay higher premiums than already announced. That is, in 2010 they won’t. But come 2011, CMS will again calculate the Part B premiums, taking into account the new physician reimbursements, and Seniors will suffer another whopping increase to their Part B premiums.

Now go back to the link again. See that reference to “pay-as-you-go budget rules” in the top paragraph? That means this bill is not funded. So its cost adds to the US deficit.

Oh yeah, about the voting on HR 3961:

242 of the 243 yea votes were Democrats.

172 of the 183 nay votes were Republicans.

Scroll down, yeah keep on scrolling, keeeeep on, until you reach “Not Voting”

There you find the name of NANCY PELOSI. Third in line for President, exercising her precious right . . . NOT to vote. What th- ??

Please don't you be like Nancy. Stand up for something constructive. Tell your senators what you think of this Bill. Call their offices. They're probably not all that busy this week anyway.