While the Obama Administration ratchets up support for government-run healthcare, which would be a new entitlement program, the government trustees who monitor the nation’s two largest entitlement programs, Medicare and Social Security, have reported that they are both less than a decade away from insolvency.
Massive Expansion of SCHIP
Congress is poised to pass a massive expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Originally, SCHIP was designed to help low-income families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid gain access to health insurance for their children. However, under the bill currently being considered (H.R. 2), SCHIP’s income eligibility level would rise from the current 200 percent to at least 300 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), or about $63,000 for a family of four. In addition, some states don’t count certain types of income or have an approved waiver in order to boost eligibility for the program.
RAC-king Up Medicare Savings
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its most recent analysis of improper payments in the Medicare program on November 17, 2008. The good news is that vigorous cost recovery programs have helped whittle the percentage of improper payments in the Medicare fee-for-service program from 3.9 percent in FY 2007 to 3.6 percent this year.
Medicare Fraud: Not a New Story
Just before the August congressional break, I was asked to testify before a forum on Medicare fraud that was chaired by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). Sen. Martinez introduced S. 3164, the Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection Act (STOP) of 2008, a bill that does several things to address the continuing problem of out-of-control fraud in the Medicare program.
Staying Healthy by Eliminating Waste
When President Bush announced the beginning of the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) during his 2003 State of the Union speech, the five-year, $15 billion measure was announced as “the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease.” Targeting 15 “focus countries,” most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, the plan embraced a three-pronged strategy based around prevention, treatment and care.
Sen. Stevens Indicted
On July 29, 2008, it was announced that Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) had been indicted by the Justice Department on seven counts of making false statements for failing to disclose $250,000 worth of gifts from a contractor.
Special Interests Before Taxpayers
For many years, the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General have issued report after report pointing out that Medicare pays too much for durable medical equipment (DME). DME includes walkers, wheelchairs, and portable oxygen equipment. Unfortunately for taxpayers, Medicare’s fee schedule is not based on competitive market prices.
Binging On Taxpayer Dollars
The over-indulgent, over-zealous party attendee can certainly be an obnoxious component of any weekend celebration. This individual is often referred to as That Guy.
The societal pressures on a returning serviceman can, at times, be overwhelming. However, when the Department of Defense (DoD), as reported by the American Forces Press Service on January 27, 2005, tries to curb these pressures with a $13 million program called TRICARE that purports to give them the “tools” to make healthy adjustments to their potentially unruly behavior, one cannot help but question its usefulness. The website ThatGuy.com is one such attempt.
Pelosi AIDS San Francisco
A battle has been brewing over funding in the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act (CARE) section of the fiscal 2008 Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. In 2006, CARE was renewed with a revised funding formula to improve the distribution of grants so that they are allotted more equitably to AIDS cases across the country. This year in the House, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) inserted a provision, called a “hold-harmless,” which would take $9.3 million out of the CARES 2008 budget for urban area grants and redirect the money to give extra money to a few cities in 2007, including $6.2 million for San Francisco, which is in her congressional district. Her explanation was that San Francisco otherwise stands to lose almost a third of its financial support under the new formula.
Bioterrorism Spending
After the 9/11 attacks and the deaths of five people exposed to anthrax spores sent through the mail in 2001, the federal government began pouring billions of dollars into biodefense research and development. However, throwing money at a problem does not guarantee a solution; there must be proper follow-through and oversight to make sure the money is spent wisely.