Rest assured that if you are angry and want to vote against the Democrats by voting for a Republican you will be voting for Big Business. You will be voting for Wall Street, private contractor wars and world anger and hatred for the United States. You will be voting for more of the Bush years. Republicans will say and do anything to get elected but their actions speak louder than words. They are all about back room deals with Big Business.
Here is one proof:
In 8 years controlling the executive branch and 6 years of that controlling the legislative branch, the Republicans did the only major health care initiative that I know of – the Prescription Drug Benefit known as Medicare Part D.
Take a look at this article concerning Part D:
http://taxvox.taxpolicycenter.org/blog/_archives/2009/5/14/4186168.html
The initial 10 year cost of the program by the CBO in 2003 was $395 billion. The current 10 year cost cited below totals out at $999.9 billion. All costs cited above are intermediate estimates.
Table III.C19.—Operations of the Part D Account in the SMI Trust Fund (Cash Basis) during Calendar Years 2004-2018
[In billions]
| Income |
Expenditures |
Account |
| Calendar year |
Premium income1 |
General revenue2 |
Transfers from States3 |
Interest and other |
Total |
Benefit payments4 |
Adminis-trative expense |
Total |
Net change |
Balance at end of year5 |
| Historical data: |
| 2004 |
— |
$0.4 |
— |
— |
$0.4 |
$0.4 |
— |
$0.4 |
— |
— |
| 2005 |
— |
1.1 |
— |
— |
1.1 |
1.1 |
— |
1.1 |
— |
— |
| 2006 |
$3.5 |
39.2 |
$5.5 |
$0.0 |
48.2 |
47.1 |
$0.3 |
47.4 |
$0.8 |
$0.8 |
| 2007 |
4.0 |
38.8 |
6.9 |
0.0 |
49.7 |
48.8 |
0.9 |
49.7 |
0.0 |
0.8 |
| 2008 |
5.0 |
37.3 |
7.1 |
0.0 |
49.4 |
49.0 |
0.3 |
49.3 |
0.1 |
0.9 |
| Intermediate estimates: |
| 2009 |
6.3 6 |
48.5 |
7.9 |
0.0 |
62.7 |
62.6 |
0.4 |
63.0 |
−0.2 |
0.7 |
| 2010 |
7.2 6 |
50.7 |
8.3 |
0.0 |
66.2 |
65.8 |
0.4 |
66.2 |
0.0 |
0.7 |
| 2011 |
8.4 |
55.5 |
8.8 |
0.0 |
72.8 |
72.3 |
0.4 |
72.7 |
0.0 |
0.7 |
| 2012 |
9.6 |
60.8 |
9.4 |
0.0 |
79.9 |
79.4 |
0.5 |
79.8 |
0.1 |
0.8 |
| 2013 |
10.6 |
66.1 |
10.1 |
0.0 |
86.8 |
86.2 |
0.5 |
86.7 |
0.1 |
0.9 |
| 2014 |
11.6 |
72.4 |
10.8 |
0.0 |
94.9 |
94.3 |
0.5 |
94.8 |
0.1 |
0.9 |
| 2015 |
13.3 6 |
79.9 |
11.5 |
0.0 |
104.8 |
104.2 |
0.5 |
104.8 |
0.1 |
1.0 |
| 2016 |
13.8 6 |
88.2 |
12.6 |
0.0 |
114.7 |
114.0 |
0.5 |
114.6 |
0.1 |
1.1 |
| 2017 |
15.9 |
97.4 |
13.9 |
0.0 |
127.3 |
126.6 |
0.5 |
127.2 |
0.1 |
1.2 |
| 2018 |
17.7 |
107.8 |
15.4 |
0.0 |
140.9 |
140.2 |
0.6 |
140.8 |
0.1 |
1.3 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AND:
Table III.C23.—Unfunded Part D Obligations from Program Inception through the Infinite Horizon
[Present values as of January 1, 2009; dollar amounts in trillions]
| Present value |
As a percentage of GDP |
| Unfunded obligations through the infinite horizon1 |
$0.0 |
0.0 % |
| Expenditures |
20.3 |
1.5 |
| Income |
20.3 |
1.5 |
| Beneficiary premiums |
2.5 |
0.2 |
| State transfers |
2.2 |
0.2 |
| General revenue contributions |
15.5 |
1.2 |
| Unfunded obligations from program inception through 20831 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| Expenditures |
9.4 |
1.2 |
| Income |
9.4 |
1.2 |
| Beneficiary premiums |
1.2 |
0.1 |
| State transfers |
1.0 |
0.1 |
| General revenue contributions |
7.2 |
0.9 |
| |
|
|
|
15.5 trillion projected out to infinity and 7.2 trillion to 2083.
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ReportsTrustFunds/downloads/tr2009.pdf
Here are some other quotes from articles:
“Just to be clear, the Medicare drug benefit was a pure giveaway with a gross cost greater than either the House or Senate health reform bills how being considered. Together the new bills would cost roughly $900 billion over the next 10 years, while Medicare Part D will cost $1 trillion.”
“when the legislation came up for its final vote on Nov. 22, 2003, it was failing by 216 to 218 when the standard 15-minute time allowed for voting came to an end.
What followed was one of the most extraordinary events in congressional history. The vote was kept open for almost three hours while the House Republican leadership brought massive pressure to bear on the handful of principled Republicans who had the nerve to put country ahead of party. The leadership even froze the C-SPAN cameras so that no one outside the House chamber could see what was going on.”
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/19/republican-budget-hypocrisy-health-care-opinions-columnists-bruce-bartlett.html
“By the design of the program, the federal government is not permitted to negotiate prices of drugs with the drug companies, as federal agencies do in other programs. The Veterans Administration, which is allowed to negotiate drug prices and establish a formulary, pays 58% less for drugs, on average, than Medicare Part D.[32] For example, Medicare pays $785 for a year’s supply of Lipitor (atorvastatin), while the VA pays $520. Medicare pays $1,485 for Zocor, while the VA pays $127.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Part_D [i]
One other thing, if you hear anyone tell you that they do not take any give outs from the government and they are on Part D – they are absolutely wrong. We will not even have to discuss what they paid into Social Security and Medicare and how much more they are taking out because:
-they are living longer
-the increasing cost of health that was way off when it was calculated in their employment years
They never paid anything into Part D and the money they pay for their drugs is very small compared to the cost of the drug. The 1 trillion dollar deficit over 10 years includes what they pay.
So, here we have it – Republicans did this:
-Gave the drug companies and insurance companies a trillion dollar handout over the next 10 years
-Total Cost to the tax payer is 15.5 trillion projected out to infinity
-Made sure we could not negotiate these costs in bulk
1 trillion dollars over 10 years for Part D is 100 billion dollars a year for 10 years. It is more than the current estimate for the Health Care Reform bill (currently priced at 900 billion for 10 years in the Senate bill)!
Hello – If you vote for a Republican you are voting for Wall Street to get away with more than they already did – do you think the United States can survive this???
Folks, we need to understand that a vote against Big Government is a vote for Big Business.
My background is in business. I was an engineer, low and middle manager in small, intermediate and large businesses. I know it from the inside. My significant other retired from the GAO so I know this side as well. Here are some observations:
Government calls it tax => Business calls it profit – it all boils down to more money you pay from your pocket!
Government has programs that are wasteful (but not nearly as many as you might think) => Big business gives huge bonuses and stock options
Government has its share of inefficient employees => Big business keeps hiring and promoting worthless people that suck up the bottom line and many stay on when the company is sold
Government is too big => Big business is too big to fail
If you think there is a “free market” that makes Big Business better than Big Government you have bought hook, line and sinker into Republican propaganda – Big Business is NO better by any of the standards you want to compare with Big Government. The best thing we can do is keep Big Business and Big Government at each other (see http://mixermuse.com/blog/2010/01/04/free-market-eitheror-government/ ).
You gave Bush 8 years to lavish riches on Big Business – please give the Democrats time to try to reverse and offset those years. If you are unhappy in eight years vote them out! If you vote them out now you may as well say goodbye to the USA because the collapse we had on Wall Street will pale in comparison to what you are going to get!
[i] In researching this paper I found what I think are glaring mistakes for the Wikipedia Medicare Part D article cited here. I have put these comments in the talk section for this article and plan to correct it if there are no objections.
“Current “Program costs” Section is:
As of January 2006, the expected per capita drug spending, reported by the Department of Health and Human services, was $2,250, making the total cost of the program $42.75 Billion.[6] This budget compares with revenues of $54 Billion for Pfizer and $48.6 Billion for Johnson & Johnson, the two largest pharmaceutical companies. Kaiser Family Foundation, estimates the 2006 costs at $37.4 billion.[2] Total costs through 2015 are estimated to be $724 billion. Some of these revenues will be provided by “clawback” of revenues currently provided to the states for Medicaid. The “clawback” is a mechanism by which federal expenditures that benefit states (specifically regarding dual eligibles) are reimbursed back to the federal government. This reimbursement starts at 90%, but then falls to 75% in 2015. Figures also depend on per capita estimates of dual eligible expenditures and the number of dual eligibles that receive benefits.
As of January 2008, total Medicare spending for prescription drug benefits was projected to drop from $40.5 billion in 2007 to $36 billion in 2008. One factor contributing to lower costs is the increased use of generic drugs.[4] Shortly after the release of the 2008 Medicare Trustees’ Report,[25] the Chief Actuary testified that the 10-year cost of Medicare drug benefit is 37% lower than originally projected in 2003, and 17% percent lower than last year’s projections.[26]
In August 2008, CMS estimated that the 10-year cost of the program would be $395 billion, down from the original estimate of $634 billion.[15] (note: This link is dead.) In late October 2008, USA Today reported that costs were down by $6 billion, or 12%, for the fiscal year ended September 30. Costs for the program were approximately one third less than originally predicted.[27]
Proposed New “Program costs” Section:
As of the end of year 2008, the average annual per beneficiary cost spending for Part D, reported by the Department of Health and Human Services, was $1,517 [44], making the total expenditures of the program for 2008 $49.3 (billions). Total intermediate, projected expenditures from 2009 through 2018 are estimated to be $999.9 (billions). [45]
New “Program costs” References:
44. ^ 2009 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARDS OF TRUSTEES OF THE FEDERAL HOSPITAL INSURANCE AND FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTARY MEDICAL INSURANCE TRUST FUNDS, Table II.B1.—Medicare Data for Calendar Year 2008, Page 5 (Page 11 in pdf)
45. ^ 2009 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARDS OF TRUSTEES OF THE FEDERAL HOSPITAL INSURANCE AND FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTARY MEDICAL INSURANCE TRUST FUNDS, Table III.C19.—Operations of the Part D Account in the SMI Trust Fund (Cash Basis) during Calendar Years 2004-2018, Page 120 (Page 126 in pdf)
Notes for Talk section viewers:
– There are many links that are dead in this article. The data is also very old.
– I will try to update the article one section at a time starting with the program cost section. If there are no objections or requested additions I will update the “Program costs” section on 2/1
– The hyperlink for reference 44 is http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ReportsTrustFunds/downloads/tr2009.pdf
– The hyperlink for refernce 45 is also http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ReportsTrustFunds/downloads/tr2009.pdf
– Any comments or feedback is highly welcome…”