Garrett Talks Health Care

by: rmfretz

Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 08:40:05 PM EST

Promoted by Jason Springer: An interesting exchange with Congressman Garrett talking healthcare and more great work by rmfretz keeping an eye on the Congressman at Blog the Fifth.

Cross-posted at Blog the Fifth.

Representative Scott Garrett chats with Fox 5 about his vote against the health care bill. Garrett talks almost exclusively about Medicare Advantage as his reason, which as I've written before can currently charge taxpayers up to a 40% mark up on services.

It's good to see Garrett using the full term, as opposed to earlier, but I still can't understand how someone who claims he is a fiscal conservative can defend taxpayers paying up to 40% more than something actually costs for anything.

Although the House bill is dead in the Senate, taking the 40% mark up will be out no matter what bill comes back to the House for reconciliation.

While Garrett claims the program will be taken from those enrolled, nothing in the bill eliminates the program. What it eliminates is the 40% mark up. Now should insurance companies only participate due to their ability to gouge taxpayers, one could see them cease to offer the program, as the Chief Actuary for Medicare and Medicaid noted.

That aside, Garrett's interview is interesting in that it shows his true feeling on the Bill and overhaul in general.

rmfretz :: Garrett Talks Health Care

Tags: Garrett, health care, NJ5, (All Tags)

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Garrett Talks Health Care | 1 comments

Customers of Medicare Advantage (0.00 / 0)

I understand that some of the most hostile complaints about the health care bill coming into NJ congressional offices come from people covered by Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

Depending on the private insurer they chose for Advantage, their private insurers are raising their rates by about 50%, from about $100 a month to $150 a month.

And that rate increase is unrelated to potential legislative change in its subsidies. Most of the legislation doesn't take effect for 5 years, but I'm not sure when it cuts our tax subsidies from these Advantage plans.

But, I've been told, these Advantage customers widely think this is not a "socialized" program, because they buy from a private company. They have no idea the rest of us taxpayers pay that 40% markup so they can get that super-sweet deal on private insurance.

They can move to the traditional Medicare A and B, if they don't like that Advantage rate. At least they aren't left with nothing. They have choice. They just don't want any of the rest of us to have it, and they want us to keep paying for theirs.

by: jim34 @ Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 15:24:59 PM UTC