Health Care Leaders Say Obama Overstated Their Promise to Control Costs

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — Hospitals and insurance companies said Thursday that President Obama had substantially overstated their promise earlier this week to reduce the growth of health spending.

Mr. Obama invited health industry leaders to the White House on Monday to trumpet their cost-control commitments. But three days later, confusion swirled in Washington as the companies’ trade associations raced to tamp down angst among members around the country.

After meeting with six major health care organizations, Mr. Obama hailed their cost-cutting promise as historic.

“These groups are voluntarily coming together to make an unprecedented commitment,” Mr. Obama said. “Over the next 10 years, from 2010 to 2019, they are pledging to cut the rate of growth of national health care spending by 1.5 percentage points each year — an amount that’s equal to over $2 trillion.”

Health care leaders who attended the meeting have a different interpretation. They say they agreed to slow health spending in a more gradual way and did not pledge specific year-by-year cuts.

“There’s been a lot of misunderstanding that has caused a lot of consternation among our members,” said Richard J. Umbdenstock, the president of the American Hospital Association. “I’ve spent the better part of the last three days trying to deal with it.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/health/policy/15health.html?_r=2&ref=business

---

Oops!

This is what happens you trust the insurance companies, Obama. They'll continue to shit on you.

Is that a knife in the back or what?

How many times does this have to happen before our President gets a clue?

Who is screwing whom?

Did Obama deliberately overstate the Health Industry's pledge? Or are the insurance companies and hospitals backtracking after their members balked?

I can't help thinking there is some political gamesmanship here, on either side (or both). I'm curious to hear how this plays out. If the public starts to believe that the Health Industry is not participating in good faith, it could give Obama an advantage.

He is playing a master game of chess.
He will win.
100% guaranteed.

He knows what they did to his dying mother.

DID Obama deliberately overstate the Health Industry's pledge? Or are the insurance companies and hospitals backtracking after their members balked?

That's EXACTLY how I interpret this story, especially since it's taken THREE DAYS to for them to notice Obama's "mistake." And as for the public believing that "the Health Industry is not participating in good faith," what do you mean "if"? Captain Rope-A-Dope strikes again!

:headbang:
rocktivity

I don't think Obama deliberately overstated their pledge.

I think they simply feel confident in the political winds that they figure the need to give up nothing.

We deserve better from our leaders and these bloodsucking insurance companies. Let the overbloated stinking carcass die.

Obama wants an insurance friendly health care bill passed (as evidenced by shutting out single payor advocates from the discussion). So he exaggerated the truth in order to get the public to support it.

Health Care Leaders blew the cover.

First it was stated that they would rehire their layed off workers after the stimulus passed. Then the stimulus passed, and their CEO said he'd never said that and commenced with more layoffs.

He knew they were going to back off on their promise of reductions. By lowering the extent of their promises he may be able to hold them to their original promise. This is how it works in business and politics. It is never a fair game.

... until you collapse to the canvas. And then it's too late.

Promising the 180° opposite thing from your desired goal is a unique political strategy.

Last month, Canada changed the laws so that I'm now a Canadian. Good timing for me.

Ring a ding ding.

They make a stupid offer like how they'll make a small 1.5%/yr curb in the PLANNED COST INCREASES as though it's a fabuloussupergenerous offer,

and then they want to back-track?

Well I'm glad to hear that. Even a chintzy offer like --

We will save you two trillion over the next ten years by not
jacking up your prices like we did over the last ten years!

has to be recalled !!

Geez Louise ! Or Geez Harry & Louise!

How bizarre.

of the framing of the "health care" debate by propaganda that favors insurance company profits over actual health care. Nothing in this article, or any other found in the MSM, has anything to do with providing health care to the working class.

We - real democrats - have a very steep mountain to climb.

It's interesting Obama was stupid enough to believe he could do business with mafia healthcare insurance rackets. You'd think he'd know not to trust them after what happened to his mother.

Govt. inaction on healthcare ... 273 deaths forecast today due to lack of healthcare.

Got questions on single-payer healthcare? Find answers.

though I can't say how much or how far. They were on offense earlier this week.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=448026&mesg_id=448026

:headbang:

a 1 1/2% cut in the rate of growth? Naaah, I don't think so. Daddy needs a new benz.

a) Enforce Antitrust
b) Remove Safe Harbor's
c) Prosecute Medicare Fraud
d) Provide Single Payor Alternative
e) Limit Administrative Compensations
f) Restructure Not-For-Profit Exemptions

Also needed is the exposure of all the outrageous compensation packages in Healthcare.

Look at Administrators for Hospitals and Health Systems, Pharma and Supply Companies including GPO's.

"It Is The Best Kept Secret In America"

http://www.medicalsupplychain.com/news.htm

1) Federalizing all insurance regulators. No more state insurance commissioners that can be bought off one by one.
2) Declaring that insurance is a public utility and has to be tightly regulated
3) Requiring ALL insurance companies to be mutualized--they must be owned by the policyholders. NO STOCKHOLDERS MAY HAVE ANY STAKE IN ANY INSURANCE COMPANY!
4) Policyowners will vote for the board of directors of these companies.
5) All companies must accept anyone for health insurance irregardless of their conditions and their premiums will be fixed by Federal regulators.
6) Claims must be paid within 30 days
7) Failure to pay claims timely will result in the company paying an additional 12% penalty to the policyholder.
8) No employee of any health insurance company shall be paid more than 80% of the salary of the President of the United State. No stock options. No profit sharing. No deferred compensation. No other "salary incentive or enhancement".
9) Doctors determine the course of treatment WITHOUT interference from unelected beancounters accountable only to keeping a CEO's salary as high as possible

It seems the disagreement is how much more money insurance will cost.

take these parasites out of the market.
there is no place for this expensive DENIAL based health care.

recanted. Looks like the WH needs to get their communication talking points coordinated.



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/health/policy/15health.html?hpw


Health Care Leaders Say Obama Overstated Their Promise to Control Costs



By ROBERT PEAR
Published: May 14, 2009

WASHINGTON — Hospitals and insurance companies said Thursday that President Obama had substantially overstated their promise earlier this week to reduce the growth of health spending.

Mr. Obama invited health industry leaders to the White House on Monday to trumpet their cost-control commitments. But three days later, confusion swirled in Washington as the companies’ trade associations raced to tamp down angst among members around the country.

After meeting with six major health care organizations, Mr. Obama hailed their cost-cutting promise as historic.

“These groups are voluntarily coming together to make an unprecedented commitment,” Mr. Obama said. “Over the next 10 years, from 2010 to 2019, they are pledging to cut the rate of growth of national health care spending by 1.5 percentage points each year — an amount that’s equal to over $2 trillion.”

Health care leaders who attended the meeting have a different interpretation. They say they agreed to slow health spending in a more gradual way and did not pledge specific year-by-year cuts.

“There’s been a lot of misunderstanding that has caused a lot of consternation among our members,” said Richard J. Umbdenstock, the president of the American Hospital Association. “I’ve spent the better part of the last three days trying to deal with it.”

Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, said “the president misspoke” on Monday and again on Wednesday when he described the industry’s commitment in similar terms. After providing that account, Ms. DeParle called back about an hour later on Thursday and said: “I don’t think the president misspoke. His remarks correctly and accurately described the industry’s commitment.”........

What a joke.

She didn't have enough sense to double check before SHE misspoke? Obama's really got to tighten up his team.

x(
rocktivity

Just want to keep my euphemisms straight.

Back to the future.

They wanted it to be strictly voluntary.

How dumb do these people think Obama is?

Looks like the President one-upped them. I feel sorry for them - not.

trying to rip off innocent cash-strapped sick people...all of a sudden, single payer doesn't look so bad!

:headbang:
rocktivity