CBO has already said the President's new health care plan does not contain enough details to score in a timely manner. The White House estimates the proposal would cost $950 billion in the next ten years. Many are wondering how it is still a government takeover of health care. The Republican Study Committee published a brief tackling this question. They found that the President's proposal still contains the following:
-- Mandates: The proposal maintains the individual mandate and the Senate’s “free-rider” employer
mandate.
-- Cuts to Medicare and tax increases to pay for the expansion and creation of new entitlement
programs: Specifically the proposal increases cuts Medicare Advantage plans and raises the
Medicare payroll tax even higher (adding it to a tax on earned income in addition to a tax on “high
income individuals”).
-- No real medical liability reform: No changes to the insufficient medical liability provisions as
passed in the Senate bill.
-- New bureaucratic boards that cede the definition of quality and gives more power to the federal
government: Maintains provisions such as the comparative effectiveness research board (Patient
Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Independent Medicare Advisory Board (IMAB) or
“MedPAC on steroids”, and more.
-- A form of a government-run plan: The proposal maintains the OPM overseen Multi-State Plans and
Co-Ops.
-- Sweetheart deals: including the “Louisiana Purchase”, various provisions of the “Cornhusker
kickback”, carve outs for unions, and many more.
-- Broken promises: Obama set several parameters, including that the bill would cost under $900
billion, not raise taxes on those making under $250,000, families’ health insurance premiums will go
down by $2,500 a year, and if individuals liked what they had they could keep it – however none of
these promises are kept or restored by President’s rewrite of the Senate bill.
You can read extensive details behind these items here, including highlights of the Presidents proposal.