Medicare Fraud



According to news accounts in the last couple days, the White House worked furiously to suppress numbers that showed that the Medicare bill would cost much more than the $395 billion they estimated.
 
This was done because some conservative Republicans (remember them?) were going to vote against the bill if it cost any more than $400 billion. It passed 216-215. As we know now, it could cost more than $550 billion- possibly much more. The people who come up with the numbers knew this too, but were heavily pressured into not releasing these figures.
 
From the Knight Ridder article:
 
Scully's note, according to Foster, "was a direct order not to respond to certain requests and instead to provide the responses to him and (to) warn about the consequences of insubordination."
 
The note was Scully's first threat in writing, Foster said, and came after at least three less formal threats. They "came in different forms," he said. "Sometimes he would make a comment that `I think I need another chief actuary,' or `If you want to work for the Ways and Means Committee (which was drafting the bill) I can arrange it.' It was that sort of thing."
 
There were rumblings about this when the bill was being passed, but it didn't become a big meme. A lot of you political junkies will remember that this bill was passed under many unusual circumstances- a Republican claimed that he was offered a bribe (backing from the RNC for his son's election if he voted yes) and Tommy Thompson walking the floors of congress selling the package for hours- long after the vote was scheduled to take place. All are against house rules.
 
Wow these guys really brought integrity back to Washington!

Posted: Sat - March 13, 2004 at 03:30 PM        

©