Debt panel members vote today; Some say recommendations will shape future efforts to reduce health costs

Download PDF Copy

Dec 4 2010

News outlets report that as the presidential debt commission plans to vote today, the final recommendations could shape the debate on how budgeteers treat Medicare, Medicaid and health care costs in the future -- regardless of the vote tally.

The New York Times: Fiscal Plan Is Expected To Fall Short Of Votes
In drawing greater-than-expected support, the proposed overhaul of taxes and spending has attracted interest among some in the White House and Congress as a blueprint for future action as the nation grapples with the fiscal crisis posed by high health care costs and an aging population (Calmes, 12/2).

The Washington Post: Presenting Plan To Cut Deficit, Commission Members Offer Surprising Compromises
While only seven of the 18 members endorsed the package outright, others staked out positions that could change the terms of the well-worn Washington debate over taxes and spending (Montgomery and Dennis, 12/2).

The Fiscal Times: Deficit Plan Gets Support From Conservative Senators
Conservative Republican Sens. Tom Coburn and Mike Crapo announced on Thursday they will support a far-ranging deficit reduction plan crafted by the co-chairmen of the president's fiscal commission - providing an important political boost for the measure on Capitol Hill. ... House Republican members of the commission are likely to oppose the plan because of its tax increases and failure to address their concerns about the health care reform law enacted earlier this year (Pianin, 11/2).

Journal Sentinel: Ryan Explains 'No' Vote On Debt-Reduction Plan
Saying he'll vote against the debt-reduction plan authored by leaders of the President's fiscal commission, US Rep. Paul Ryan had both good and bad things to say about the proposal Thursday. ... Ryan said he would vote against the plan when the commission meets Friday because it accepts the premise of the new health care law and doesn't restructure the country's health care entitlements, chiefly Medicare (Gilbert, 12/2).

Roll Call: Ryan Will Vote 'No' on Fiscal Commission Plan
Rep. Paul Ryan, the incoming House Budget chairman, said Thursday morning that he will vote against the president's fiscal commission proposal because it accelerates and entrenches President Barack Obama's health care overhaul (Dennis, 12/2).

The Hill: Rep. Ryan says deficit reduction plan would 'entrench ObamaCare'
"Obviously I am not going to vote for it," he told reporters at an event organized by The Christian Science Monitor. He said the plan makes spending problems related to healthcare "dramatically worse" (Wasson, 12/2).

Bloomberg: Five Members of Debt Panel Oppose Bowles-Simpson Plan, Enough to Reject It
Five members of President Barack Obama's debt commission said they oppose its $3.8 trillion budget-cutting proposal, enough to ensure rejection of the plan (Faler and Przybyla, 12/2).

The Associated Press: Analysis: Obama Faces Dilemma On Deficit-Trimming
If he endorses the kinds of tough-medicine proposals advocated by the commission's leaders, especially in pressing for more austerity in social programs, including on "entitlement" spending for Medicare and Social Security, it will mean turning away from his liberal base and some campaign promises (Raum, 12/2).

The Wall Street Journal: Military Retirees Resist Push To Cut Health Costs
At issue are possible changes to the military health-care system, known as Tricare. As part of a raft of debt-reduction measures, President Barack Obama's bipartisan deficit commission recommended a review of Tricare, part of an effort to reduce top-to-bottom federal spending. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates also wants to overhaul the military health system (Hodge, 12/3).

This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.