Dr. Rodriguez brings up several excellent points. Paying for Medicare benefits is a huge issue here in Florida due to the high percentage of our population who participate in the program, so the need to find savings is understandable. Like any large government program, there are certainly inefficiencies, waste, and fraud. Furthermore, considering the exponential growth of our national debt, I personally believe we cannot afford to have any "sacred cows" and must examine Medicare in its entirety for potential budget buts.As the President and Founder of the Interamerican College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Editor-in-Chief of the medical journal Mèdico Interamericano and former Chief of the Orthopedic Section at the VA Medical Center in Miami, I have the opportunity to work with physicians and patients from all over South Florida. Many of my colleagues have expressed concern about possible changes to Medicare Part D that concern me.
Recent proposals by President Obama have suggested imposing price controls on Medicare Part D similar to those in the Medicaid Drug Rebate. Currently, all Medicare beneficiaries have the same access to prescriptions regardless of the state they reside. Under the proposed legislation, individual states would have the power to impose price controls on part D benefits for dual eligibles.
We have seen the effects of these policies in other states and the results have been frightening. Medicaid programs in Texas imposed a three prescription per month limit on beneficiaries. In Mississippi, the limit for brand prescriptions is only two. Other states have created “preferred drug lists” that do not include many life saving options. Turning Medicare into Medicaid is a mistake that will cost lives. Medicare Part D is working well.
A 2004 Harvard study found that after reducing benefits, chronically ill and disabled patients were forced to stop taking preventative medications. This doubled the rate of emergency room visits increasing overall healthcare cost. Restricting access to preventative medicine will result in higher overall healthcare costs as patients are forced to other outlets for care. The cost of these visits will overshadow any perceived cost savings by price controls.
Most hospitals rely on private payers to subsidize the below-cost reimbursement rates of Medicaid. This proposed legislation would base Medicare reimbursement on these below-cost rates. The end result is private insurers will be forced to pass on the additional costs to their customers.
More than 17 percent of Florida's population is 65 or older. One in five residents -- or 3.2 million citizens -- is currently enrolled in Medicare. For Florida, the future of Medicare is critically important. Our hospitals are already under pressure to remain open. Medicare users are struggling to pay for essential treatments. Restricting access to treatment will lead to disastrous healthcare outcomes.
Preserving Medicare Part D is not only a matter of protecting healthcare for our citizens; it is a sound economical investment in a successful program. I encourage all Floridians, physicians and policymakers to consider opposing any changes to Medicare Part D reimbursements. Contact your legislators and voice your support of Medicare Part D.
Rene Rodriguez, M.D.President and Founder, Interamerican College of Physicians & SurgeonsMember, Medicare Rx Access Network of Florida
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| Haridopocalypse 2012: World's Worst Campaign Strategy? |
After repeated efforts to get a straight answer out of Haridopolos, the exasperated host finally said "get rid of him." Will voters do the same if Haridopolos keeps it up?
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| The Waffle™: The Official Mascot of the Haridopolos 2012 Campaign |
DavidLimbaugh.com | New Column: Don't Let Liberal Establishment Choose Our Candidates
TX Trendy Chick | Podcast 17: I <3 Bibi
There was also this great tweet from @esqcapades:
RachelLegal Insurrection | Does anybody really know what time it is, does anybody care, about time?
St. Petersburg Times | Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty makes Tampa a first campaign stop
http://www.rickscottforflorida.com/livestream/
ForAmerica | SuperMariObama Blog Roundup
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| I want moooooore money! |
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| If you cut the budget, that means this puppy will die. Yeah, this puppy. We're whacking him first. |
Dear Friend,
Like many Floridians, I just watched a short time ago as Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama announced that the framework of an agreement had been reached to avoid a government shut down.
Republicans in Washington deserve credit for reversing the culture of borrowing and spending in Washington, and forcing a debate which has led to the first spending cuts in recent memory.
But make no mistake; these cuts are nowhere near what's needed to save our country.
Republicans and Democrats have agreed to cut around $38 billion, which when added to cuts made earlier this year amount to about 2% of our $1.5 trillion budget. Our country will borrow more money than was cut today in just the next nine days. Our government will continue to waste money on the pet projects of the left, like Planned Parenthood and National Public Radio. We'll also continue to fund costly job-killing programs like Obamacare and over-reaching EPA mandates.
And the real, tough, leadership decisions needed to cut spending, balance the budget, and attack the debt, have been kicked down the road yet again.
This is no time for a victory lap by either party.
The fact of the matter is that there is more work to be done. Democrats have shown that they do not take our financial crisis seriously. President Obama has proven that he has no interest in showing leadership on the biggest issues facing our country. And too many Republicans still don't understand that if we can't stand on principle to make the small cuts, we'll never build the credibility needed to convince Americans of the real spending cuts that are desperately needed. The only thing outpacing the growth of our fiscal deficit is the leadership deficit in Washington.
The outcome of this week's debate, and the preview it has given us of the coming debate over the debt limit and next year's budget, makes it clear that our current Congress does not have what it takes to confront our country's challenges. So long as Democrats still control the Senate, true fiscal reforms will never be possible.
That's what makes this election perhaps the most important of our generation.
We face a critical debate over the future of our country. Either we'll make our voices heard, and send limited government reinforcements to Washington who will do what needs to be done in order to save our country, or we'll see America's light of exceptionalism flicker and fade forever.
Those are the stakes.
We have a lot of work ahead.
All my best,
Adam
In my two short months in office, it has become clear to me that the spending problem in Washington is far worse than many of us feared. For years, politicians have blindly poured more and more borrowed money into ineffective government programs, leaving us with trillion dollar deficits and a crippling debt burden that threatens prosperity and economic growth.Rubio is correct when he points out that Florida's balanced budget rules have served as a valuable restraint on our Legislature. A significant source of the problem in Washington is the federal government's ability to print more money and essentially write itself a blank check. Let's be direct: elected officials - regardless of party - often spend taxpayers' money irresponsibly. Any sort of defined limitation on their spending power forces legislatures to set priorities and make decisions because they cannot buy everything they want. Mandating balanced budgets is one of the most simple and direct restraints on wasteful spending.
In the Florida House of Representatives, where a balanced budget is a requirement, we had to make the tough choices to cut spending where necessary because it was required by state law. By no means was this an easy process, but it was our duty as elected officials to be accountable to our constituents and to future generations of Floridians. In Washington, a balanced budget amendment is not just a fiscally-responsible proposal, it’s a necessary step to curb politicians’ decades-long penchant for overspending.
Several senators have proposed balanced budget amendments that ensure Congress will not spend a penny more than we take in, while setting a high hurdle for future tax hikes. I am a co-sponsor of two balanced budget amendments, since it is clear that these measures would go a long way to reversing the spending gusher we’ve seen from Washington in recent years.
During my Senate campaign, while surrounded by the employees of Jacksonville’s Meridian Technologies, I proposed 12 simple ways to cut spending in Washington. That company, founded 13 years ago, has grown into a 200-employee, high-tech business, and the ideas I proposed would help ensure that similar companies have the opportunity to start or expand just like Meridian did.
To be clear, our unsustainable debt and deficits are threatening companies like Meridian and impeding job creation. In addition to proposing a balanced budget amendment, I recommended canceling unspent “stimulus” funds, banning all earmarks and returning discretionary spending to 2008 levels.
Fortunately, some of my ideas have found their way to the Senate chamber. The first bill I co-sponsored in the Senate was to repeal ObamaCare, the costly overhaul of our nation’s health care system that destroys jobs and impedes our economic recovery. Democratic leaders in the Senate have expressed their willingness to ban earmarks for two years after the Senate Republican conference adopted a moratorium. I have also co-sponsored the REINS Act, a common-sense measure that would increase accountability and transparency in our outdated and burdensome regulatory process. These bills, along with a balanced budget amendment, would help get our country back on a sustainable path and provide certainty to job creators.
While Republicans are proposing a variety of ideas to rein in Washington’s out-of-control spending, unfortunately, President Obama’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year proposes to spend $46 trillion, and even in its best year, the deficit would remain above $600 billion. Worst of all, the President’s budget completely avoids addressing the biggest drivers of our long-term debt – Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Rather than tackle these tough, serious issues, President Obama is proposing a litany of tax hikes on small businesses and entrepreneurs, to the tune of more than $1.6 trillion. These tax increases destroy jobs, make us less competitive internationally and hurt our efforts to grow the economy and get our fiscal house in order.
A balanced budget amendment would be a necessary step in reversing Washington’s tax-borrow-spend mantra. It would force Congress to balance its budget each year – not allow it to pass our problems on to the next generation any longer.
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| What Congress does with your money |
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| We're broke. Broke, broke, B-R-O-K-E, broke. |
) was a great success, with over half of the list becoming law. Rubio has years of experience making tough budgetary decisions, under the constraint of that wonderful balanced-budget rule. I'm thrilled to see him continue this work in the U.S. Senate. |
| My Senator is cooler than your Senator. |
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| If Governor Scott starts wearing sunglasses all the time and driving a classic Cadillac, we'll know for sure. |
UPDATE: Here's a link to some additional commentary by Javier Manjarres at The Shark Tank:Members of Florida's Congressional Delegation and the Florida Legislature are plotting to circumvent Governor Scott's decision to reject $2.4 billion in federal funds to build a high speed rail from Orlando to Tampa. Unlikely bedfellows were made today when a group of 26 State Senators, including ten democrats and led by high speed rail supporter Paula Dockery, sent a letter to Obama’s Transportation Secretary asking him to circumvent Gov. Scott and send the dollars directly to a state commission created in 2009. They noted that politics should have no place in the future of Florida’s transportation, but they are doing exactly that with this political power play to quiet your voice and that of your elected Governor.Governor Scott's decision to reject the federal stimulus dollars is backed by sound economic policy and represents the voice of fiscal conservatives - he doesn't think it is in the best interest of the state to commit to a project we can't afford down the road. The Federal Railroad Administration has proposed a plan for Florida that will cost an estimated $11 billion to build, and it is projected that along with SunRail and Tri-Rail it will cost $100 million per year to operate once completed. With unknown ridership numbers and a budget shortfall of $3.5 billion and growing, the state of Florida simply can't afford Obama and Dockery's High Speed Rail plan.For Prosperity,Apryl Marie Fogel
State Director
Americans for Prosperity - Florida
It’s not often that common sense and fiscal discipline wins the day at any level of government, but Governor Rick Scott deserves big kudos from you (and your kids if you have them) for doing the right thing for Florida and its long-term fiscal health, as he effectively killed the so-called High-Speed Rail (HSR) project which was planned to connect Tampa to Orlando. Governor Scott, like most other clear thinking people who understand the value of a dollar and what a cost/benefit analysis is, looked over the horizon and saw that Florida would have been saddled with an enormous long term fiscal loser in exchange for what?- maybe 20,000 jobs over the next five years, many of them temporary, that would be paid for with more borrowed federal money. Consider it yet another “stimulus” project that wouldn’t stimulate anything but our debt and the growth of government.
It’s a pretty good bet that either a Governor McCollum or a Governor Sink would have approved the HSR project regardless of its bleak long term fiscal projections, as that’s the very short-term thinking we’ve come to expect from politicians of all stripes. But as is typically the case in government, no good deed goes unpunished, and Scott is getting blowback from every direction, including a somewhat unexpected source, as a veto-proof group of State Senators have issued a public rebuke of Scott’s decision to kill HSR.
It’s almost embarrassing to read the letter this group of 26 State Senators sent to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood practically begging him not to give these rejected federal monies to another state as if it were somehow their birthright. Their letter deadpans that "Politics should have no place in the future of Florida’s transportation, as evidenced by this letter of bipartisan support."
Come again, Senators? Governor Scott’s decision to kill HSR is based on his very sober cost/benefit analysis of the project. You can agree or disagree with Governor Scott’s decision, but your support of HSR is as every bit “political” as his decision was to kill the project.
