What's New

At her press conference this morning announcing state efforts to "breakdown the silos" between the state's dual eligible population for Medicaid and Medicare, Governor Gregoire said we need to move away from "Bureaucratic Centered Health Care" and instead focus our efforts on "Patient Centered Health Care." We couldn't agree more. In fact, that is the focus of a book written by WPC's Health Care Analyst Dr.

The new federal health care legislation, ObamaCare, was signed into law in 2010. American opinion polls have consistently shown that voters do not like the law. Rasmussen polls, done on a regular schedule since the debate on ObamaCare began, have never dropped below a 49 percent disapproval rating and usually show that 52 to 60 percent of those polled favor repeal of the law. Even the liberal Kaiser Family Foundation poll now reveals a virtual split between opponents and proponent of ObamaCare.

Proponents of the new federal health care reform law, ObamaCare, are quick to point out the "benefits" in the law that Medicare patients will receive. Specifically, our seniors will now have the prescription drug donut-hole closed and will now receive a no-cost annual physical examination.

What the proponents don't mention is the $768 billion overall cut to the Medicare program over the next ten years. This huge cut will be in the form of reduced payments to providers. Here are the numbers from the nonpartisan Congressionsal Budget Office: