Quantum Windbag
Gold Member
- May 9, 2010
- 58,308
- 5,101
- 245
Don't worry though,m it will save money, or so they tell me. Magic always comes through in the end.
Gov’t auditors call on Obama administration to cancel Medicare bonuses GOP sees as political - The Washington Post
In a blow to the Obama administration on Medicare, government auditors Monday called for the cancellation of a costly bonus program for private health plans that congressional Republicans have criticized as a wasteful political ploy. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office said its not clear that the $8.3 billion Medicare Advantage bonus program will improve quality because most of the money is going to plans just rated average. The auditors did find, however, that the bonuses would temporarily ease the pain of unpopular cuts to insurance plans under President Barack Obamas health care overhaul law.
Ahead of presidential and congressional elections in which seniors are a key group of swing voters, the administration has been working hard to portray itself as a good steward of Medicare, by cracking down on waste and fraud, improving benefits, and keeping costs under control. The GAO report could become a blemish on its record.
The administration defended the program, saying without bonuses many plans would not have an incentive to improve.
But Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the GAO report suggests that the administration abused its authority, pumping money to the plans to avoid more criticism over the cuts.
Gov’t auditors call on Obama administration to cancel Medicare bonuses GOP sees as political - The Washington Post