Gingrich falsely claims that health care reform legislation would add "big deficits"
On the February 25 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich falsely claimed that "all" Democrats' health care proposals "require...higher deficits" and would add "big deficits." In fact, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, both the House and Senate versions of health care reform legislation reduce the federal deficit.
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Gingrich falsely claimed that health care reform will lead to higher deficits
From the February 25 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:
GINGRICH: The biggest things Republicans are going to focus on is that in this economy, with this level of unemployment, with the crisis we're seeing evolve in Europe, the idea of adding big tax increases, adding big deficits is very, very dangerous when we should be focusing on how to reduce taxes and create jobs and get people back to work. So Republicans, I think, are going to draw a very firm line against any kind of tax increase that would kill jobs, and that's very hard for liberal Democrats to live with because all of their plans require bigger spending, higher deficits and more taxes, and it's a fundamental disagreement about the nature of the world.
FACT: CBO estimated that health reform bills would reduce deficits over next 10 years and beyond
CBO: Senate bill yields "a net reduction in federal deficits of $132 billion" over 10 years. On December 19, 2009, CBO reported of the Senate bill incorporating the manager's amendment:
CBO and JCT estimate that the direct spending and revenue effects of enacting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act incorporating the manager's amendment would yield a net reduction in federal deficits of $132 billion over the 2010-2019 period.
CBO also estimated on December 20, 2009, that the bill will continue to reduce the deficit beyond the 10-year budget window that ends in 2019 "with a total effect during that decade that is in a broad range between one-quarter percent and one-half percent of GDP."
CBO estimated the House bill will result in $138 billion in deficit reduction through 2019. On November 20, 2009, CBO reported of the House health care reform legislation, "CBO and JCT now estimate that the legislation would yield a net reduction in deficits of $138 billion over the 10-year period." CBO also stated in its November 6 estimate that "[i]n the subsequent decade, the collective effect of its provisions would probably be slight reductions in federal budget deficits. Those estimates are all subject to substantial uncertainty."
Of course they are PROJECTIONS! So why is mmfa using these PROJECTIONS to call Gingrich a liar? It appears the "some" you are talking about is mmfa. THEY are the ones who think these are absolute claims.
Mr. Gingrich is considering only the cost projection portion, and not the commesurate cost saving projection (not only higher than the cost projection, but higher than the cost TO TAXPAYERS of doing nothing).
What I would like to know, aside from the misinformation that he is spreading, is what he gains from spreading the misinformation.
I would guess he gains the same thing mmfa does when they spread misinformation... popularity among wing-nuts from their respective 'side'.
Uh, maybe discrediting a program proposed by Democrats? Could that be the reason?
Go here: http://mediamatters.org/ and you'll find plenty of misinformation designed specifically to discredit anyone who doesn't 'toe the line' of the democratic agenda.
You haven't done shown ANYTHING. The important part was: Please provide proof of any misinformation. Please note that whining isn't proof. You're revealing your own empty arguments.
People need to get their facts straight. The government will be providing health care they will offer insurance.
And yes I would trust government to run the program if the people who run it don't already think it will fail. Kind of like Republicans.
Look at the mess they caused over the last 8 years. They want to see government fail so we can go back to the good old days of the robber barons.
I mean would you hire a bank robber or con man to watch over your life savings? Then why in the world would you ever want Republicans in charge of government again?
And trying to have a productive discussion with a Republican is like talking to a 2 year old. They only repeat what they're told to. They gave up their individuality to belong to a group of people who's central belief is hate.
I don't think anyone has said that. I do see mmfa (and all sheep-iberals) claiming the CBO is absolutely right and anyone disagreeing with them is a liar.
BTW, does anyone remember the budget numbers that the CBO used a year ago to express the success potential of the Obama plan? I don't remember many liberals expressing such support for them, then. Oh, I get it, if the numbers support your ideals they are absolutely correct. If they don't, then they are unequivically wrong.
rex-- They gave up their individuality to belong to a group of people who's central belief is hate.
Just who are you talking about? Sounds like liberals, but it's hard to tell after all those one-liners you just parroted. LOL
That's the same disclaimer that you might find on any corporate budget or prospective business venture. It's a simple statement of fact that we don't know exactly what the future holds, that circumstances can change.
Any attempt to read more into it than that is based on ignorance or dishonesty.
B) the CBO is obliged to accept the assumptions presented when it produces estimates. In the out years, particularly a decade hence, those assumptions are always flimsy at best. Heck, the $787b stim pac has grown by some $75b in less than a year!
The only new program that I now of in recent memory that has actually come in under projection is the prescription package! All others of which I am aware have grossly underestimated and over spent.
Yeah, where were they? Can you provide some quotes from those concerned liberal democrats that discussed the deficits during Bush's administration? If not, then stop your hypocritical whining.
BTW, you're replying to a request for quotes from democrats during Bush's deficit years. Do you have any? Or did the democrats remain silent during those years and now are complaining that the republicans won't remain silent?
The only question on our current path is when the default will occur.
Appropriate for those with sociopathic tendency's.
Republicans always whine about wealth redistribution but one anything while the middle class was being sucked dry by the same the ssme people who caused this mess.
Then you feed CBO numbers where you tax for 10 years and provide services for 6 years.
Then you take money from Medicare and slide it into health care.
Then you use supplemental defense spending to channel funding through Veterans hospitals.
The CBO heads are spinning so fast they don't know which way is up or down.
Anyone pushing this health care agenda should be put into jail either under suspicion of fraud or suspicion of mental incompetence.
The only thing that doesn't kick in for 4 years is the tax on the "cadilac plans."
Nothing about defense spending going into the healthcare bill, again something you pulled out of your fourth point of contact.
CBO is a non partisian office that specializes in projecting budgetary requirements for bills.
You can't put anyone in jail on mere suspicion and not being mentally incompetant
If you look at Thomson Reuters, when they look at all of this, they say at least 15 percent of government-run health care is fraud.
The CBO is independent but it is a garbage in garbage out system. When Congress robs Peter to pay Paul the CBO doesn't care about Peter.
Well, when you look at the total amount of health care that's government run, you know, you're talking $150 billion a year.
And with taxes starting immediately and benefits starting years into the future, it has nothing to do with cadilac plans.
With the Patriot act, we can put you in jail for any reason we want.
Here's what they REALLY said.
A Thomson Reuters report published last October found that the U.S. healthcare system wastes between $505 billion and $850 billion every year, with around 22 percent of that going on fraudulent insurance, kickbacks for referrals for unnecessary services and other scams.
So, 22% of the WASTED DOLLARS are fraud. Not 22% of all spending.
Or here's something else.
$60 billion. That's the conservative estimate of how much money is lost to healthcare fraud each year according to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA). Other industry experts estimate the number to be much, much higher.
The June 2009 NHCAA report titled Fighting Health Care Fraud: An Integral Part of Health Care Reform, states that Americans spent $2.24 trillion on healthcare in 2007 (the most recent year full statistics are available). Out of those trillions of dollars, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) estimates that between 3–10 percent was spent on fraudulent healthcare. That translates to the American public being robbed of somewhere between $67–$224 billion — in one year alone.
$60 Billion is less than 3% of $2.24 Trillion.
http://info.thomsonhealthcare.com/?elqPURLPage=475
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60H01620100118
I didn't say 22% anywhere.
I spoke only of government waste so the $2.4 trillion number has no meaning in arguing with what I said.
The low number of 3% was probably the government number and the private number averaged together.
The point it government waste was 15%.
For a bunch of white guys who say they are fiscally responsible they sure don't show it.
In fact spending during that time wnet through the roof.
Republican control: 13 years, full control (55+ majority): 6 years.
Democratic control: 4 years, full control (55+ majority):
Less than 2 years.
Not only logic, but basic common sense dictate that REPUBLICANS HAD THE TIME AND CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING!
Once the republicans take back over, send them your concerns and maybe something can get corrected. It's obvious liberals can't get it done. Maybe if the whiney liberals would stop complaining about lies that aren't present and step up to the plate and create some actionable answer the nation could get over this. But Nooooooo! You've got to whine and whine and whine about how evil the republicans are instead of working for the betterment of the general public.
This will lead to debasement of the dollar, Turk writes, as markets realize that the U.S. government is no more credit-worthy than Greece.
Link is here
And my response was to this little dity:
The party of tax and spend vs the party of tax more and spend more. What the h##l difference does it make?
In fact some of the biggest insurers have been fined billions.
The private sector, that's a hoot.
The private sector are the death panels, they are the reason many people can't afford insurance or go bankrupt because their insurance company said no.
I can see the Republicans getting rid of Medicare and then being surprised when very few of the elderly can afford private insurance or can even get it if they can afford it.
Oh that's right I heard one of the Republican protesters, an older guy, at a health care town hall meeting say he wasn't working because of a back injury. Then they asked if he had health insurance and the guy said he didn't but would get it if he needed it.
Good luck with that.
I have some Republican neighbors who were very much against Obama. Then their business went belly up just before Bush left office. They had to give up their insurance which had a $5,000 deductible and then they said they hoped Obama could do something.
The point is you have to take what a Republican says with a grain of salt. Most of the time they don't know what they're talking about. It's never backed up by any proof just their belief.
Government does not do anything well except raise taxes and create new obstacles for competition.