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Does HHS pilot plan contradict Obama's Medicare pledge?

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    President vowed never to 'turn Medicare into a voucher'

  • Duration 5:06
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So -- issues now get a little sticky a promise from the White House from the president when it comes to his health care overhaul.

May be fading away just days after he made the statement.

A government pilot program could be preparing to -- two million Americans.

On -- the same kind of voucher system that he pledged would never see the light of day remember.

I will never turn Medicare into a voucher.

No American.

Should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies.

They should retire with the chair and the dignity that they -- So here now.

Wall Street post economic writer Stephen Moore fox medical -- -- doctor Mark Siegel to talk about.

What we are learning now and gentlemen good morning to both of you Bruins -- -- good first -- the doctor what is this pilot program all about how was it sent out.

Bill what this has in mind is to take the poorest patients who -- both Medicaid and Medicare either because they're disabled or very poor.

At -- shift them two million of them in eighteen states to shift them to a managed care program where private insurance.

Will cover them but the key here is mandatory because.

You know under congressman Ryan's program it was not mandatory the idea is you could choose.

To use your money to buy a private plane and the problem wasn't mandatory bill.

Is your doctor may actually -- that private insurer the state could shift you may editorially from your Medicare and Medicaid that a doctor like me except.

-- into a managed care that I might not accept the Centre court at all times that long I guess haven't you can't opt out of it what -- mean all kinds of happened.

Because again the biggest problem is networks as I've said on the show before.

Is your doctor take this insurance that they work with other doctors that take this insurance you've got to keep -- -- you're -- having that network and any kind of shift.

Put pressure on the doctor to take insurance that it may not actually work with that's what I like about.

The voluntary aspect of the -- of the Ryan plan it gives you the option to shift insurance -- you go to your doctor today.

Do you take this insurance do you take that insurance what do you think in this HMO.

That's the key here is choice there's no choice of the federal government is mandating -- -- -- the medical perspective we give out from the economic perspective Steve I'm obviously there's money drives this.

What is it.

Well you know you played that clip -- just a few minutes ago about the president saying that Republicans want -- bankrupt Medicare.

I think that the truth is that Medicare is gonna bankrupt the country in the budget if we don't do something about this program.

It's already about 500 billion dollars a year bill if we stay on the course that one run and do nothing.

To reform it it'll be close to a trillion dollars with then with -- not -- yourself it's an enormous it's a pac man in the budget that -- heating up Boller fiscal.

Resource is what I find ironic about this story Dallas remember those ads you've -- -- -- on your shot.

With Paul Ryan with the with the grandmother in the wheelchair being wheeled -- -- While it sounds like it the person -- drive in that wheelchair in this instance as President Obama.

You know and I think that the doctor had it right the key difference here between the two policy proposals.

Is that Paul Ryan plan that's mandatory you could stay in traditional Medicare as a senior if you wanted to or you could move into the southern plan.

In these states that would adopt this plan it would be required -- he wouldn't have a tour.

Let me give back to the doctor on this that you think that vouchers have been given a bad name.

And -- sense so I don't I really don't like the word vouchers at all because really we're talking about Medicare Advantage we're talking about a program that's already popular.

Where basically HMO gets involved takes the Medicare dollars and instead of covering 80% of your medical cost to go to a doctor it covers a 100%.

These are popular programs it's not really a voucher it's about privatizing and you know with the institute of medicine coming out -- with a report last week.

That this 750 billion dollars a year of waste in the health care system the -- way to get rid of that waste.

Is to streamline things improve efficiency and you better believe that private solution to work for that.

Because you want to try to preserve a profit of you don't have a profit motive you're not gonna become more.

How to tell what I like more than how would that change the economics here.

Didn't look at does that bring on greater competition was drive prices down -- is -- -- something.

I believe so I'll and I believe there's a lot of wisdom to what Polly wants to do and in fact the details and I've seen so far of what president Obama's talking about seemed to make some sense except them -- that it's not.

Something you get to choose but look we know we can't stay on the course wore on and I'll get some of the present a little bit of praise here that the idea of maybe bringing some competition into these plans will drive down costs and make it more affordable front -- we reached out to HHS and also the White House still awaiting response on that -- come sometime today we do believe.

And when it does we'll give it to our viewers interesting.

Development there Mark Siegel thank you Stephen Moore thinks he was well there you -- --

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