Healthcare: Bigger, Longer And UnCut

James Pethokoukis voices one of the most common arguments against the healthcare bill:


The CBO projects $81 billion in savings over the first decade and then “the added revenues and cost savings are projected to grow more rapidly than the cost of the coverage expansion.” Great news. But those savings will materialize only if Congress actually cuts a projected $400 billion in government healthcare spending including Medicare reimbursements to hospitals, doctors and other providers –  over 10 years. Skepticism here is warranted. Previous congressional promises to cut reimbursements haven’t panned out.

Others argue that the CBO tends to underestimate savings from Medicare cuts. But at some point, what cannot continue won't.