Cuts outlined in Bush's FYE '07 are specifically targeting Medicare:
The fiscal year 2007 budget that President Bush has proposed would increase the federal deficit by $35 billion this year, with proposed spending reductions for Medicare, Medicaid and other programs expected to offset about one-third of the cost of his other proposals, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released on Friday, the New York Times reports (Andrews, New York Times, 3/4). According to CBO, the budget proposal over five years would reduce spending for Medicare by $37 billion and for all entitlement programs by $56 billion. Over 10 years, the budget proposal would reduce spending for Medicare by $138 billion and for all entitlement programs by $184 billion, according to CBO (Cohn, CongressDaily, 3/6).
There's no reason why Medicare cuts should equal 75% of entitlement spending cuts, except to piss people off. And while this policy wonk is pretty miffed, I'm not the target audience, nor are other Medicare and public program supporters. No, the attack is meant for physicians and hospitals. It's meant to start agitation and send shock waves through the patient population that declare public programs undependable.
Well, yes, they are when you don't fund them adequately. Or design them properly.
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