is the SGR finally ending?

[gmcguitar4]

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http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2013/02/18/gvl10218.htm

 

[DocEspana]

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2013/02/18/gvl10218.htm

No. Unfortunately, creative bookkeping is pointless in the current fiscal environment. Its still not feasible either way.

Only owing $138 billion rather than $240 billion when we are 4 days away from sequestration is like only having your bedroom on fire rather than your bedroom and living room, when your bedroom closet is full of gunpowder.

There was a great opportunity a year ago (feb 2012) when congress was discussing utilizing the overseas operations funds (an excess supply of money that was pre-charged to the american people a few years ago and set aside to fund the iraq war until 2015). Turns out the amount of excess money sitting in holding was almost exactly the amount owed to the SGR down to the billion, and there was no longer an Iraq war to require that money. Then the problems happened.

1) The doctor's caucus (overwhelmingly republican) voted to use that money to end SGR. (hooray)
2) The democrats were approached first and they said they would consider the idea, but it needed bipartisan support because they are the house minority and, frankly they had already planned to build bridges and trains with that money (sort of yay?)
3) The republicans were approached with this and told the doctor's caucus to GTFO and STFU because it was literally too good of a political win for Obama in an election year to allow that money to solve the SGR. Officially their argument was that you should just not use the money because it was allocated for war and any use of it for anything other than war would require voting, and voting to change where funding goes is *clearly* never ever done.
4) The push to use the OOF for solving SGR died when the doctor's caucus was told heads would roll if they crossed the aisle in an election year.

I was in capitol hill the day the republicans put the kaibosh on that idea. I was talking to the healthcare and medicine aide for my republican congressperson (trying to make believe you can't identify where I'm from) and the aide was *livid* because she has just sat through the meeting with the congressperson. Congressperson tactfully dodged my questions on the matter. Aide was fuming and passed on the info, info that matched what others who had representatives within the doctor's caucus had also heard.

Thankfully its not an election year any more. But it always terrifies me when fixing a massive problem with society and economics is considered "too big of a win" for a sitting president to be allowed. So given any way to "improve the country" in the wake of sequestration will be considered a win for obama, this will never be allowed to be repealed over the next 4 years, IMHO.

 

[gmcguitar4]

3) The republicans were approached with this and told the doctor's caucus to GTFO and STFU because it was literally too good of a political win for Obama in an election year to allow that money to solve the SGR.

This is f'd up on so many levels. I am actually mad right now.

 

[Eiot]

3) The republicans were approached with this and told the doctor's caucus to GTFO and STFU because it was literally too good of a political win for Obama in an election year to allow that money to solve the SGR.

I witnessed this first hand.