Quote:
White House Resists Offering Details on Financing Health Plan

Julianna Goldman and Mike Dorning Julianna Goldman And Mike Dorning – Fri Sep 11, 12:03 am ET

Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama vowed before a national television audience on Sept. 9 that his $900 billion proposal to overhaul health care wouldn’t add “one dime” to the federal deficit.

So far, White House officials have offered few details on how they intend to pay for the plan. Instead, they’ve deferred to Congress on the issue, saying they’ll consider all options.

With Obama this week declaring ownership of the plan to enact the most extensive changes in health care in more than four decades, the White House’s reluctance to break down how it would finance the measure is rankling some lawmakers.

“He needs to put together a blisteringly specific plan that can be analyzed by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office or embrace legislation that is already being considered,” said Representative Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican and member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Otherwise, all we have is non-specific assertions with no credible support.”

Administration officials say two-thirds of the legislation will be financed by savings in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and the elimination of “waste, fraud and abuse” in the health-care system. The remainder will come from revenue- raising measures, some of which have stirred opposition in Congress. As a result, some lawmakers and experts say Obama’s plans lack the clarity his aides promised before his speech.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20...hpdGVob3VzZXJl
Two-thirds of the legislation will be financed by savings in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Is that some kind of a bad joke? Right now Medicare/Medicaid fraud accounts for an expense of about $1350 per insured per year. Yet, somehow they think they can fix it overnight and finance Obamacare 2/3rd's from the savings? Fix Medicare fraud first and we'll talk. If they can't chop that Medicare fraud down to size, 2/3rd's of Obamacare will NEVER come from Medicare savings, but from tax increases.