Fiscal Commission advocates establishing public option for health care.

[Sirveri]

None of this post should be construed as arguing that everything in the commission is good, intelligent, etc. I'm merely trying to find bright points before I find the really really horrible stuff (like defunding NPR, yeah it does that too (specifically cuts CPB)).

If costs have grown faster than targets (on average of previous 5 years), require President to submit and Congress to consider reforms to lower spending, such as:

*Increase premiums (or further increase cost-sharing)
*Overhaul the fee-for-service system
*Develop a premium support system for Medicare
*Add a robust public option and/or all-payer system in the exchange
*Further expand authority of IPAB

Source: http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/CoChair_Draft.pdf
Page 36 (Long-Term Health Care Savings)

Other strange things:
Option 2 (Wyden-Gregg style reform):
* Limit mortgage deduction to exclude 2nd residences, home equity loans, and mortgages over $500,000

Source: " Page 26

42. Double Secretary Gates’ cuts to defense contracting. (5.4 Billion)
43. Reduce procurement by 15 percent ... Options 44-50 below suggest specific procurement cuts that could be used to help reach a 15 percent cut. (20.0 Billion)
44. End procurement of the V-22 Osprey.
45. Cancel the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.
46. Substitute F-16 and F/A-18Es for half of the Air Force and Navy’s planned buys of F-35 fighter aircraft.
47. Cancel the Marine Corps version of the F-35.
48. Cancel the Navy’s Future Maritime Prepositioning Force.
49. Cancel the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), the Ground Combat Vehicle, and the Joint Tactical Radio.
50. Reduce planned levels for "Other Procurement.”
51. Reduce military personnel stationed at overseas bases in Europe and Asia by one-third. (8.5 Billion)

Source: http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/Illustrative_List_11.10.2010.pdf
Pages: 18-20

[Drale]

1. I'm not an expert but

wouldn't a public option effectively replace medicare?

[Sirveri]

2. They're talking about the health care exchange.

Basically it relates specifically to HCR as passed last year, as far as I'm reading it, at least for that line item. The others might be talking about medicare, medicaid, and CHIP. But that one specifically addresses the exchange. Everyone appears to be focused on medicare and the first three line items, and then just skip over item 4.

Page 35 is:
Long-Term Health Care Savings
Set global target for total federal health expenditures after 2020 (Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, exchange subsidies, employer health exclusion), and review costs every 2 years. Keep growth to GDP+1%.

If costs have grown faster than targets (on average of previous 5 years), require President to submit and Congress to consider reforms to lower spending, such as:
Increase premiums (or further increase cost-sharing)
Overhaul the fee-for-service system
Develop a premium support system for Medicare
Add a robust public option and/or all-payer system in the exchange
Further expand authority of IPAB

[elleng]

3. INCORRECT to state 'Fiscal Commission advocates.'

FIRST link is a DRAFT from Co-Chairs; second, STAFF estimates of illustrative savings.

THE FISCAL COMMISSION HAS ADVOCATED NOTHING.

[Sirveri]

4. OK, fair point.

Really I'm trying to draw attention to stuff people might not have actually seen.

[elleng]

5. Good for people to be informed, not alarmed.Thanks!

repugs to the 'false alarming.'

[Sirveri]

6. The main thing was to draw views, with a little poetic license.

It's technically the co-chair proposal, but that's all that has been discussed so far(with the media calling it the deficit commission), and there are some really interesting things in it that deserve reading.

[subterranean]

7. I don't interpret that as advocating a public option.

It just mentions the public option as one of numerous possibilities to be considered if costs rise too quickly.