Organization: Obama's budget puts Medicare spending where it belongs

President Barack Obama's budget, which is headed to Congress for review, will improve health care for elderly Americans and for people living with disabilities, according to the Medicare Rights Center.


The national non-profit organization released a statement commenting on President Barack Obama's budget, which calls for $3.5 trillion to $4 trillion in spending in fiscal year 2010, and applauded its focus on Medicare spending.


Paul Precht, director of policy and communications at Medicare Rights Center, said in recent years "Medicare has become a cash cow for insurance companies" and that the new budget puts an end to that relationship.


"The president's budget finally ends that bonanza, even as it takes administrative action to ensure people enrolled in Medicare private health plans receive decent benefits," Precht said.


Precht added the savings from "increasing the efficiency and quality of Medicare" will provide a down payment toward the president's health care reform plan.

That down payment, reported to be $634 billion reserve fund, will cover two-thirds of the 10-year cost for the much-anticipated universal health care plan.


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