Sebelius admits to double-counting in Obamacare budget

[Chris_]

Not only did the Obama Administration add another $100 billion to the cost of Obamacare one month after the bill was rammed through Congress but today the Obama Administration admitted to fraud. The White House and Democrats double-counted $500 billion in Obamacare in order to make it look like the bill was going to save the American taxpayers some cash

Democrats told America “We’re just giddy” about saving money with Obamacare before they rammed it home.

It was a lie.

Gateway Pundit

HHS Secretary Sebelius admits to double-counting in Obamacare budget

In her first appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee since the health-care law passed, Kathleen Sebelius responded to a line of questioning by Republican Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois about whether $500 billion in Medicare cuts were used to sustain the program or pay for the law.

“There is an issue here on the budget because your own actuary has said you can’t double-count,” said Shimkus. “You can’t count — they’re attacking Medicare on the CR when their bill, your law, cut $500 billion from Medicare.”

He continued: “Then you’re also using the same $500 billion to what? Say your funding health care. Your own actuary says you can’t do both. […] What’s the $500 billion in cuts for? Preserving Medicare or funding the health-care law?

Sebelius’ reply? “Both.”

The Congressional Budget Office released a memo that said HHS’s math was more than a little off.

“[…] They cannot be set aside to pay for future Medicare spending and, at the same time, pay for current spending on other parts of the legislation or on other programs … To describe the full amount of HI trust fund savings as both improving the government’s ability to pay future Medicare benefits and financing new spending outside of Medicare would essentially double-count a large share of those savings,” said the CBO memo.

The Daily Caller

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukaIZ7pmabo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

[FreeBorn]

Don't worry, this sort of thing isn't going to be opposed in court anymore...

[thundley4]

Fox News and many of the conservative blogs were pointing this out before the bill ever became law and the MSM didn't care.

[docstew]

Fox News and many of the conservative blogs were pointing this out before the bill ever became law and the MSM didn't care.

What other details that were denied or downplayed will turn out to be true? Death panel, anyone?

[HarveyF]

It's just amazing that there isn't a non-partisan group or organization that can tell Americans exactly how much the healthcare reform law will save or cost. I know the CBO is supposed to be non-partisan or bipartisan but apparently they use some of the numbers provided by the authors of the bill to crunch the final numbers. I realize that it can be difficult to crunch numbers on such a huge bill but someone should be doing it that isn't partisan.