I can't believe I gave these people money.

  • Dimmer06 [he/him,comrade/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I'm pretty sure they mean no money is allocated for it. The bill doesn't say print more money, raise taxes, etc. It says non-allocated funds and funds already allocated to existing federal medical programs should be allocated to the Universal Medicare Trust Fund. This would be fine if we weren't talking about tripling the size of the already short-funded medicare and medicaid programs. It needs something that says raise taxes or print more money otherwise you're trying to run a program that will cost $3 trillion per year with $1.3 trillion.

    SEC. 701. Universal Medicare Trust Fund.

    (a) In general.—There is hereby created on the books of the Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known as the Universal Medicare Trust Fund (in this section referred to as the “Trust Fund”). The Trust Fund shall consist of such gifts and bequests as may be made and such amounts as may be deposited in, or appropriated to, such Trust Fund as provided in this Act.

    (b) Appropriations into trust fund.—

    (1) TAXES.—There are appropriated to the Trust Fund for each fiscal year beginning with the fiscal year which includes the date on which benefits first become available as described in section 106, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, amounts equivalent to 100 percent of the net increase in revenues to the Treasury which is attributable to the amendments made by sections 801 and 902. The amounts appropriated by the preceding sentence shall be transferred from time to time (but not less frequently than monthly) from the general fund in the Treasury to the Trust Fund, such amounts to be determined on the basis of estimates by the Secretary of the Treasury of the taxes paid to or deposited into the Treasury, and proper adjustments shall be made in amounts subsequently transferred to the extent prior estimates were in excess of or were less than the amounts that should have been so transferred.

    (2) CURRENT PROGRAM RECEIPTS.—

    (A) INITIAL YEAR.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, there is appropriated to the Trust Fund for the fiscal year containing January 1 of the first year following the date of the enactment of this Act, an amount equal to the aggregate amount appropriated for the preceding fiscal year for the following (increased by the consumer price index for all urban consumers for the fiscal year involved):

    (i) The Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (other than amounts attributable to any premiums under such title).

    (ii) The Medicaid program under State plans approved under title XIX of such Act.

    (iii) The Federal Employees Health Benefits program, under chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code.

    (iv) The TRICARE program, under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code.

    (v) The maternal and child health program (under title V of the Social Security Act), vocational rehabilitation programs, programs for drug abuse and mental health services under the Public Health Service Act, programs providing general hospital or medical assistance, and any other Federal program identified by the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to the extent the programs provide for payment for health services the payment of which may be made under this Act.

    (B) SUBSEQUENT YEARS.—Not­with­stand­ing any other provision of law, there is appropriated to the trust fund for the fiscal year containing January 1 of the second year following the date of the enactment of this Act, and for each fiscal year thereafter, an amount equal to the amount appropriated to the Trust Fund for the previous year, adjusted for reductions in costs resulting from the implementation of this Act, changes in the consumer price index for all urban consumers for the fiscal year involved, and other factors determined appropriate by the Secretary.

      • Dimmer06 [he/him,comrade/them]
        ·
        edit-2
        4 years ago

        801 has to do with not duplicating federal employee retirement benefits and 902 is about terminating Medicaid expansions for the states created by the Affordable Care Act

          • Dimmer06 [he/him,comrade/them]
            ·
            4 years ago

            Yeah basically, just to set up a baseline of funding. I'm not sure if they would include where those funds are coming from in the bill or do it in a separate bill, but they need to have a bit that says "congress authorizes another $2 trillion (or however much the CBO estimates is necessary) to this trust."