Medicare and Medicaid Could Lose Billions in Budget Talks

Here.

Somehow I think Republicans will balk at cutting out the profits of private sector beneficiaries of government dollars as the health care industry is quite a lucrative business in this country.  Paying 2 to 3 times as much as other nations for health care pays for a lot of CEO vacations who certainly don't want to see their paychecks dwindle down on par with their cohorts in other industrialized nations...

But here is a question.  Should overpayments be in quotes if we aren't on the editorial page?

Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Senate Democrat, said: “We are very willing to entertain savings in Medicare. Medicare gives very good health care very inefficiently.”

In return, Mr. Schumer said, Republicans should be willing to consider some additional revenue.

Negotiators said they were seriously considering cuts in Medicare payments to hospitals for uncollectible patient debt and the training of doctors; steps to eliminate Medicare “overpayments” to nursing homes; a reduction in the federal share of some Medicaid spending; and new restrictions on states’ ability to finance Medicaid by imposing taxes on hospitals and other health care providers.