The president also has vowed that the legislation will not swell the deficit, although a senior administration official told reporters Tuesday that the pledge does not apply to an estimated $245 billion to increase fees for doctors serving Medicare patients over the next decade.

The trouble with government managed and funded healthcare is that expenses can be buried.  It is virtually impossible for private healthcare to compete against an organization that can print money, borrow, and reallocate expenses to adjust the appearant cost of a program.

One of the major issues, not discussed, is that the government is tampering again with the patient-doctor relationship by setting fixed fees for services.   We don’t know the “true value” of the services provided by the doctors to the patients.

7/22/09 AP – Obama faces challenges in getting healthcare reform