Bush administration budget proposal unkind to providers

Healthcare Financial Management, March, 2007

In his FY08 budget proposal released Feb. 5, President Bush took aim at Medicare and Medicaid--and the news is not good for providers. If adopted, the proposed budget would save $65.6 billion over the next five years in Medicare spending; another $10.2 billion would come from administrative or regulatory changes.

Describing the proposal as "devastating" and "the wrong way to go," several healthcare leaders accused the budget of not addressing the underlying problems of the healthcare system.