Is the Health Care Industry Pulling a Fast One?

The big news in Washington today will be Obama's push for nationalized health care, but all of the sudden the health care industry has managed to come up with huge savings as they try to stave off the federal program:

WASHINGTON -- In a rare move before the Obama administration has unveiled the details of its own health care overhaul, industry groups are offering to reduce the costs of coverage for all Americans in the hopes of staving off legislation that would restrict their profitability in future years.

Leaders of the health care industry have offered $2 trillion in spending reductions over 10 years. The goal is to make insurance more affordable so the government does not create a system to enroll middle-class workers and their families that directly competes with the health care industry.

Under a government system, drug makers worry that in the future, new medications might have to pass a cost-benefit test before they can win approval. And hospitals and doctors are concerned the government could dictate what they get paid to care for any patient, not only the elderly and the poor.

We just found out that our family health plan premium will go up by 48% next year. 48% in one year. And now the health care industry says they can find $2 trillion in savings? Where were the savings when rates were going up year after year and there was no threat of a federal program?

I do not believe the answer is federalized health care, but an industry that can suddenly find $2 trillion in savings when threatened with federal action clearly has been taking advantage of their situation to the detriment of the public.

They may think they're preempting congressional action with this sudden finding of trillions of dollars, but in fact they may have sealed their fate by admitting they could have saved money all along but didn't do it. They've brought this federal takeover on themselves.

If I sound a little peeved, I am.