Official: Bush’s 2009 Budget To Freeze Most Domestic Programs
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WASHINGTON — President Bush’s 2009 budget will virtually freeze most domestic programs and seek nearly $200 billion in savings from federal health care programs, a senior administration official said today.
The Bush budget also will likely exceed $3 trillion, this official said.
Mr. Bush on Monday will present his proposed budget for the new fiscal year to Congress, where it’s unlikely to gain much traction in the midst of a presidential campaign.
The president will propose nearly $178 billion in savings from Medicare — a number that’s nearly triple what he proposed last year. Much of the savings would come from freezing reimbursement rates for most health care providers for three years. Another $17 billion would come from the Medicaid program, the state-federal partnership that provides health coverage to the poor.
The official, whose spoke on condition of anonymity because the budget has not yet been released, said the budget for domestic programs would look like last year’s.
“It’s a very small increase,” he said. “Very small.”
A second official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said that domestic discretionary spending would increase by less than 1% under Mr. Bush’s proposal.
The budget is likely to have deficits of about $400 billion for this year and next.
Economists say the best measure of the deficit is to compare it against the size of the economy. By that standard, a $400 billion deficit represents almost 3% of the gross domestic product. By contrast, President Clinton was facing deficits in the 4% range when he felt compelled to tackle the issue in 1993.
One official made it clear that Medicare would continue to grow, but not as quickly as had been expected. “Medicare will grow at 5%. It just won’t grow over 7%,” said this official.
Savings also would come by charging wealthier people higher monthly premiums for Medicare’s drug program.
He said that Medicare’s rapid growth, especially as the baby boomers become eligible for the program, must be addressed. He said critics of the Bush administration’s proposals should come up with their own plan.
