Brent Budowsky, columnist for The Hill, joins the 2nd hour of Thursday's show to discuss the midterm elections and what the Democrats can do to stop the Republicans.
Comedian and frequent ED Show contributor Lizz Winstead joins the 2nd hour of Thursday's show to discuss the insanity of the GOP.
The Discovery Channel Hostage-taker, who was shot to death by police on Wednesday, said he did it because he hated the channel's programming. We'll bring you the latest.
Obama Pushing for End Game on Health Care Posted on 3/10/2010
President Barack Obama speaks at a suburban St. Louis high school Wednesday to make his closing argument for a health care overhaul.
Obama is pushing a new anti-fraud plan.
High-Tech Bounty Hunters The plan would bring in high-tech bounty hunters to help root out health care fraud.
The idea has bipartisan backing.
Waste and fraud are serious problems for Medicare and Medicaid.
$54 Billion in Fraud Improper payments totaled an estimated $54 billion in 2009.
They range from simple errors such as duplicate billing to elaborate schemes operated by fraudsters peddling everything from wheelchairs to hospice care.
Private Auditors The bounty hunters in this case would be private auditors armed with sophisticated computer programs to scan Medicare and Medicaid billing data for patterns of bogus claims.
The auditors would get to keep part of any funds they recover.
Pilot Program The White House said a Medicare pilot program recouped $900 million for taxpayers from 2005-08.
A presidential memorandum by Obama directs Cabinet Secretaries and agency heads to intensify their use of private auditors under current legal authority.
$2 Billion to be Recouped The White House estimates that expanded use of private audits throughout the government could recoup at least $2 billion for taxpayers over three years.
Chamber of Commerce Spends $10 Million Against Business groups that oppose Obama's plan are stepping their opposition.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced a campaign to spend as much as $10 million on ads, starting Wednesday.
The ad says, "Stop this health care bill we can't afford."
Waiting for Cost Estimate Leaders in the House and Senate are waiting for a final cost analysis from the Congressional Budget Office in the next day or so that will allow them to start counting votes.
The two-step approach now being pursued calls for the House to approve a Senate-passed bill from last year.
Both chambers then would follow by approving a companion measure to make changes in that first bill.
