President Obama's ambitious proposal to get Americans back to work again could wind up costing healthcare jobs, reports Politico. Obama specifically asked the Congressional "supercommittee" to consider deeper cuts to Medicare entitlement programs in order to pay for his proposal, which he has urged Congress to pass as quickly as possible.
The healthcare sector has added 74,000 jobs so far this year--one of the few promising spots of economic growth. "It seems silly to take money from the only growing sector of the economy to prop up others," said a healthcare lobbyist.
The committee is charged with finding $1.5 trillion in cuts to the federal budget over the next decade.
"It has been complex since the start," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and a member of the committee, told Politico. "We'll have to take a look at the president's proposal when he sends it over."
To learn more:
- read the Politico article
- read The Hill's Healthwatch article