Doubting PelosiCare: New Obama Administration Report Shows Public Skepticism of Gov't Takeover of Health Care is Warranted
Seniors, Small Businesses, Working Families Discover "Hidden Land Mines," Fret Over "Fine Print" as New CMS Report Details Higher Costs, Massive Medicare Cuts
Washington,
Nov 16, 2009 -
The American people are becoming increasingly skeptical of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) 2,000-page government takeover of health care, and a new Obama Administration report shows why they have every right to be. In a new survey, the Associated Press found that “Americans are worried about the fine print in the health care overhaul.” The survey also confirmed once again that cost is the most critical issue for American families. Sure enough, a new Obama Administration report released over the weekend reveals how Speaker Pelosi’s government takeover of health care raises costs, imposes massive Medicare cuts, and jeopardizes seniors’ access to quality, affordable care.
Only Republicans have offered a health care plan that would lower premiums by as much as 10%, cut the deficit, and consistently reduce federal spending on health care over the next two decades. No worries about fine print here: the Republican plan’s lower premiums and reduced costs have been certified by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) commented on the new Obama Administration report:
“This report once again discredits Democrats’ assertions that their $1.3 trillion government takeover of health care will lower costs, and it confirms that this bill violates President Obama’s promise to ‘bend the cost curve.’ It’s now beyond dispute that their bill will raise costs, which is exactly what the American people don’t want. Democrats should scrap their current proposal and work in a bipartisan way on a plan to lower costs and increase access at a price tag our nation can afford.”
Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) also commented on the Obama Administration's findings:
“This report confirms what virtually every independent expert has been saying: Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill will increase costs, not decrease them. This is a stark warning to every Republican, Democrat and Independent worried about the financial future of this nation. I hope my colleagues in the Senate heed CMS’ findings and refuse to rush ahead until any bill under consideration can be certified to actually reduce health care costs.”
RAISING HEALTH CARE COSTS:
AP SURVEY: “More than 4 in 5 Americans now have health insurance, and their perceptions about costs will be critical as Obama tries to close the deal. … ‘These trade-offs really matter,’ says Robert Blendon, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who follows opinion trends. ‘The legislation contains a number of features that polls have shown to be popular, but support for the overall legislation is less than might be expected because people are worried there are details about these bills that could raise their families’ costs.’” (11/16/09)
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION REPORT: “In aggregate, we estimate that for calendar years 2010 through 2019 [national health expenditures] would increase by $289 billion.” [Page 12]
“CMS: House health bill will hike costs $289B. The House-approved healthcare overhaul would raise the costs of healthcare by $289 billion over the next 10 years, according to an analysis by the chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS report is a blow to the White House and House Democrats who have vowed that healthcare reform would curb the growth of healthcare spending.” (The Hill, 11/14/09)
CUTTING MEDICARE AND “JEOPARDIZING” SENIORS’ ACCESS TO CARE:
AP SURVEY: “Seniors remain more skeptical than younger generations.” (11/16/09)
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION REPORT: Speaker Pelosi’s government takeover of health care would cut Medicare by more than one-half trillion dollars ($571 billion), meaning that doctors and hospitals “might end their participation in the program (possibly jeopardizing access to care for beneficiaries.) We estimate that in 2014, when the MA [Medicare Advantage] provisions would be fully phased in, enrollment in MA plans would decrease by about 64 percent (from its projected level of 13.2 million under current law to 4.7 million under the proposal).” [Pages 8-9]
“Nonpartisan agency says House bill would reduce senior care. A plan to slash more than $500 billion from future Medicare spending … would sharply reduce benefits for some senior citizens and could jeopardize access to care for millions of others, according to a government evaluation released Saturday. The report … found that Medicare cuts contained in the health package approved by the House on Nov. 7 are likely to prove so costly to hospitals and nursing homes that they could stop taking Medicare altogether.” (The Washington Post, 11/15/09)
“Health reform’s hidden land mines. …[T]he new CMS report on the House bill offered some dire warnings. The proposed cuts could prove so onerous to hospitals and nursing homes that they stop taking Medicare patients.” (Politico, 11/16/09)
NEW BURDENS ON EMPLOYERS THREATEN JOBS, RAISE PROSPECTS OF EMPLOYEES LOSING COVERAGE:
AP SURVEY: “The poll found a similar opinion shift on employer requirements: 73 percent agreed that all companies should be required to give their employees at least some health insurance. Yet when asked if fines should be used to enforce such a requirement on medium and large companies, support dropped to 52 percent. ‘The cost — who's going to pick up the cost? There’s nobody to help that business out. If they can't afford to pay for the insurance, then what do they say, you either pay for the insurance or you go out of business?’ said Emerson Wilkins, 62, of Powder Springs, Ga.” (11/16/09)
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION REPORT: “[S]ome smaller employers would be inclined to terminate their existing coverage, and companies with low average salaries might find it to their—and their employees’—advantage to end their plans” [Page 7]
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