Of course I have a horse in Montana’s senate race. As a body, Senate Republicans are______, intent on leaving the economy in the lurch. So flattop Jon it is.
More importantly, I’m interested in how brazenly Crossroads GPS is peddling what border on outright lies in states with hotly contested elections. In Montana’s case, they’re targeting (trying to piss off/scare the pants off) seniors–to whom I ask a simple question: Do you believe that you deserve affordable access to medical care while tens of millions of your under-65 fellow citizens don’t? Crossroads’ talking points are fermented. Again, they’re basically lying to you.
(1) Obamacare cuts Medicare spending by $500 billion
Clearly, “reigning in government spending” is a principle of convenience.
Is the claim true? Well, did you know that they’re intent on stealing your freedom and the American dream is lost unless we rise up they want to take away your guns and Solyndra?
Yes, the law does reduce Medicare spending by roughly $500 billion less than it would have been without the law. That’s over 10 years, by the way, and Medicare will cost a little under $500 billion this year. But none of that comes out of benefits guaranteed under the law.
The biggest single chunk comes from reducing what had been overpayments to private HMOs and other health plans that serve about 20 percent of Medicare patients.
The next biggest chunk comes from hospitals and other providers of health care that hope to get that money back because more people will have insurance.
As to other changes to Medicare, there are actually some new benefits. The doughnut hole, that gap in coverage for prescription drugs, is being gradually closed. And Medicare patients are now getting new preventive screenings, like mammograms, without having to pay a deductible.
(2) Obamacare gives a board of unelected bureaucrats the power to restrict seniors’ care
Forget Medicare spending–Death Panels!
KKF:
Starting in 2014, if projected per capita Medicare spending exceeds targets set in the law, the board must recommend ways to reduce Medicare spending, while maintaining quality and access to care for beneficiaries.
CRS:
The Board’s charge is to develop proposals for the Secretary to implement that reduce the per capita growth in Medicare expenditures, not to reduce Medicare expenditures. Therefore, while the Congressional Budget Office projects that the cumulative impact of the Board’s recommendations from 2015 through 2019 will reduce total spending by $15.5 billion, during the same period, Medicare expenditures will total $3.9 trillion with average spending per beneficiary forecast to increase from $13,374 to $15,749. While the Board’s potential impact on total expenditures is likely to be relatively small compared to overall Medicare expenditures, its impact on particular Medicare providers or suppliers may be significant, particularly if the Board alters payment mechanisms. Finally, the Board’s impact may be larger if private insurers continue to track Medicare payment policies and adopt similar reductions in payments to their providers and suppliers.
Didn’t the House already vote to abolish the Independent Payment Advisory Board? Thankfully, they’re just one member of the dysfunctional legislative family.
(3) Obamacare raises taxes by half a trillion dollars
In other words, Individual Mandate. And broccoli.
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