Fact Check: Senator Barrasso on Fox News 12/1/2009

• Dec 1, 2009 Posted by Brianna Jones

  Please see below for a fact check on the erroneous claims made by Senator Barrasso on FOX News this afternoon:

  RHETORIC: Sen. Barrasso: Americans Don't Support Reform, Reform Cuts Medicare, Premiums Will Go Up: "That this is not the right prescription for america. The majority of people in america do not support this. The reasons are because it cuts medicare and health care for our seniors that depend on health- care by half of a trillion dollars, as Senator McCain just pointed out. For people that have insurance it will cause the cost of their premiums to go up. I think that we should take step-by-step measures in a responsible way." [FOX News, 12/1/09]

  REALITY: ALL THREE CLAIMS ARE COMPLETELY FALSE

  Since October Of 2008, Never Less Than 53% Of Americans, And Up To 62% Of Americans Has Said That “Given the Serious Economic Problems Facing The Country…It Is More Important Than Ever To Take On Health Care Reform Now.” In a poll conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation since October of 2008 through November of 2009, support for health reform even in the face of “the serious economic problems facing the country,” 53 to 62 percent of those surveyed have agreed with the statement: “it is more important than ever to take on health care reform now.” [Kaiser Family Foundation, November 2009]

  AARP Applauded The Senate For Bill: “Makes Progress Towards Achieving Meaningful Relief For Millions Of Older Americans…Makes Improvements To The Medicare Program.” AARP said in a press release: “We applaud the Senate for merging the Finance and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committees’ bills and taking another important step toward fixing what’s wrong with our health care system. Under the leadership of Majority Leader Reid and Senators Baucus, Harkin and Dodd, the legislation announced today makes progress toward achieving meaningful relief for millions of older Americans who still face challenges accessing affordable, quality health care services. The new Senate bill makes improvements to the Medicare program by creating a new annual wellness benefit, providing free preventive benefits, and—most notably for AARP members—reducing drug costs for seniors who fall into the dreaded Medicare doughnut hole, a costly gap in prescription drug coverage.” [AARP, 11/18/09]

  FactCheck.org: “We Never Have Said That Seniors Would Suffer ‘Massive Cuts To Medicare Benefits’ Under [Health Reform Legislation], And In Fact Have Done Our Best To Debunk [Those] Claims.” FactCheck.org wrote: “We never have said that seniors would suffer ‘massive cuts to Medicare benefits’ under the pending House or Senate overhaul bills, and in fact have done our best to debunk claims to that effect.” [FactCheck.org, 11/3/09]

  WP: In “First Objective Analysis Of The Effect On Premiums,” CBO Found That Senate Bill “Would Leave Premiums Unchanged Or Slightly Lower For The Vast Majority Of Americans,” Contradicting Insurance Industry Claims. The Washington Post reported that, “[a]s the Senate opened debate Monday on a landmark plan to overhaul the nation's health-care system, congressional budget analysts said the measure would leave premiums unchanged or slightly lower for the vast majority of Americans, contradicting assertions by the insurance industry that the average family's coverage would rise by thousands of dollars if the proposal became law… Monday's CBO report offers the first objective analysis of the effect on premiums. An earlier study commissioned by America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group, warned that the Senate bill would dramatically increase insurance premiums, but the study's authors at PricewaterhouseCoopers later acknowledged that they had ignored major pieces of the legislation in their calculations.” [Washington Post, 12/1/09]

  RHETORIC: Sen. Barrasso Stoked Fears About Mammograms Under Reform: "I have a wife that was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 40's. She has had three operations and chemotherapy. We know that that mammogram saved her life and the lives, statistics say, of one out of 19 women in their 40's. This preventive task force has huge powers. If you go to page 1190 of the bill it says that this group will be able to decide what care is given and not given, rationing that the american people will not stand for." [FOX News, 12/1/09]

  REALITY: REFORM WOULD NOT LIMIT MAMMOGRAMS

  NYT: “The Only Part Of The Reform Bills That Could Affect Mammography Would Only Make Them More Accessible.” The New York Times wrote in an editorial: “Opponents of the health care reform bills moving through Congress have seized on the new recommendations as evidence that the government is seeking to put bureaucrats between you and your doctor or that it would ration care by denying coverage for some mammograms that are now covered. There is virtually no chance that any insurers, either public or private, will deny coverage to anyone based on these recommendations. Government and industry officials have said that explicitly and, in fact, every state but Utah requires private insurers to pay for mammograms for women starting in their 40s…The only part of the reform bills that could affect mammography would only make them more accessible. Under the legislation, the secretary of health and human services might be given authority to waive Medicare co-payments for prevention services that rank highly in the opinion of this task force. Since the task force gave a low grade to screening women in their 40s, the secretary could not waive cost-sharing for them.” [New York Times Editorial, 11/20/09]

  Sec. Sebelius: Mammogram Recommendations Come From “An Outside Independent Panel Of Doctors And Scientists…They Do Not Set Federal Policy And They Don’t Determine What Services Are Covered By The Federal Government.” In a statement, Sec. Kathleen Sebelius said, “[t]here is no question that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations have caused a great deal of confusion and worry among women and their families across this country. I want to address that confusion head on. The U.S. Preventive Task Force is an outside independent panel of doctors and scientists who make recommendations. They do not set federal policy and they don’t determine what services are covered by the federal government…My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer and they still are today. Keep doing what you have been doing for years – talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions, and make the decision that is right for you.” [Politico, 11/19/09]

  Task Force’s Recommendations on Mammograms Had Nothing to Do With Cost—And They Are Prohibited from Considering Cost When Evaluating Treatments. Members of the Preventive Services Task Force “said politics and questions of cost were never part of their discussions of the risks and benefits of mammograms — in fact they are prohibited from considering costs when they make guidelines. It was the scientific evidence, they said, that led them to conclude that women in their 40s should carefully consider whether they want to be screened rather than assuming they should start screening then. And it was the evidence, they said, that led them to conclude that screening every other year provides all the benefits of screening annually.” [New York Times, 11/20/09]

  RHETORIC: Sen. Barrasso Claimed Medicare Advantage Performs Better Than Medicare: "They will be eliminating medicare advantage, number one. The thing that it does better than medicare is that it actually works with preventive care, it helps to coordinate care. Medicare is horrible with that. It will be harder for rural communities, harder to get doctors into small communities. There are seniors that depend on medicare and it will be much tougher for them." [FOX News, 12/1/09]

  REALITY: CUTTING WASTEFUL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE SUBSIDIES WOULD NOT HURT SENIORS

  Medicare Advantage Provides Extra Perks, Like Free Gym Memberships, That Are Subsidized By The Government And The High Costs Of The Plans Are Passed On To Seniors. "Seniors in this Sun Belt retirement haven and across the country revel in the free perks that private insurance companies bundle with legally mandated benefits to entice people 65 and older to forgo traditional Medicare and sign up for private Medicare Advantage policies. The trouble is, the extra benefits are not exactly free; they are subsidized by the government. And some of the plans pass their costs on to seniors, who pay higher co-pays and additional fees to get care. ... In a health-care debate defined by big numbers and confusing details, the prospect of losing benefits such as a free gym membership through the Silver Sneakers program is tangible, and it has spooked some seniors, who are the nation's most reliable voters and have been most skeptical about reform." [Washington Post, 10/15/09]

  AARP Lead Lobbyist On Medicare Advantage Competitive Bidding: “We Think The Proposals Actually Will Improve Access And Quality,” Not Cut Benefits. The Boston Globe reported that, “[t]he $120 billion cut to Medicare Advantage is part of spending reductions in Medicare totaling $460 billion to $540 billion over 10 years that have been proposed by Democrats. The cuts would fall on the government reimbursement rates for a broad variety of providers such as hospitals and home health agencies, which could probably absorb them without affecting the services elderly Americans receive, many specialists said in interviews. Though some industry groups complain the spending reductions are too severe, adjustments could be made if problems arose because they would be phased in gradually. Most are aimed at making the programs more efficient. ‘We think the proposals actually will improve access and quality,’ John Rother, a leading lobbyist for the AARP, the large lobbying organization for senior citizens, said in an e-mail.” [Boston Globe, 9/24/09]

  RHETORIC: Sen. Barrasso Claimed Reform Would Add $1 Trillion To The Deficit: "We are looking at record deficits and debt. The debt is the threat to our country's future. We cannot spend another $1 trillion on top of that huge deficit. This is the wrong way to go." [FOX News, 12/1/09]

  REALITY: INDEPENDENT CBO COMPLETELY DISAGREES

  WSJ: CBO’s Estimate Of Senate Bill Is $848 Billion, Cuts Deficit By $130 Billion. The Wall Street Journal reported that, “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid set the stage for a climactic debate in the Senate over health care by unveiling a 10-year, $848 billion bill that would extend insurance to 31 million Americans without coverage…In a boost for the bill's prospects, the CBO estimated the Senate measure would reduce the federal budget deficit by $130 billion over the next decade, and additional amounts over the second 10 years of the program. It achieves that in part through a new Medicare payroll tax and a tax on high-value insurance plans, which has aroused strong opposition…To help ease the financial burden on workers, Mr. Reid lowered the maximum amount the bill would require them to spend on premiums, capping premiums at 9.8% of income, down from 12%.” [Wall Street Journal, 11/19/09]

  Roll Call On CBo Score: Senate Bill “Slash[es] The Deficit By A Whopping $777 Billion Over The Next 20 Years,” Sen. Kent Conrad Said Sen. Reid Did “An Exceptionally Good Job.” Roll Call reported that, “[a]t first blush, Reid scored a coup with his $849 billion bill, because Democrats said the Congressional Budget Office estimated that it would slash the deficit by a whopping $777 billion over the next 20 years while providing insurance for an additional 31 million Americans. The price tag is also less than the $900 billion President Barack Obama had called for and the $1.2 trillion cost of the House-passed version… ‘He was applauded. His staff was applauded,’ said Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), a deficit hawk who said Reid did ‘an exceptionally good job.’” [Roll Call, 11/18/09] ###

  login and comment      main blog

• Re: Fact Check: Senator Barrasso on Fox News 12/1/2009
  Feb 9, 2010 | Larissa Sneider | lsneider@msn.com 
  Senator Barrasso has gotten on as many TV programs as he can spouting party line. I believe he is looking to fill the void in his national party with ambitions to the Presidency. Often he talks about going back home and talking to his constituents. He quotes these mysterious constituents as agreeing with his newly acquired viewpoints even though polls show the majority of wyoming residents disagree with him.

login and comment