Fact Check: Barrasso Wrong on Medicare and Deficit
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Dec 21, 2009 Posted by Brianna Jones
Please see below for a fact check on false claims made by Senator Barrasso on the Senate floor today on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act today:
RHETORIC: Barrasso Said That The Senate Health Care Bill Would Add $1 Trillion To The Deficit. Sen John Barrasso: "The President said this wouldn't add a dime to the deficit. Well, it's going to add a lot of dimes to the deficit. This is going to add $1 trillion to the deficit." [Senate Floor, 12/21/09]
RHETORIC: Barrasso Said The Senate Health Care Bill Would Cut Medicare. Sen. John Barrasso: "The President said we wouldn't see cuts to Medicare. The bill says $500 billion of cuts to Medicare, to the seniors who depend upon Medicare." [Senate Floor, 12/21/09]
REALITY: THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WOULD REDUCE THE DEFICIT BY MORE THAN $130 BILLION OVER THE FIRST TEN YEARS
CBO Said Health Reform Reduces The Deficit By $132 Billion Over First Ten Years. “CBO puts the price tag of the bill at $871 billion, and it says it will reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the first 10 years and then $1.3 trillion over the second 10 years. In addition, CBO estimates that the legislation would cover more than 94% of all Americans under 65, and provide coverage to an additional 31 million Americans who currently lack health insurance.” [MSNBC, 12/19/09]
CBO Correction Has “No Impact On The Estimated Effects of The Legislation During the 2010-2019 Period.” The Director of the CBO wrote on this blog following the issuing of a score correction: “[c]orrecting that error has no impact on the estimated effects of the legislation during the 2010–2019 period. However, the correction reduces the degree to which the legislation would lower federal deficits in the decade after 2019.” [CBO, 12/20/09] “
REALITY: MEDICARE SAVINGS DO NOT CUT BENEFITS, THEY STRENGTHEN MEDICARE
AARP Endorsed Senate Health Care Legislation And Said It “Strengthens Medicare For Current And Future Generations.” “With your commitment to closing the doughnut hole in conference, consistent with the President’s pledge, and the many positive features referenced above, AARP is pleased to support your efforts to obtain cloture, and urges timely passage of this legislation by the Senate. We look forward to working with you in conference to finalize health care reform legislation that strengthens Medicare for current and future generations, and which ensures that all Americans can obtain affordable coverage—particularly those aged 50 to 64—who face the most difficulty securing coverage they can afford in the individual and small group markets.” [AARP letter to Sen. Harry Reid, 12/14/09]
CMS Report: Senate Health Care Bill Extends The Life Of The Medicare Trust Fund By 9 Years. According to a recently released CMS report, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act extends the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by 9 years – significantly longer than any proposal in recent years. [CMS Report, 12/10/09]
AARP CEO: The [Senate Health Care] Legislation Does Not Reduce Any Guaranteed Medicare Benefits.” “But on Wednesday afternoon, the AARP joined other senior groups to oppose the GOP amendment, offered by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). ‘The legislation before the Senate properly focuses on provider reimbursement reforms to achieve these important policy objectives,’ AARP CEO Addison Barry Rand wrote in a letter to Reid. ‘Most importantly, the legislation does not reduce any guaranteed Medicare benefits.’” [Washington Post, 12/2/09]
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]
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]
AARP Warned Seniors Against “Myths and Scare Tactics” In Health Reform Debate, Said “None Of The Health Care Reform Proposals Being Considered By Congress Would Cut Medicare Benefits.” AARP wrote in a myth-vs-fact health reform website that, “There are special interest groups trying to block progress on health care reform by using myths and scare tactics. Like the notion that health care reform would ration your care, hurt Medicare or be a government takeover. Actually, these are false statements” AARP concluded about the Medicare claim that, “[n]one of the health care reform proposals being considered by Congress would cut Medicare benefits or increase your out-of-pocket costs for Medicare services.” [AARP, Myths Vs. Facts]