In its “taxpayer-funded propaganda” fliers that it mailed to Medicare recipients to try to sell them on ObamaCare, the Obama administration neglected to mention that — according to the government’s own projections — ObamaCare would cut Medicare by more than $500 billion, would cause 7 million seniors to lose their Medicare Advantage benefits, would increase seniors’ Medicare Part D prescription drug premiums, and (because of cuts in provider payments) would possibly jeopardize seniors’ access to care.
Though the Medicare Chief Actuary for the Obama administration reports that ObamaCare would cut $130 billion from Medicare Advantage, and that Medicare cuts would jeopardize seniors’ access to hospitals, these facts are blatantly misrepresented in a taxpayer-financed brochure that the Obama administration recently mailed out to millions of seniors.
The first draft of ObamaCare included a $250 billion increase in payments to doctors who treat Medicare payments, the so-called “doc fix.” It’s intended to fix the fact that current law includes substantial cuts in reimbursements to doctors, so large increases are needed just to keep reimbursement levels constant. Democrats removed the doc fix funding from later versions of ObamaCare because it added so much to the price tag as to be politically unpalatable. But this was just a gimmick, because the intention was always just to spend the doc fix billions and break the budget after ObamaCare was the law of the land.
A pamphlet recently sent from the Department of Health and Human Services to seniors allegedly contains “accurate information about the new services and benefits to help you and your family now and in the future”; however, according to Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, a review of the pamphlet’s contents reveals this statement to be anything but accurate.
In light of ObamaCare’s plans to cut over $500 billion from Medicare, the continued support that the overhaul has received from the AARP — first in helping to get it passed and now in assisting with its marketing post-passage — may seem rather odd. But when a series of advantages afforded to the powerful seniors’ lobby by the legislation are taken into account, the reason for AARP’s allegiance no longer seems so mysterious.
“In March, Washington looked America squarely in the eye and promised the $1 trillion health care overhaul would reduce the deficit and save Medicare. Moreover, our political leaders assured seniors they could keep their physician. Now reality sets in. None of this was true.”
ObamaCare’s huge cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will especially hurt rural hospitals. “Nestrick said President Obama’s health care plan likely will end up costing his business and others in rural areas more money because the plan focuses on sending more patients to larger, city-based clinics where they can receive cheaper medical services.” The new medical device tax will be passed on to patients, raising the costs of care and reducing innovation in the industry.
ObamaCare would mean more paperwork and less pay for Medicare providers, many of whom would simply stop treating Medicare patients.
A survey of the British National Health System by the charity Mencap has revealed that there is “institutional discrimination” against patients with learning disabilities in the NHS, the government-run system for which Dr. Donald Berwick — President Obama’s nominee to head Medicare and Medicaid under ObamaCare — has professed his “love.”
Seniors on Medicare are justifiably worried about future cuts to Medicare. ObamaCare has over $500 billion in cuts to the program over 10 years, mostly in cuts to the Medicare Advantage program, as well as across-the-board cuts to various health care providers. “[T]he law calls for squeezing Medicare to come up with more than half the $938 billion estimated cost of the new national health plan.”