Today in Washington D. C. - Dec 4, 2009 - Democrats Vote For $460 In Medicare Cuts; Violates Obama's Promise

The Senate resumed consideration of the Reid substitute amendment to H.R. 3590, the vehicle for Democrats’ health care reform bill. Votes are possible later today on more amendments.

Yesterday, 58 Democrat senators voted down the McCain motion to return the bill to committee and eliminate the half-trillion dollars in Medicare cuts in the bill.   Prior to that, the Senate voted 100-0 to adopt a messaging amendment with no actual impact offered by Sen. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) designed to give Democrats cover for their cuts to Medicare.

Also yesterday, the Senate voted 61-39 to adopt an amendment from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to include preventive services for women in the bill but voted 41-59 to reject one from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on the same issue.

The AP reported yesterday, “Senate Democrats closed ranks Thursday behind $460 billion in politically risky Medicare cuts at the heart of health care legislation, thwarting a Republican attempt to doom President Barack Obama's sweeping overhaul.”   Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell explained earlier today, “We’ve now had a very clarifying vote on the Senate floor about the direction that our friends on the other side intend to take our health care system. Yesterday, all but two of them voted to preserve nearly half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare, the health care program for seniors.” Among the cuts Democrats voted to preserve is $135 billion from hospitals serving seniors, $40 billion from home health agencies, $15 billion from nursing homes, and nearly $8 billion from hospices.

A key component of the cuts Democrats voted for yesterday is $120 billion cut from Medicare Advantage. As Sen. McConnell noted, “they expressly voted to violate the President’s pledge that seniors who like the plans they have can keep them … Because you can’t cut $120 billion from a benefits program without cutting benefits. The Congressional Budget Office has been crystal clear on this. When asked about the effect these cuts would have on Medicare Advantage, the director of the CBO was unequivocal. He said that ‘approximately half’ of Medicare Advantage benefits will be cut for nearly 11 million seniors enrolled in this program under this bill.”

In fact, a Democrat senator admitted that these cuts would mean Democrats are breaking Obama’s promise about Americans being able to keep the coverage they have. Bloomberg reported last night, “Should Congress scale back the program, ‘We’re not going to be able to say “if you like what you have, you can keep it,”’ said Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat. “And that basic commitment that a lot of us around here have made will be called into question.”’” Further, the Bloomberg story notes, “A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released last month found that 60 percent of seniors said they would be better off if Congress didn’t change the health-care system . . . .” Americans want Congress to reject this 2,000-page bill stuffed with Medicare cuts and tax increases and start over. Senators would do well to listen.

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