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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Info Post
Medicare Cuts Could “Diminish The Quality Of Care”

SPEAKER PELOSI: “Mr. Camp, You Said That The Medicare Cuts In This Bill Cut Benefits For Seniors. They Do Not.” (Speaker Pelosi, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)
CBO: Medicare Cuts Could “Reduce Access To Care Or Diminish The Quality Of Care.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 12/19/09, P. 1, 19)

Americans “Aren’t Always That Interested In Procedures Inside The Senate”
Today’s Gallup Poll Shows 52% Of Americans Oppose Reconciliation To Pass Health Care

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “You know, this issue of reconciliation has been brought up. Again I think the American people aren't always all that interested in procedures inside the Senate. I do think they want a vote on how we’re going to move this forward.” (President Obama, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)

52% Of Americans Oppose Using Reconciliation

GALLUP: “By a larger 52% to 39% margin, Americans also oppose the Democrats in the Senate using a reconciliation procedure to avoid a possible Republican filibuster and pass a bill by a simple majority vote.” (“Americans Tilt Against Democrats' Plans if Summit Fails,” Gallup, 02/25/10)

“What the American People Think"
Polling Shows Large Majorities Opposing The Democrats’ Health Care Bill

VP BIDEN: “I am always reluctant after being here 37 years to tell people what the American people think. I think it requires a little bit of humility to be able to know what the American people think. And I don’t.” (Vice Pres Biden, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)

What Biden Should Know: The American People Oppose Obama's Health Care Plan

QUINNIPIAC: “American Voters Still Disapprove 54 - 35 Percent Of Obama's Health Care Reform Plan, but they say 52 - 44 percent they want Congress and the President to keep trying on health care reform rather than giving up and moving on to other matters.” (“U.S. Voters Split On Obama, Down On Everyone Else, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds,” Quinnipiac, 2/11/10)
RASMUSSEN: “Forty-One Percent (41% ) Of Voters Favor The Proposed Health Care Plan, While 56% Oppose It.” (“51% Fear Government More Than Private Health Insurers,” Rasmussen, 2/24/10)
PPP: “50% Of Voters Say They’re Opposed To Barack Obama’s Health Care Plan With 39% In Support.” (“Major Divides On Health Care, DADT,” Public Policy Polling, 2/17/10)
PEW: “More Americans Continue To Generally Oppose (50%) Than Generally Favor (38%) The Health Care Bills Being Discussed In Congress.” (“Obama’s Ratings Are Flat, Wall Street’s Are Abysmal,” Pew, 2/12/10)

DEFICIT REDUCTION
CBO Never Stated Deficit Projections In Second Ten Years

REP. XAVIER BECCERA (D-CA): “The Congressional Budget Office, The Referee, Not Political Parties, The Referee, Said That These Bills Reduce The Deficit In The Succeeding Years After The First Ten Years By Over A Trillion Dollars.” (Rep. Becerra, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)
CBO: “A Detailed Year-By-Year Projection For Years Beyond 2019, Like Those That CBO Prepares For The 10-Year Budget Window, Would Not Be Meaningful Because The Uncertainties Involved Are Simply Too Great.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 12/19/09, P. 15)

VP Says “We’re In Trouble” If We Don’t Reduce Health Care Costs, But Administration’s Actuary Says Sen. Bill Does Not Reduce Health Care Costs

VP BIDEN: "Unless We Bend That Cost Curve, We're In Trouble." (Vice President Joe Biden, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)

CMS On Senate Bill: "This Bill Would Increase [Health Expenditures] By An Estimated Total Of $222 Billion"

CMS: “…We Estimate That Overall National Health Expenditures Under This Bill Would Increase By An Estimated Total Of $222 Billion (0.6 Percent) During Calendar Years 2010-2019…” (“Estimated Financial Effects Of The ‘Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,’ As Passed By The Senate On December 24, 2009,” Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, P.4, 1/8/10)

“Current Law Baseline, Total National Health Expenditures (NHE)… Total, CY 2010-2019… $35,253.3 [Billion Dollars].” (“Estimated Financial Effects Of The ‘Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,’ As Passed By The Senate On December 24, 2009,” Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, P.36, 1/8/10)

“Proposed-PPACA, Total National Health Expenditures (NHE)… Total, CY 2010-2019… $35,475.6 [Billion Dollars].” (“Estimated Financial Effects Of The ‘Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,’ As Passed By The Senate On December 24, 2009,” Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, P.36, 1/8/10)

“Impact Of PPACA, Total National Health Expenditures (NHE)… Total, CY 2010-2019… $222.3 [Billion Dollars].” (“Estimated Financial Effects Of The ‘Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,’ As Passed By The Senate On December 24, 2009,” Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, P.37, 1/8/10)

CBO On Senate Bill:BILL STILL INCREASES COSTS

CBO: “Under The Legislation, Federal Outlays For Health Care Would Increase During The 2010–2019 Period, As Would The Federal Budgetary Commitment To Health Care. The net increase in that commitment would be about $200 billion over that 10-year period, driven primarily by the gross cost of the coverage expansions (including increases in both outlays and tax credits).” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 12/19/09, P. 18)

“Not Factually Accurate” Vs. “Yes, I’m Paying 10% To 13% More”

President Obama: “What The Congressional Budget Office Is Saying Is … Yes, I’m Paying 10% To 13% More Because Instead Of Buying An Apple, I’m Getting An Orange.” “What the Congressional Budget Office is saying is, is that if I now have the opportunity to actually buy a decent package inside the exchange, that costs me about 10% to 13% more but is actually real insurance, then there are going to be a bunch of people who take advantage of that. So yes, I’m paying 10% to 13% more because instead of buying an apple, I’m getting an orange.” (President Obama, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)

President Previously Maintained The 10-13% Increase Was “Not Factually Accurate”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “It's Not Factually Accurate. Here's What The Congressional Budget Office Says. The Costs For Families For The Same Type of Coverage That They're Currently Receiving Would Go Down 14% To 20%.”
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): “The Congressional Budget Office report says that premiums will rise in the individual market as a result of the Senate bill.” OBAMA: “No, no, no, no. Let me -- and this is an example of where we've got to get our facts straight.” ALEXANDER: “That's my point.”OBAMA: “Well, exactly, so let me -- let me respond to what you just said, Lamar, because it's not factually accurate. Here's what the Congressional Budget Office says. The costs for families for the same type of coverage that they're currently receiving would go down 14 percent to 20 percent.” (President Obama, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)

CBO: “Average Premiums Per Policy In The Nongroup Market In 2016 Would Be Roughly $5,800 For Single Policies And $15,200 For Family Policies Under The Proposal, Compared With Roughly $5,500 For Single Policies And $13,100 For Family Policies Under Current Law. The Weighted Average Of The Differences In Those Amounts Equals The Change Of 10% To 13% In The Average Premium Per Person Summarized Above…” (Emphasis In Original; CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Bayh, P. 6, 11/30/09)

“Tried to Take Every Single Cost Containment Idea That's Out There”

President Barack Obama: “Now, The, What We’ve Done Is We’ve Tried To Take Every Single Cost Containment Idea That’s Out There.  Every Proposal That Health Care Economists Say Will Reduce Health Care Costs, We’ve Tried To Adopt In The Various Proposals.” (Pres. Obama, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)

“Obama's Health Plan Does Not Include” Liability Reform Which “Could Save As Much As $54 Billion Over The Next Decade”

“Congressional Budget Analysts Said Friday That Lawmakers Could Save As Much As $54 Billion Over The Next Decade By Imposing An Array Of New Limits On Medical Malpractice Lawsuits -- 10 Times More Than Previously Estimated.” (“Tort Reform Could Save $54 Billion, CBO Says,” The Washington Post, 10/10/09)

“The GOP Has Been Pushing A Series Of Modest Changes They Say Could Bring Down Costs And Improve Coverage, Including Tort Reform … Obama's Health Plan Does Not Include Those Republican Proposals.” “Instead, the GOP has been pushing a series of modest changes they say could bring down costs and improve coverage, including tort reform and new freedoms for insurance companies to sell their policies across state lines.  Obama's health plan does not include those Republican proposals, although White House officials said several times Monday morning that the president will be open to Republican ideas at the meeting on Thursday.” (“Obama Offers New Health-Care Plan,” The Washington Post, 2/22/10)

CBO ON PREMIUMS
CBO And Democrat Senator Say “It Is True That Some Persons” “Would Find Their Premiums” Going Up

CBO: “Average Premiums Per Policy In The Nongroup Market In 2016 Would Be Roughly $5,800 For Single Policies And $15,200 For Family Policies Under The Proposal, Compared With Roughly $5,500 For Single Policies and $13,100 For Family Policies Under Current Law. The Weighted Average Of The Differences In Those Amounts Equals The Change Of 10% To 13% In The Average Premium Per Person Summarized Above…” (Emphasis In Original; CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Bayh, P. 6, 11/30/09)

SEN. BAUCUS (D-MT): “So It Is True That Some Persons In The So-Called Nongroup Market In The Year 2016, Would Find Their Premiums Would Go Up Without Subsidies. And I Think That Figure Nets Out To About 7%, But They're Getting Better Insurance.” (Sen. Baucus, Floor Remarks, 12/7/09)

“Promises on Medicare”
Speaker Says “We Cannot Keep Our Promises On Medicare” Without Passing A Bill That Cuts Nearly $500 Billion Out Of Medicare

REP. PELOSI (D-CA): “And I Want To Say, Because Medicare Was Mentioned, Unless We Pass This Legislation, We Cannot Keep Our Promises On Medicare.” (Rep. Pelosi, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)

Democrat Health Care Bill: Nearly Half TRILLION Dollars in Medicare Cuts

“Plan … Largely Embraces The Approach Already Taken By The U.S. Senate.” “President Obama made it clear Monday morning that he intends to make a final push for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's health care and insurance system, offering a new health care plan that largely embraces the approach already taken by the U.S. Senate.” (“Obama Embraces Senate Approach In New Health-Care Plan,” The Washington Post, 2/22/10)

Senate Bill: $466.7 Billion In Medicare Cuts
(Senate Finance Committee Minority Staff Review Of JCT And CBO Cost Estimates, 12/19/09)

CBO: Medicare Cuts Could “Reduce Access To Care Or Diminish The Quality Of Care.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 12/19/09, P. 1, 19)

PRES. VS VICE PRES: “PURE THEATER”
PRESIDENT OBAMA: “I Hope That This Isn’t Political Theater.” (President Obama, Health Care Summit, 2/25/10)
VP BIDEN On Today’s Summit: “Could Be Pure Theater.” “Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Democrats are ready to work with any good ideas Republicans bring to today's White House summit on health care reform, but he also said the event ‘could be pure theater.’” (“Biden Open To Finding Deal On Health Care Reform,” [Delaware] News Journal, 2/25/10)

Tags: Fact Checking, G8 Summit, government healthcare To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

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