Just a few moments ago, the Senate voted 60-39 to move forward with debate on health reform legislation. OFA Director Mitch Stewart explained:
For the first time ever, the Senate just voted to begin debate on a comprehensive health insurance reform bill. This was the first big hurdle we had to overcome to pass reform through the full Senate. The decision was close -- and insurance company lobbyists were working overtime to defeat us -- but your calls this week made a huge difference. There are more fights ahead, but this is a big victory and I wanted to take a minute to thank you for making it possible.
The Senate is expected to begin debate following the Thanksgiving break.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced the Senate version of the health reform bill on Wednesday, and tonight the full Senate is expected to vote on the "motion to proceed," which would clear the way for the Senate to begin debate on the bill. Sixty votes are needed to pass cloture on the motion, after which the bill would move to the floor for discussion.
CNN reports:
Proceedings got under way shortly before 10 a.m. Saturday and will last through the early evening.Around 8 p.m., the Senate will hold a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture.Reid needs 60 votes to overcome a certain GOP filibuster attempt and open the chamber's debate on the bill. It also would take 60 votes to close debate that could last for weeks, while final approval of the bill would require only a simple majority.
Another debate over health insurance reform, another weekend of Republicans inventing reasons to just say "no." Locked into their defense of the status quo, most Senate Republicans spent the debate over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act spouting nonsensical, often already debunked, claims.With so many distortions to correct from so many Republican Senators, we've gathered the facts (and the charges they refute) in one place. It's a long read, no question — and that goes to show how obstructionist Republicans have become.Read the fact checks (39 of them in all) on Senate Republicans after the jump.
FACT CHECK McCain: Check The Bill, Senator
FACT CHECK McConnell: Cost Of Legislation Distortions
FACT CHECK Grassley: Grassley Confuses Up With Down
FACT CHECK Kyl: Scare Tactics On Increasing Premiums
FACT CHECK Hatch: Health Care Will Not Be Rationed
FACT CHECK McCain: Medicare
FACT CHECK Hatch: Distorting the Debate
FACT CHECK Cornyn: State Budgets and Medicaid
FACT CHECK Burr: Small Businesses
FACT CHECK Corker: Misleading on Medicare
FACT CHECK AEI: Cost of Reform
FACT CHECK: Palin Damages Credibility Again
FACT CHECK Johanns, Hatch, Brownback: Abortion
FACT CHECK Thune: Small Business
FACT CHECK Bond: Debunked Health Insurance Industry Study
FACT CHECK Bond: Bond's Arguments Against Health Care Amount To A Pig In A Poke
FACT CHECK Gregg: Gregg's Hypocrisy On The Debt
FACT CHECK Enzi: Premiums, Medicare And Medicaid
FACT CHECK Coburn: Rationing
FACT CHECK: Senator Pat Roberts Uses Falsehoods And Fear-Mongering to Claim Health Insurance Reform Will Lead To Rationing
FACT CHECK: Sen. Gregg Lies About Price Of Health Insurance Reform...Again
FACT CHECK Sen. Ensign: Rationing And GOP Plan
FACT CHECK Barrasso: Repeats Already Debunked Lie About Medicare
FACT CHECK: Sen. Jon Kyl Defends Status Quo Of Rising Premiums
FACT CHECK Kyl: Kyl Praises Republican Plan That Worsens Healthcare Crisis
FACT CHECK Lemieux: Siding With Insurance Companies
FACT CHECK Kyl: Medicare
FACT CHECK Burr: Burr Repeats Multiple Debunked Lies On Insurance Reform
FACT CHECK Hutchison: "Government Takeover"
FACT CHECK Chambliss/Brownback: Revisionist History
FACT CHECK Barrasso: Medicare
FACT CHECK Gregg: Gregg Ignores CBO
That Was Fast...
FACT CHECK Enzi: Cost Of Reform
Gregg Complains About Debt He Helped Create
Hatch Hatches More Distortions on Health Care
Boehner's Abortion Distortion
Well Senator, That’s Just Not True
Hatch Tries Health Care Hatchet Job And Hatchets Own Reputation
On the floor of the Senate during Saturday's debate, Senator McCain said:
“[t]he disconnect between what President Obama says and what he is doing is so glaring that most people could not abide it. Now that's strong language from an economist. And so I think that what the senator from Tennessee is saying, and what we're trying to say is let's go forward. Why don't we let people go across state lines to get health insurance policies of their choice? Why don't we reward wellness and fitness? Why don't we have -- there's a long list of -- of amendments – of – of fixes to the long-term cost of health care that we could control that we can act tomorrow in a bipartisan basis.”
REALITY: SENATE HEALTH BILL DELIVERS COMPETITION TO MARKETPLACE
Wall Street Analyst To Health Insurance Industry: Public Option “Looks Like A [Blue Cross Blue Shield] Plan,” Which Are “Strong Competitors For Private Insurers.” The New York Times Prescriptions Blog wrote, “[i]n a report sent to investors earlier this week, a Wall Street analyst, Richard Evans, concludes that the health insurance industry should probably not worry much about the prospect of a government-run health plan — at least not as it now is taking shape in Congress. As things stands now, Mr. Evans notes, the proposed legislation does not call for the new government-run plan, or public option, to be able to demand the same low prices that Medicare gets from doctors and hospitals. Private insurers have argued that Medicare-pegged rates would give the public option an unfair advantage over their plans… ‘It appears the public option would be required to negotiate price with providers, pay back its start-up capital, cover its operating costs, and earn sufficient reserves,’ wrote Mr. Evans, a managing partner for Sector & Sovereign. ‘In other words, it looks like a Blues plan.’ Mr. Evans writes that the not-for-profit Blue Cross plans may be strong competitors for private insurers, but not deadly ones. Where they operate, he notes, they tend to have the largest share of the market but seem to be able to co-exist with for-profit insurance companies. ‘This suggests that a not-for profit public option has some enrollment advantages over for-profit commercial insurers, but that the effect is modest,’ he wrote.” [New York Times Prescriptions Blog, 11/3/09]
CBO On Senate Bill: 94% Coverage, 31 Million Newly Insured. In its estimate of the Senate reform bill, CBO wrote: “By 2019, CBO and JCT estimate, the number of nonelderly people who are uninsured would be reduced by about 31 million, leaving about 24 million nonelderly residents uninsured (about one-third of whom would be unauthorized immigrants). Under the legislation, the share of legal nonelderly residents with insurance coverage would rise from about 83 percent currently to about 94 percent. About 25 million people would purchase their own coverage through the new insurance exchanges, and there would be roughly 15 million more enrollees in Medicaid and CHIP than is projected under current law.” [Congressional Budget Office, 11/18/09]
REALITY: CURRENT SENATE BILL ALREADY REWARDS HEALTHY BEHAVIOR
Senate Finance Committee Approved Bipartisan Amendment To Health Bill That Encourages Healthy Behavior Through Financial Incentives. “U.S. Senate panel on [in September] adopted a measure aimed at rewarding healthy behavior in a sweeping healthcare overhaul sought by President Barack Obama as lawmakers pushed to complete the legislation. The Senate Finance Committee voted for an amendment offered by Republican Senator John Ensign and Democrat Thomas Carper that would allow health plans to provide financial incentives for people to quit smoking, exercise more and engage in other healthy activities. ‘I believe that the key to achieving savings is to provide rewards for people who engage in healthy behaviors,’ Ensign argued. The measure passed on a 18-4 vote.” [Reuters, 9/30/09]
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Includes Provisions to Reward Health Behavior. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes provisions for rewarding healthy behavior such as participation in smoking cessation, weight management, physical fitness, and nutrition programs. [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Full Text, pg. 29]
On the floor of the Senate during Saturday's debate, Senator McConnell said:
“At a moment when more than one out of 10 working Americans is looking for a job, at a time when the Chinese are lecturing us about our debt, this bill – this bill right $5 trillion government doesn't have. And can't afford. It imposes punishing taxes on almost everyone. It raises health insurance premiums on the 85% of Americans who already have health insurance. And if that were not bad enough, it slashes Medicare by half a trillion dollars. Anyone who votes aye tonight, president, is voting for all of these things.”
REALITY: THE SENATE HEALTH CARE BILL WOULD SLASH THE DEFICIT BY OVER $750 BILLION IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS DESPITE WHAT THE REPUBLICANS' CLAIM
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]
Ezra Klein On Senate Bill: CBO Statements Confirm That, “The Curve, As They Say, Is Bent.” The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein wrote of the Senate health reform bill: “One actual surprise is that the Senate bill doesn't just pay for itself. It balances itself out. That is to say, the bill is not deficit neutral because it costs a billion dollars and then the government raises a billion more dollars in taxes. In that scenario, the government is spending more, but paying for it. Rather, ‘CBO expects that, during the decade following the 10-year budget window, the increases and decreases in the federal budgetary commitment to health care stemming from this legislation would roughly balance out, so that there would be no significant change in that commitment.’ In the first 10 years, in other words, the bill improves the deficit a bit, but the government is spending $160 billion more on health care than it otherwise would have. In the second decade, however, that ends: The savings from Medicare and Medicaid, paired with the excise tax (which CBO says ‘is effectively a reduction in the existing tax expenditure for health insurance premiums’) and a handful of other changes, leaves the government spending no more on health care than it otherwise planned to. That's impressive stuff. And it implies, of course, that in the third decade, the federal commitment actually goes down relative to expectation. The curve, as they say, is bent.” [Washington Post – Ezra Klein, 11/19/09]
REALITY: MEDICARE SAVINGS DO NOT CUT BENEFITS, THEY STRENGTHEN MEDICARE
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]
REALITY: SENATE BILL DOES NOT INCREASE PREMIUMS
From 1999-2009, Health Insurance Premiums For Families Rose 131%, General Inflation Was 28%. USA Today reported on a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation: “Since 1999, health insurance premiums for families rose 131%, the report found, far more than the general rate of inflation, which increased 28% over the same period. Overall, health care in the United States is expected to cost $2.6 trillion this year, or 17% of the nation's economy, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.” [USA Today, 9/15/09]
Chamber Of Commerce On Baucus Proposal: A Bill “That Will Actually…Get Health-Care Costs Under Control.” The Wall Street Journal reported that, “[t]he U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents about three million businesses of all sizes, has run television ads opposing the Democratic-led health-care push. And the chamber, like many other big business groups in Washington, has many concerns about the Baucus bill, particularly the taxes it proposes to help pay for its $774 billion Congressional Budget Office price tag over 10 years. But the chamber applauded much of the Baucus bill as the first proposal ‘that will actually...get health-care costs under control.’” [Wall Street Journal, 9/25/09]
Conservative Tax Foundation Was Outraged: House Health Reform Proposal Would Net Middle-Class Families “An Average Benefit Of About $1,900.” The Tax Foundation decried the “income redistribution” facilitated by the House health reform legislation: “[t]he biggest beneficiaries of HR 3200's redistribution would not be low-income families, but middle-class families, especially those making between $65,704 and $112,721, who would see an average benefit of about $1,900. In fact, even in the 60 percent to 70 percent income group, earning up to $141,101, the average family would gain almost $1,000.” [Tax Foundation Press Release, 10/6/09]
MIT Health Economist: Based On CBO Model, Premiums Under SFC Proposal For A Family Could Be At Least $2,430 Lower, Up To $8,550 Lower Than Without Reform. The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein reported on estimated impact on premiums of the Senate Finance Committee proposal, finding that under current law, premiums would stay at $10,770 under current law, while premiums under the new proposal could be as low as $2,220 and would rise to only $8,340. He further wrote that, “[t]he analysis comes from MIT health economist Jon Gruber. Gruber is, undoubtedly, pro-reform. He's advised the Senate Finance Committee and served as one of the architects of the Massachusetts plan. But he's also one of the most-respected health economists in the country. Gruber runs the numbers for an average family, a 25-year-old and a 60-year-old, looking at different income levels for each, and paying close attention to the role subsidies will play. In each case, he finds the people likely to save money under the Senate Finance Committee's plan. You can download his analysis, which is based on Congressional Budget Office data, here… Gruber certainly has a lot less incentive to twist the facts than the insurance industry does, and his numbers, at least, are free from any glaring deficiencies.” [Washington Post – Ezra Klein, 10/12/09]
On the floor of the Senate during Saturday's debate, Senator Grassley said:
“I'd like to show you a chart on federal spending, federal health spending. As this chart here illustrates, this bill bends the federal spending curve further upward by $160 billion over the next decade.”
Roll Call: Senate Bill “Slash[es] The Deficit By A Whopping $777 Billion Over The Next 20 Years. “At 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]
On the floor of the Senate during Saturday's debate, Senator Kyl said,
“[i]s it the case that the Joint Committee on Taxation which reported to the Finance Committee and the Congressional Budget Office both said that not only would the increased taxes on the pharmaceutical industry, the medical device industry, and the insurance industry be passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums, but that overall under the legislation that was before us, that for the average family, as compared to what the prices are today, that insurance premiums would actually go up, and that this was one of the two major reasons, the other being mandated benefits?”
REALITY: REFORM WILL LOWER COSTS, AND PREVENT PREMIUMS FROM SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL
23 Of Nation’s Most Well-Respected Health Economists: “We Believe That It Is Important To Enact Health Reform…[It] Will Lower Health Care Costs And Help Reduce Deficits Over The Long Term.” In a letter to the President, 23 of the nation’s most well-respected health economists said: “As economists, we believe that it is important to enact health reform, and it is essential that health reform include these four features [deficit neutrality, excise tax on high-cost insurance plans, independent Medicare commission, delivery system reforms] that will lower health care costs and help reduce deficits over the long term.” [Letter from 23 economists, 11/17/09]
NYT: “The Bill Just Approved By The House…Would Implement Or Test Many Reforms That Should Help Slow The Rise In Medical Costs…The New England Journal Of Medicine Concluded, ‘Pretty Much Every Proposed Innovation Found In The Health Policy Literature These Days Is Encapsulated In These Measures.’” The New York Times Editorial board issues a point-by-point analysis of the health reform measures contained in House and Senate bills: “The good news is that the bill just approved by the House and a bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee would implement or test many reforms that should help slow the rise in medical costs over the long term. As a report in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded, ‘Pretty much every proposed innovation found in the health policy literature these days is encapsulated in these measures.’… Republican critics say, correctly, that the health care bills would saddle the government with large new costs to cover the uninsured by expanding Medicaid and providing subsidies to help low- and middle-income people buy insurance. And they say, incorrectly, that the effort should not move ahead until a sure-fire way is found to rein in rising health care costs. Their arguments overlook the fact that the government is already paying many of these costs, through special payments to hospitals, each time a person without insurance, and with no means to pay, goes to an expensive emergency room for treatment. It also overlooks the fact that both bills are designed to keep deficits from increasing over the next decade or two.” [New York Times Editorial, 11/15/09]
AP On House Plan: “The Typical Family Would Be Spared Higher Taxes…And Their Low-Income Neighbors Could Come Out Ahead.” The Associated Press reported that from the newly unveiled House Democratic health reform bill, “[t]he typical family would be spared higher taxes from the House Democratic plan to overhaul health care, and their low-income neighbors could come out ahead.” [Associated Press, 11/2/09]
House Bill Provides Rebates If Premiums Far Exceed Cost Of Covering Medical Expenses, Insurers Would Have To Justify Premium Increases To State And Federal Government, Lifetime Limits On Coverage Are Eliminated. Reuters listed many of the major provisions contained in the newest version of the House health reform bill. It listed a few consumer protections, including: “Provides for consumer rebates if premiums far exceed the cost of covering their medical expenses…Sets up a state/federal process under which insurers would have to justify premium increases…Eliminates lifetime limits on coverage.” [Reuters, 10/30/09]
On the floor of the Senate during Saturday's debate, Senator Hatch said:
“Zero. The number of provisions prohibiting the rationing of health care, zero. Not one word prohibiting the rationing of health care.”
REALITY: REFORM WILL NOT MEAN RATIONING OF HEALTH CARE
Dr. Sanjay Gupta On Rationing: “It’s Not True…A Look At The Reform Bill In Congress There Is No Mention Of That. No Mention Of Rationing, No Mention Of The Government Making So-Called End-Of-Life Decisions For Seniors.” “GUPTA: Tell me why. MCCOY: I try not to worry. Well, I have read some things that says that as you get older you are liable to wait and wait and wait before you can have surgery. I've heard that they're going to look at the older people and you're going to wait longer than the younger people. GUPTA (voice-over): It's not true, though a lot of people think so. A look at the reform bill in Congress there is no mention of that. No mention of rationing, no mention of the government making so-called end-of-life decisions for seniors.” [CNN Anderson Cooper 360, 11PM, 8/14/09]
Scarborough Called Out Gov. Pawlenty: “With All Due Respect, This Does Not Give Us A System Like The United Kingdom,” And Incredulously Asked Pawlenty, “How Does This Bill Get Us To ‘Death Panels?” You Don’t Believe It Does, Do You?” Gov. Pawlenty made an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where he was challenged about claims that health reform would lead to death panels and would “pull the plug on granny:” Gov. Pawlenty said, “there’s concerns that this thing is going to be so expensive they’re not going to be able to afford all that’s promise, and somebody’s going to have to make a decision to cut back, and people are concerned that if the federal government does that—have them rationing care, that’s a real problem. And so those are not irrational concerns.” Then the following exchange occurred: “MR. SCARBOROUGH: [b]ut but, there are no death panels here, though. Counseling is one thing. Having three people lining up and saying 'granny dies, grandpa lives,' that's quite another. You can't get there from here. GOV. PAWLENTY: Well what happens--Joe, what you call it or label it, but I think the facts are these: if you have a system like the United Kingdom where—MR. SCARBOROUGH: But we don't. We don't governor. With all due respect, this does not give us a system like the United Kingdom. I'm talking specifically about this bill. How does this bill get us to ‘death panels?’ You don't believe it does, do you?” [MSNBC Morning Joe, 9/11/09]
Politifact: The Claim That Health Care Reform Will Lead To Callous Decisions That Would Allow People To Die If They Face A Costly Treatment Is "False." "In the ad, a man weeps over someone lying in a hospital bed while the announcer says, '$22,750. In England, government health officials decided that's how much six months of life is worth. Under their socialized system if a medical treatment costs more, you're out of luck. That's wrong for America.' That footage is interspersed with shots of the Capitol building and the whole thing is set to some very ominous music. You can watch it here. The carefully worded ad doesn't directly say that the government is planning to put a price on our lives, but the implication is clear: The reform plan will lead to callous decisions that would allow people to die if they face a costly treatment. So that's what we're going to check — whether the reform plan would impose those kind of caps on treatment. ... So, back to the Club for Growth ad. Although our experts agree that it gets the NICE statistic correct about the British practice, the ad's main point about cost limits is incorrect. There is no such practice in the comparative effectiveness program, nor is it part of the current health reform proposals pending in Congress. The House and Senate bills under consideration would not require the government to decide how much a person's life is worth. As a result, we give the Club for Growth a False." [PolitiFact, 8/6/09]
“I don't think Americans really understand the scam that's going on here of beginning to collect taxes, tax increases and Medicare cuts of approximately $1 trillion beginning 40 days from now. In other words, the 1st of January, according to this plan, Americans will begin experiencing cuts in Medicare and increases in taxes 40 days from now. Now, is there anybody would -- who would agree that that – that that's any kind of a – nothing but a scam on the American people?” McCain said “the real costs of this [bill is] $2.5 trillion bill.”McCain also claimed, “In 40 days from now, Happy New Year, America, [in] 40 Days it will cut $135 billion from hospitals, it will cut $120 billion from 11 million seniors on Medicare Advantage.”
“I don't think Americans really understand the scam that's going on here of beginning to collect taxes, tax increases and Medicare cuts of approximately $1 trillion beginning 40 days from now. In other words, the 1st of January, according to this plan, Americans will begin experiencing cuts in Medicare and increases in taxes 40 days from now. Now, is there anybody would -- who would agree that that – that that's any kind of a – nothing but a scam on the American people?”
McCain said “the real costs of this [bill is] $2.5 trillion bill.”
McCain also claimed, “In 40 days from now, Happy New Year, America, [in] 40 Days it will cut $135 billion from hospitals, it will cut $120 billion from 11 million seniors on Medicare Advantage.”
REALITY: THE SENATE HEALTH CARE BILL WOULD SLASH THE DEFICIT BY OVER $750 BILLION IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS DESPITE WHAT THE REPUBLICANS CLAIM
Claim That Senate Bill Would Cost $2.5 Trillion Was Generated By Senate Budget Committee Republicans. Fox News reported that, “Republicans have countered the CBO estimate with a figure of their own: $2.5 trillion, an estimate that comes out of the Senate Budget Committee minority's analysis of Reid's plan.” [Fox News, 11/19/09]
REPUBLICANS ARE DEFENDING WASTEFUL SUBSIDIES TO HEALTH INSURERS TO MEDICARE ADVANTAGE THAT PROVIDE PERKS LIKE FREE GYM MEMBERSHIPS
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]
REPUBLICANS ARE CRITICIZING A PLAN TO FORCE INSURERS TO COMPETE...
Health Insurance Reform Would Reduce The Difference In Costs Between Medicare And Medicare Advantage Through A Competitive Bidding System. “Federal subsidies to private Medicare plans average about 14 percent higher than those involved in fee-for-service coverage. The health care bills pending in Congress would reduce or eliminate the difference in part by introducing a competitive bidding system to pay the plans. ‘Health insurance reform will strengthen Medicare for seniors, not diminish it,’ said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin. ‘Even under the competitive bidding proposal in the legislation, Medicare Advantage plans will still be paid more than traditional Medicare plans. Yes, they'll need to compete, and they'll need to be more efficient, but they'll still have more money to work with than traditional Medicare.’” [AP, 9/22/09]
On the floor of the Senate during Saturday's debate, Senator Hatch claimed:
“[t]his bill will now massively expand the level of Medicaid coverage to 133% for everyone. Who's going to pay for that? Our colleagues say, well, the federal government will. Well, what are they going to pay for it with? We're running the federal government right into bankruptcy.”
Senator Hatch claimed that expanding Medicaid was meant to lead to a single-payer system, saying:
“[e]ver since I've been here there's been a push to have more and more people moved into Medicaid. Why is that? Because if they can push more and more people into Medicaid, then ultimately we'll have a single-payer system. In other words socialized medicine in this country where the government will control everything. And that's what's behinds lot of this bill.”
Finally, Senator Hatch repeated the thoroughly-debunked claims of the Lewin Group, saying:
“if you look at the Lewin group, they say if you go to a government plan, we'll have 1 million people in Medicaid. What's it going to be the 10 million or 119.1 million? I guarantee you that it's going to a lot closer to the 1 million than it will be to the 10 million…If you had to choose between the 10 million and 119 million as far as the way people figure things around here, you know it will be closer to the 119 million, then it will be 10 million.”
REALITY: REFORM WILL BE PAID FOR, AND WILL NOT INCREASE THE DEFICIT
REALITY: THE PUBLIC OPTION WON'T PUT PRIVATE INSURERS OUT OF BUSINESS
Politifact: “Obama Health Plan Does Not Call For Government-Run Health Care.” “Obama health plan does not call for government-run health care.” [Politifact, 3/5/09]
Factcheck.org: "President Obama Hasn’t Proposed A Government-Run [Health Care] Plan And, In Fact, Has Rejected The Idea." FactCheck.org: "President Obama hasn’t proposed a government-run [health care] plan and, in fact, has rejected the idea." [FactCheck.org, 5/6/09]
Factcheck.org: President Obama Hasn’t Proposed Government-Run Health Care. FactCheck.org: "We’ve written before about conservatives claiming that Congress, or Obama, or Washington, or Democrats in general want the U.S. to have a Canadian-style, government-run health care system. The truth of the matter is that the president has repeatedly said he doesn’t." [FactCheck.org, 8/10/09]AMA President-Elect Reassured: Physicians And Patients Don’t Need To Fear The Rise Of A Monolithic Health System With No Choice From President Obama. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported that “American Medical Association president-elect Dr. James Rohack told Mississippi doctors Friday…Physicians and patients don't need to fear the rise of a monolithic health system with no choice, because it's not something the American people would accept, Rohack said. The president didn't advocate a single-payer system for the United States at the meeting, Rohack said. Obama said he believes in access to health care for all with a system that is a mix of public and private sources with patients still able to see the physicians of their choice.” [Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 5/30/09]
REALITY THE EXPERTS AGREE THAT REPUBLICANS AND THE LEWIN CANT GET THEIR FACTS STRAIGHT
Lewin Group: Unbridled Public Plan, Which Was Not Proposed By President Obama, Would Result In 119 Million Americans Leaving Private Insurers To Join Public Insurance Option, Cover 28 Million Uninsured. According to the Lewin Group estimates, instituting a public plan option that is open to all firms and all individuals without exception could lead to 119 million Americans un-enrolling from private coverage options, and 131.2 million Americans enrolling in the public plan. It would reduce the ranks of the uninsured by 28 million. The Lewin Group also noted that this estimate did not match the President’s proposed limitations to a public plan option: “The President’s campaign proposal would have limited enrollment to individuals, the self-employed and small employers. Large employers would not be permitted to cover their workers through the public plan. Under this scenario, about 42.9 million people would be enrolled in the public plan (figure 3). The number of people with private coverage would fall by about 32 million people.” [Lewin Group - Impacts Of Public Plan, 4/8/09]
Politifact Called Claim “False” That Democrats Propose “A Government-Controlled Health Care Plan That Will Deprive Roughly 120 Million Americans Of Their Current Health Care Coverage.” According to PolitiFact’s truth-o-meter, Rep. Mike Pence, in an email, wrote that Democrats propose “a government-controlled health care plan that will deprive roughly 120 million Americans of their current health care coverage.” PolitiFact wrote in response how misleading Rep. Pence was, saying, “we rated Pence’s statement that the government would ‘deprive’ 120 million of their ‘current health care coverage’ False.” [PolitiFact, 5/19/09]
FactCheck.org Called It “Misleading”: CPR Ad Claimed “119 Million Off Their Current Insurance Coverage.” FactCheck.org wrote, “[a] new ad from Conservatives for Patients' Rights says that a public health insurance plan now being proposed in Congress ‘could crush all your other choices, driving them out of existence, resulting in 119 million off their current insurance coverage.’ That's misleading.”[FactCheck.org, 6/11/09]
FactCheck.org On New CPR Ad: Better Than Their Last One, “But Still Misleading,” And “Falsely Cites The New York Times.” FactCheck.org did an in-depth analysis of the claims made by Conservatives for Patients Rights’ new ad, “Bulldozer,” and said, “[w]e wrote about one of CPR's ads in April. The new TV spot is a step up from the last effort, but still misleading …The ad also falsely cites the New York Times as the source of a statement that what's being proposed would leave no consumer choices and ‘government in control of your health care.’ The Times didn't say that at all. The newspaper was just quoting claims made by insurance companies and members of Congress.” [FACT CHECK, 6/11/09]
NPR: 120 Million Figure “Hardly Represent The Entirety Of The Report”; Lewin Group Study Writer: “Stops Short Of Saying That Opponents Of A Public Plan Were Misusing His Statistics.” John Sheils, senior vice president of the Lewin Group, was interviewed by NPR. NPR reported on the use of a 120 million people figure used by opponents of health care reform: “that number hardly represents the entirety of the report Sheils and colleague Randy Haught put out in April…Sheils stops short of saying that opponents of a public plan were misusing his statistics, because while ‘this is the extreme case, I don't think it has been stricken from everyone's agenda, as far as I can tell.’ But he did add that in general, the mood in Congress seems to be moving toward a more constrained sort of public insurance program; most likely one that would pay somewhat more than Medicare and limit enrollment.” [NPR, 6/10/09]
From Mitch Stewart:
On Wednesday night, Senate leadership unveiled their final health reform package. It's a great bill that accomplishes President Obama's core goals for reform: provide more security for those who have insurance, guarantee affordable coverage options for those who don't, and rein in the cost of care for American businesses and families. And it accomplishes all of this while reducing the deficit by as much as $777 billion over the next 20 years. Now, we're in the final sprint toward reform, and the next challenge is already here. Today, senators are listening carefully to see how constituents react to the bill and how we want them to proceed. So it's our job to make sure they hear quickly and unmistakably: Move forward! On Saturday, the Senate faces a close vote on whether or not to begin debate, so it's critical to weigh in right away. Click here to call your senators now. Just tell whomever answers the phone where you live and that you support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- and want the Senate to begin discussing it right away. After you've called, click here to tell us how it went:http://my.barackobama.com/SenateVote Many senators have worked tirelessly to get us this far, and they deserve our thanks. But it is crucial that every senator knows that we are counting on them to stand up to the insurance industry and support reform -- and that we will be right there standing with them. We're getting so close, and your incredible work is a big part of why we've been successful so far. Let's keep it up and get this job done. Thanks, Mitch Mitch Stewart Director Organizing for America
From David Plouffe:
After nearly 1,000 submissions, 20 amazing finalists, and more than 3 million views, we have the winner of the Organizing for America Health Reform Video Challenge. The winning video shows that our supporters' creativity and passion is more than a match for the slick ads and partisan spin doctors on the other side. In the next few days, we'll be using this video as the basis for a new television ad that will air across the country -- and you can help, by ensuring we have the resources to make the biggest impact. Check out the winning video and then donate $25 or more to help make sure as many people as possible see the final ad on national television. With Congress wrapping up its last round of negotiations and closely gauging the public's mood in these crucial final weeks, now is the exact time to get this grassroots message out far and wide. Your passion has brought our country closer to health reform than we've ever been before -- and it's what will keep our momentum strong so that we finish the job before the end of the year. So please watch the winning video, pass it on to everyone you know, and give what you can to spread the message on national television: http://my.barackobama.com/WinningVideo Thanks,David Plouffe
After nearly 1,000 submissions, 20 amazing finalists, and more than 3 million views, we have the winner of the Organizing for America Health Reform Video Challenge. The winning video shows that our supporters' creativity and passion is more than a match for the slick ads and partisan spin doctors on the other side. In the next few days, we'll be using this video as the basis for a new television ad that will air across the country -- and you can help, by ensuring we have the resources to make the biggest impact. Check out the winning video and then donate $25 or more to help make sure as many people as possible see the final ad on national television.
With Congress wrapping up its last round of negotiations and closely gauging the public's mood in these crucial final weeks, now is the exact time to get this grassroots message out far and wide. Your passion has brought our country closer to health reform than we've ever been before -- and it's what will keep our momentum strong so that we finish the job before the end of the year. So please watch the winning video, pass it on to everyone you know, and give what you can to spread the message on national television: http://my.barackobama.com/WinningVideo Thanks,David Plouffe
Over the past decade, as health insurance premiums have continued to rise, American businesses have often paid the price. If you take a look around your community, you'll likely see small business owners struggling, overwhelmed by skyrocketing health care costs.
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they're a key constituency with the ear of elected representatives. Their voices are absolutely critical to the campaign for health insurance reform. Brandye, a small business owner in Joliet, Illinois, shared her story with us:
My name is Brandye. I run a beauty salon in Joliet, Illinois, and it has been fairly successful. However, with the economy in its current state, I have not been able to provide health care for myself through my business. Small businesses are forced to make so many tough choices these days. For example; buying more supplies to keep your business afloat versus health care coverage for your employees – which one do you choose?I've called numerous insurance companies for quotes and the premiums per month would be hundreds of dollars with some companies. I am healthy and do not even have any pre-existing conditions. Because of my own personal experience with our current health care system, my heart really goes out to the people who are sick. It is heartbreaking to know there are people who need to see a doctor, but won't go because they can't afford to pay the bill.Just think about all the people that died of cancer who would still be alive today if it was found early enough.My father was one of those people. My father was an international singer with many hit records. He was also a self-employed entertainer most of his life, and he did not have health insurance. He died of throat cancer in 2007.Countless families have stories like mine. Hundreds of thousands of small business owners just like me love what they do for a living and love the people we serve in our communities. We are people who know we could take a job in a larger company to enjoy the lower cost of group benefits coverage, but what would that do to our communities without us there to serve them?The corner grocery store, the shoe repair shop, the local bakery, the light hearted beauty salon or barber shop, and the coffee shop down the street, are just a few examples of people with businesses who love the communities they serve.This is America. The time has come for us as a nation to step up to the plate and provide decent health care with lower premiums for all. No one asks to be sick, but when we are sick are country should do all it can to give every American an opportunity to get well.I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Rep. Debbie Halvorson, my Congresswoman in Joliet, for supporting this bill.
Here's the full video of President Obama's moving speech at yesterday's memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas:
After casting an historic vote for health reform on Saturday night, many members in the House of Representatives are now heading home for a district work period. OFA Volunteers in Minnesota gathered at the airport bright and early on Sunday morning to greet Congressmen Walz and Ellison as they returned home from Washington.
Shortly afterward, Congressman Ellison posted to his Twitter feed:
Thanks to Obama For America MN for welcoming Tim Walz and I at the airport this morning at 8:30 am. Crew from Obama for America MN understands that the people must keep the energy HIGH until Obama signs the bill into LAW! And beyond.
In Maine, supporters were on hand to greet Representative Chellie Pingree. The Press Herald reported:
About three dozen supporters greeted Pingree as she arrived at the Portland International Jetport from Washington on Sunday morning. They carried flowers, balloons, homemade cookies and signs praising her for her vote."I just wanted to thank Chellie Pingree for stepping up and doing the right thing," said Maurie Hill, a 63-year-old retired nurse from Standish.Pingree said that although the House bill is not perfect, its passage helps move the ball forward. Her advice to her Senate colleagues?"Get voting!" she said. "It's not easy. We've been working on this for 10 months."
Representative Pingree also took to Twitter to thank supporters, posting:
Thanks so much for all the wonderful people who welcomed me at airport this morning -- made me teary! The cookies were great!!
If your representative voted for health reform last Saturday, you can use our online tools to call and thank them for their vote.
Before health reform can become law, it must pass one more time through the House of Representatives, so it's crucial to publicly show that voters support reform. Taking 30 seconds to say "thank you" could mean all the difference in the coming weeks.
Shortly after releasing his official statement on tonight's historic vote, President Obama sent out the following email to supporters:
This evening, at 11:15 p.m., the House of Representatives voted to pass their health insurance reform bill. Despite countless attempts over nearly a century, no chamber of Congress has ever before passed comprehensive health reform. This is history. But you and millions of your fellow Organizing for America supporters didn't just witness history tonight -- you helped make it. Each "yes" vote was a brave stand, backed up by countless hours of knocking on doors, outreach in town halls and town squares, millions of signatures, and hundreds of thousands of calls. You stood up. You spoke up. And you were heard. So this is a night to celebrate -- but not to rest. Those who voted for reform deserve our thanks, and the next phase of this fight has already begun. The final Senate bill hasn't even been released yet, but the insurance companies are already pressing hard for a filibuster to bury it. OFA has built a massive neighborhood-by-neighborhood operation to bring people's voices to Congress, and tonight we saw the results. But the coming days will put our efforts to the ultimate test. Winning will require each of us to give everything we can, starting right now. Can you donate $25 or whatever you can afford so we can finish this fight? Tonight's vote brought every American closer to the secure, affordable care we need. But it was also a watershed moment in how change is made. Even after last year's election, many insider lobbyists and partisan operatives really thought that the old formula of scare tactics, D.C. back-scratching and special-interest money would still be enough to block any idea they didn't like. Now, they're desperate. Because, tonight, you made it crystal clear: the old rules are changing -- and the people will not be ignored. In the final phases of last year's election, I often reminded folks, "Don't think for a minute that power concedes without a fight," and it's especially true today. But that's okay -- we're not afraid of a fight. And as you continue to prove, when all of us work together, we have what it takes to win. Please donate to OFA's campaign to win this fight and ensure that real health reform reaches my desk by the end of this year.Let's keep making history, President Barack Obama
This evening, at 11:15 p.m., the House of Representatives voted to pass their health insurance reform bill. Despite countless attempts over nearly a century, no chamber of Congress has ever before passed comprehensive health reform. This is history. But you and millions of your fellow Organizing for America supporters didn't just witness history tonight -- you helped make it. Each "yes" vote was a brave stand, backed up by countless hours of knocking on doors, outreach in town halls and town squares, millions of signatures, and hundreds of thousands of calls. You stood up. You spoke up. And you were heard. So this is a night to celebrate -- but not to rest. Those who voted for reform deserve our thanks, and the next phase of this fight has already begun. The final Senate bill hasn't even been released yet, but the insurance companies are already pressing hard for a filibuster to bury it. OFA has built a massive neighborhood-by-neighborhood operation to bring people's voices to Congress, and tonight we saw the results. But the coming days will put our efforts to the ultimate test. Winning will require each of us to give everything we can, starting right now. Can you donate $25 or whatever you can afford so we can finish this fight? Tonight's vote brought every American closer to the secure, affordable care we need. But it was also a watershed moment in how change is made. Even after last year's election, many insider lobbyists and partisan operatives really thought that the old formula of scare tactics, D.C. back-scratching and special-interest money would still be enough to block any idea they didn't like. Now, they're desperate. Because, tonight, you made it crystal clear: the old rules are changing -- and the people will not be ignored. In the final phases of last year's election, I often reminded folks, "Don't think for a minute that power concedes without a fight," and it's especially true today. But that's okay -- we're not afraid of a fight. And as you continue to prove, when all of us work together, we have what it takes to win. Please donate to OFA's campaign to win this fight and ensure that real health reform reaches my desk by the end of this year.
Let's keep making history, President Barack Obama
Shortly after the House of Representatives concluded tonight's vote on health insurance reform, President Obama released the following statement:
Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people.The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the government while strengthening the financial health of Medicare. And it is legislation that is fully paid for and will reduce our long-term federal deficit.Thanks to the hard work of the House, we are just two steps away from achieving health insurance reform in America. Now the United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.
Shortly after meeting with House Democrats on Capitol Hill in advance of the health reform vote, President Obama delivered the following remarks from the ground of the White House:
Good afternoon, everybody. I just want to say a few words about the landmark vote that the House of Representatives is poised to take today -- a vote that can bring us one step closer to making real the promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people.For the better part of a year now, members of the House and the Senate have been working diligently and constructively to craft legislation that will benefit millions of American families and millions of American businesses who urgently need it. For the first time ever, they've passed bills through every single committee responsible for reform. They've brought us closer than we have ever been to passing health insurance reform on behalf of the American people.Now is the time to finish the job. The bill that the House has produced will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality, affordable options for those who don't; and lower costs for American families and American businesses. And as I've insisted from the beginning, it is a bill that is fully paid for and will actually reduce our long-term federal deficit.This bill is change that the American people urgently need. Don't just take my word for it. Consider the national groups who've come out in support of this bill on behalf of their members: The Consumers Union supports it because it will create -- and I quote -- "a more secure, affordable health care system for the American people." The American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association support it on behalf of doctors and nurses and medical professionals who know firsthand what's broken in our current system, and who see what happens when their patients can't get the care they need because of insurance industry bureaucracies.The National Farmers Union supports this bill because it will control costs for farmers and ranchers, and address the unique challenges rural Americans face when it comes to receiving quality care.And the AARP supports it because it will achieve the goal for which the AARP has been fighting for decades -- reducing the cost of health care, expanding coverage for America's seniors, and strengthening Medicare for the long haul.Now, no bill can ever contain everything that everybody wants, or please every constituency and every district. That's an impossible task. But what is possible, what's in our grasp right now is the chance to prevent a future where every day 14,000 Americans continue to lose their health insurance, and every year 18,000 Americans die because they don't have it; a future where crushing costs keep small businesses from succeeding and big businesses from competing in the global economy; a future where countless dreams are deferred or scaled back because of a broken system we could have fixed when we had the chance.What we can do right now is choose a better future and pass a bill that brings us to the very cusp of building what so many generations of Americans have sought to build -- a better health care system for this country.Millions of Americans are watching right now. Their families and their businesses are counting on us. After all, this is why they sent us here, to finally confront the challenges that Washington had been putting off for decades -- to make their lives better, to leave this country stronger than we found it. I just came from the Hill where I talked to the members of Congress there, and I reminded them that opportunities like this come around maybe once in a generation. Most public servants pass through their entire careers without a chance to make as important a difference in the lives of their constituents and the life of this country. This is their moment, this is our moment, to live up to the trust that the American people have placed in us -- even when it's hard; especially when it's hard. This is our moment to deliver.I urge members of Congress to rise to this moment. Answer the call of history, and vote yes for health insurance reform for America.
There are only a few hours left to contact your representative before the vote and add your voice to the President's call.
An update from President Obama:
There are only a few hours left to contact your representative before the historic House vote on health reform.
The deadline to vote on your favorite videos in the OFA Health Reform Video Challenge is tonight at midnight. The winning video will air as part of a national television ad buy as we enter the final stages of the health reform fight:
This is it -- the House of Representatives will vote on health insurance reform tomorrow. All signs point to it being incredibly close, possibly even coming down to a single vote. With the clock ticking, insurance company lobbyists are going all out to stop reform. Please call your represenative now. President Obama is visiting the House tomorrow to call for reform, and I hope you'll add your voice to his right away. If you haven't called before, now is the time. And if you have recently called, thank you -- now please ask friends, family members, and co-workers in your district to join you. http://my.barackobama.com/HouseVote Everything we're fighting for comes down to moments like this -- and every second counts. Thanks for stepping up, Mitch
A special message from Obama for America Campaign Manager David Plouffe:
One year ago today, you made history. We all knew that electing Barack Obama President was only the opportunity to bring about change; that we would all have to keep working to fulfill the promise our victory offered. And you've come through -- by making hundreds of thousands of calls to Congress to push health reform forward, by pouring your effort into seemingly insurmountable challenges time and again, and, since January, by building on the power of our campaign to create Organizing for America. And now, with the finish line on health reform in sight, we need your voice more than ever before. To mark this special day, President Obama just recorded a video for supporters like you -- please watch his message, and sign up to join OFA in your community today.Thank you so much for fighting so hard and giving so much to make the promise of a stronger, more just and prosperous America in the years ahead a reality: http://my.barackobama.com/Year My best, David Plouffe
One year ago today, you made history. We all knew that electing Barack Obama President was only the opportunity to bring about change; that we would all have to keep working to fulfill the promise our victory offered. And you've come through -- by making hundreds of thousands of calls to Congress to push health reform forward, by pouring your effort into seemingly insurmountable challenges time and again, and, since January, by building on the power of our campaign to create Organizing for America. And now, with the finish line on health reform in sight, we need your voice more than ever before. To mark this special day, President Obama just recorded a video for supporters like you -- please watch his message, and sign up to join OFA in your community today.
Thank you so much for fighting so hard and giving so much to make the promise of a stronger, more just and prosperous America in the years ahead a reality: http://my.barackobama.com/Year My best, David Plouffe
