Earlier this month, I warned my Democrat colleagues that the $500 billion in Medicare cuts included in the House health care bill would reduce benefits for seniors.
Well I hate to say I told you so, but a new study by the Obama Administration is confirming my fears. The study conducted by the chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), which is the federal agency that administers Medicare paints a grim picture for seniors.
The new report says that the $500 billion in Medicare cuts will sharply jeopardize their health care benefits. The Washington Post reported that the Medicare cuts "are likely to prove so costly to hospitals and nursing homes that they could stop taking Medicare altogether."
The fact that an analysis done by the Obama administration shows deep cuts to Medicare should be of concern to every senior citizen in our country. When you add in that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reached many of the same conclusions, it is painfully obvious that Congress needs to start over with a bill that does not savage health care for seniors.
I have the oldest congressional district in the country. You can rest assured I will not stand by while we devastate Medicare, one of the most important pillars of our nation's healthcare delivery system for senior citizens.
With the bill through the House I am now calling on the Senate to abandon efforts to cut Medicare and work towards a more balanced solution that does not reduce benefits for our seniors.
Today I ask you to tell your friends about this travesty and make sure to call your Senators and tell them to vote against any bill that cuts Medicare.
