Read below for an article on how the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) a non partisan part of Health and Human Services found that the House Democrats’ bill will reduce senior care. Ranking Member Dave Camp stated:
“This report confirms what virtually every independent expert has been saying: [House] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi’s health-care bill will increase costs, not decrease them.This is a stark warning to every Republican, Democrat and independent worried about the financial future of this nation.” Report: Bill would reduce senior care
Medicare cuts approved by House may affect access to providers
By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 15, 2009
A plan to slash more than $500 billion from future Medicare spending — one of the biggest sources of funding for President Obama’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s health-care system — would sharply reduce benefits for some senior citizens and could jeopardize access to care for millions of others, according to a government evaluation released Saturday.
The report, requested by House Republicans, found that Medicare cuts contained in the health package approved by the House on Nov. 7 are likely to prove so costly to hospitals and nursing homes that they could stop taking Medicare altogether. Read more at www.washingtonpost.com |
Section 321 establishes a new government-run health plan that, according to non-partisan actuaries at the Lewin Group, would cause as many as 114 million Americans to lose their existing coverage Subtitle B–Public Health Insurance Option
SEC. 321. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF A PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE OPTION AS AN EXCHANGE-QUALIFIED HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN.
(a) Establishment- For years beginning with Y1, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this subtitle referred to as the ‘Secretary’) shall provide for the offering of an Exchange-participating health benefits plan (in this division referred to as the ‘public health insurance option’) that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high quality coverage throughout the United States in accordance with this subtitle. In designing the option, the Secretary’s primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care.
Read more at www.opencongress.org |
This section prohibits the sale of private individual health insurance policies, beginning in 2013, forcing individuals to purchase coverage through the federal government. (c) Limitation on Individual Health Insurance Coverage-
(1) IN GENERAL- Individual health insurance coverage that is not grandfathered health insurance coverage under subsection (a) may only be offered on or after the first day of Y1 as an Exchange-participating health benefits plan.
(2) SEPARATE, EXCEPTED COVERAGE PERMITTED- Nothing in–
(A) paragraph (1) shall prevent the offering of excepted benefits described in section 2791(c) of the Public Health Service Act so long as such benefits are offered outside the Health Insurance Exchange and are priced separately from health insurance coverage; and
(B) this division shall be construed–
(i) to prevent the offering of a stand-alone plan that offers coverage of excepted benefits described in section 2791(c)(2)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (relating to limited scope dental or vision benefits) for individuals and families from a State-licensed dental and vision carrier; or
(ii) as applying requirements for a qualified health benefits plan to such a stand-alone plan that is offered and priced separately from a qualified health benefits plan.
Read more at www.opencongress.org |
According to analysis from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) the number of illegal immigrants covered under Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats’ health care bill (H.R. 3962) has increased by 2.5 million from their original bill, H.R. 3200:
• According to CBO, H.R. 3962 leaves “18 million nonelderly residents uninsured (about one-third of whom would be unauthorized immigrants).” That equates to roughly 6 million illegal immigrants uninsured. According to CBO, H.R. 3200 left “17 million nonelderly residents uninsured (nearly half of whom would be unauthorized immigrants).” That equates to roughly 8.5 million illegal immigrants uninsured. So Speaker Pelosi’s new bill expanded coverage for illegal immigrants by 2.5 million people. How many of them will receive free health insurance paid for by American taxpayers?
Democrats rejected amendments offered in the Ways and Means Committee to prevent taxpayer health care benefits from going to illegal citizens. It was rejected on a party-line vote. To read more check out our release here:http://republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=153152
(4) APPLICATION AND VERIFICATION OF REQUIREMENT OF CITIZENSHIP OR LAWFUL PRESENCE IN THE UNITED STATES-
(A) REQUIREMENT- No individual shall be an affordable credit eligible individual (as defined in section 342(a)(1)) unless the individual is a citizen or national of the United States or is lawfully present in a State in the United States (other than as a nonimmigrant described in a subparagraph (excluding subparagraphs (K), (T), (U), and (V)) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act).
(B) DECLARATION OF CITIZENSHIP OR LAWFUL IMMIGRATION STATUS- No individual shall be an affordable credit eligible individual unless there has been a declaration made, in a form and manner specified by the Health Choices Commissioner similar to the manner required under section 1137(d)(1) of the Social Security Act and under penalty of perjury, that the individual–
(i) is a citizen or national of the United States; or
(ii) is not such a citizen or national but is lawfully present in a State in the United States (other than as a nonimmigrant described in a subparagraph (excluding subparagraphs (K), (T), (U), and (V)) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act).
Such declaration shall be verified in accordance with subparagraph (C) or (D), as the case may be.
(C) VERIFICATION PROCESS FOR CITIZENS-
(i) IN GENERAL- In the case of an individual making the declaration described in subparagraph (B)(i), subject to clause (ii), section 1902(ee) of the Social Security Act shall apply to such declaration in the same manner as such section applies to a declaration described in paragraph (1) of such section.
Read more at www.opencongress.org |
Section 252: This section directs that “all health care and related services covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services.” Left open to interpretation by HHS is whether this provision re-establishes the right of a convicted sex offender to his Viagra prescription, a right that was once established under government officials’ interpretation of Medicaid rules. (a) In General- Except as otherwise explicitly permitted by this Act and by subsequent regulations consistent with this Act, all health care and related services (including insurance coverage and public health activities) covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services. Read more at www.opencongress.org |
Under Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill, medical device makers would pay a 2.5% excise tax on sales of their products, roughly ninety percent of whom are small businesses. The Medical Device Manufacturers Association estimates the cost to their industry would exceed $20 billion over 10 years. Job creation will surely be halted with these tax increases `(a) In General- There is hereby imposed on the first taxable sale of any medical device a tax equal to 2.5 percent of the price for which so sold. |
Section 330 permits—but does not require—Members of Congress to enroll in government-run health care.
I offered an amendment that would require Members of Congress, their families and their dependents to enroll in the government plan. During a recent town hall, my constituents were adamant that Members of Congress and their families be required to participate in any type of government-run health care plan. SEC. 330. ENROLLMENT IN PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE OPTION BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. |
This section allows the Secretary of Health and Human services to decide which prescription drugs are available to subscribers in the government-run plan by negotiating the price of drugs not covered in Medicare. This government price control will eliminate competition in the market, which naturally lowers prices, as evidenced by the decrease of prices under Medicare Part D. Additionally, the section shelters the government plan from any administrative or judicial review of the payment rate or methodology it uses. This keeps private health insurance providers from suing the government for price fixing. It also allows the government to get away with denying access to treatment based on cost, which has happened in other countries where the government controls prices. (1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall negotiate payment for the public health insurance option for health care providers and items and services, including prescription drugs, consistent with this section and section 324. Read more at www.opencongress.org |
(c) Limitations on Review- There shall be no administrative or judicial review of a payment rate or methodology established under this section or under section 324. Read more at www.opencongress.org |
A monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run plan, as well those who select plans that have abortion coverage through the Exchange. The premium will be paid into an U.S. Treasury account and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services.
The Pelosi bill describes the process in which the Health Benefits Commissioner is to assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run plan. The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month
| (1) IN GENERAL- The Commissioner shall estimate the basic per enrollee, per month cost, determined on an average actuarial basis, for including coverage under a basic plan of the services described in section 222(d)(4)(A).Read more at www.opencongress.org |
| (A) may take into account the impact on overall costs of the inclusion of such coverage, but may not take into account any cost reduction estimated to result from such services, including prenatal care, delivery, or postnatal care;Read more at www.opencongress.org |
This section requires the newly created Health Care Commissioner (arguably the most powerful Federal bureaucrat) to specify what health care benefits can be made available under the four types of plans in the Exchange, rationing care for those in the plans. (a) In General- The Commissioner shall specify the benefits to be made available under Exchange-participating health benefits plans during each plan year, consistent with subtitle C of title II and this section. Read more at www.opencongress.org |
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Report: House Dems’ Bill Would REDUCE Senior Care
