[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 87 (Thursday, June 10, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1075-E1076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              WHITE HOUSE HEALTH CARE PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. TOM PRICE

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 10, 2010

  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise to submit to the 
Congressional Record the following opinion piece by former Speaker of 
the House Newt Gingrich and Nancy Desmond, CEO at the Center for Health 
Transformation. Their piece focuses on the Obama administration's 
latest attempt to sell the recently enacted health care reform law to 
senior citizens. The administration has embarked on its public 
relations tour after numerous reports detailing that the new health 
care law will reduce quality, raise costs, and limit choices for 
America's seniors.
  In the run-up to passing their government takeover of health care, 
Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration blatantly ignored 
the voices of the American people and rammed through a hyper-partisan 
piece of legislation that will have a disastrous effect on our nation's 
health care system. That they are now choosing to mount a propaganda 
campaign at taxpayer expense to convince Americans that they should 
embrace these new, unwelcome disruptions and government intrusions, the 
Democrats show how out-of-touch they continue to be with the majority 
of Americans.
  I encourage my colleagues to read the following fact check on the 
administration's claims. Our senior citizens deserve to know the truth 
about the effects of ObamaCare.

           [From the Investors Business Daily, June 8, 2010]

                Seniors Must Scrutinize Medicare Mailer

                  (By Newt Gingrich and Nancy Desmond)

       As weeks turned to months during the Great Debate over what 
     to do about health care this past year, President Obama made 
     one solemn pledge to the nation and its seniors:
       He said health care would not add one dime to the deficit. 
     And if all of us liked our doctor, we would get to keep our 
     doctor.
       Fast-forward almost 90 days after the passage of ObamaCare 
     and the attitude of most Americans to that pledge is: ``Prove 
     it.''
       In the past two weeks, the Obama administration has been 
     trying to stem the tide of skepticism toward its health care 
     law with a new mailer sent directly to the nation's seniors, 
     titled ``Medicare and the New Health Care Law--What it Means 
     for You.''

[[Page E1076]]

       Problem is, for anyone who has paid attention during the 
     past 12 months, the message about the biggest government 
     expansion into health care in our lifetime just doesn't add 
     up.
       Let's contrast fact from fiction and the language used in 
     the new flier:
       ``The Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and signed by 
     President Obama this year will provide you and your family 
     greater savings and increased quality of care.''
       Fact: Most Americans will pay higher insurance premiums, 
     according to the Congressional Budget Office. And more than 
     10 million seniors will see reduced benefits under their 
     private Medicare Advantage plans. Overall quality will 
     decline as fewer doctors take on Medicare patients.
       ``Your guaranteed Medicare benefits won't change--whether 
     you get them through Original Medicare or a Medicare 
     Advantage plan.''
       Fact: Medicare Advantage, a private option in Medicare, 
     will be cut by $136 billion. On April 22, the chief actuary 
     for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported 
     that half of all seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage would 
     lose their coverage under the new health care bill by 2017. 
     The guarantee that benefits won't change isn't a guarantee at 
     all for millions of seniors who prefer using private 
     insurance companies that provide their Medicare coverage.
       ``Your choice of doctors will be preserved.''
       Fact: Cuts to Medicare will total nearly $500 billion, 
     hitting hospitals, home health providers, physicians and 
     more. Doctors throughout the country have seen their Medicare 
     payments reduced in recent years and expect more cuts in the 
     future because of ObamaCare.
       A February survey by three national neurosurgeon groups, 
     for example, showed that 50% of neurosurgeons were reducing 
     the number of Medicare patients they were accepting into 
     their practice. The Mayo Clinic in Arizona has also started 
     turning away Medicare patients. Other physicians are 
     following suit. How is this preserving a senior's choice of 
     doctors?
       ``If you're hospitalized, the new law also helps you return 
     home successfully and avoid going back--by helping to 
     coordinate your care and connecting you to services and 
     supports in your community.''
       Fact: This is traditionally known as ``home health care''--
     a program that helps treat patients at home for a short 
     period. But in the ObamaCare plan, home health care will be 
     cut by $40 billion. Another contradiction in terms.
       Last fall, the federal government launched an investigation 
     into Humana for sending letters to seniors who were customers 
     of the Medicare Advantage program during the health care 
     debate.
       It urged them to contact their congressman or senator 
     because of the then-proposed cuts to the program. Under 
     threat of shutting down the insurance company's contract with 
     Medicare, Humana was told to stop sending such information 
     out to its customers.
       Yet today, we have the federal government offering its spin 
     and fabrication on ObamaCare with no one holding it 
     accountable. It is trying to convince seniors that despite 
     almost half a trillion dollars in cuts, the new law 
     ``preserves and strengthens Medicare.'' Precious tax dollars 
     are being spent on a public relations campaign to try to 
     convince seniors that ObamaCare will keep ``Medicare strong 
     and solvent.''
       Nothing could be further from the truth.
       Record numbers of baby boomers will start retiring this 
     year and draw Social Security benefits and sign up for 
     Medicare. They are smart enough to understand that ObamaCare 
     is not a good deal for their golden years. A four-page 
     brochure will not change their minds either. It will take 
     more for this administration to ``prove it'' than a glossy, 
     four-page pamphlet.
       Gingrich, former speaker of the House, is founder of the 
     Center for Health Transformation. Desmond is the center's 
     CEO.

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