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STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN ON 2009 SENATE DEBATE OVER MEDICARE CUTS TO PAY FOR OBAMACARE
August 15, 2012
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain today released the following statement on the 2009 Senate debate over cuts to the Medicare program to pay for Obamacare:
“In the current political debate over Medicare, it is important to remember that in late 2009, President Obama’s efforts to cut Medicare to pay for Obamacare were the subject of intense debate in the U.S. Senate. The President and his political team might not like to remember this history, but facts are stubborn things. The fact is that in November 2009, I offered the first Republican-sponsored amendment to Obamacare, aimed at stopping the nearly $500 billion in cuts to Medicare that were in the bill. At the time, it was abundantly clear that a vote against my amendment was a vote to affirm $500 billion in cuts to the Medicare program to fund Obamacare. On December 8, 2009, the amendment failed 42-57, with all Republicans and two Democrats supporting it and 57 Democrats opposed.
“It is important in this charged political season that the American people be reminded of the facts, particularly regarding the Medicare program which is of such vital importance to America’s seniors. The history of the President’s and the Democrats’ support for Medicare cuts during the debate over Obamacare should go a long way toward clearing up any confusion on this issue.”
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FROM THE ARCHIVES:
STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN ON THE FIRST REPUBLICAN AMENDMENT TO THE HEALTH CARE BILL
November 30, 2009
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today made the following statement regarding the first Republican amendment to the health care bill:
“Today I introduced my amendment to address the Democrats’ drastic and dramatic cuts to the Medicare program under their so-called ‘health care reform’ legislation,” said Senator John McCain. “My amendment would send this legislation back to the Finance Committee with instructions to report the bill to the Senate without these irresponsible cuts. Slashing Medicare by nearly $500 billion, one-half a trillion dollars, to create a new federal health care entitlement is not health care reform,” McCain continued. “These reductions include $120 billion to the Medicare Advantage program, $150 billion to providers including hospitals, hospice, and nursing homes, and $23 billion in unspecified decreases to be determined by an ‘Independent Medicare Advisory board.’ Simply put, these Medicare cuts will impacts senior’s access to quality care. This is a price that American’s should not be asked to pay.”
***Text of the amendment here
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Don’t Slash Medicare
Democrats’ proposed cuts will impact seniors’ access to quality care
By John McCain
USA Today
December 3, 2009
The Democrats have proposed slashing Medicare by nearly $500 billion, one-half a trillion dollars, to create a new federal government-run health care entitlement and are trying to package it as “health care reform.”
Among other cuts, the proposed reductions in Medicare include $120 billion to the Medicare Advantage program; $150 billion to providers, including hospitals, hospices and nursing homes; and $23 billion in unspecified decreases to be determined by an “Independent Medicare Advisory board.”
The bulk of these cuts come directly from Medicare Advantage, which, unlike traditional Medicare, offers coordinated benefits that can improve the quality of care as well as cover items such as hearing aids, dental benefits and flu shots.
Medicare Advantage provides the only choice in the Medicare program for seniors who want additional benefits or better options. Almost 90% of seniors need and have some form of supplemental coverage on top of Medicare. Further, many low-income Americans rely on Medicare Advantage to supplement coverage.
The Congressional Budget Office assumes that the Democrats' bill would cut Medicare Advantage benefits by more than half – from an average of $98 to $41 a month. During the Finance Committee markup, CBO Director Doug Elmendorf stated that “approximately half” of Medicare Advantage benefits would be cut for 11 million seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage under the provisions in the Democrats' bill. The fact is, cuts to Medicare Advantage are cuts to Medicare benefits.
I have consistently been a strong advocate of making Medicare a more efficient and stronger program through improving incentives for better coordinated care, reducing Medicare fraud and abuse, and eliminating preventable errors. These are common sense.
Unlike slashing the Medicare program by half a trillion dollars in order to finance more Washington spending and mandates, I have advocated putting any savings created by improvements to Medicare back into the program to improve it for our seniors and ensure its viability.
Simply put, the Democrats' proposed cuts to Medicare would impact seniors' access to quality care. This is a price that Americans should not be asked to pay.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is author of an amendment to eliminate Medicare cuts from the Senate health care bill.
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