John Kerry For President | Title: "Philadelphia"

NARRATOR: “Four years ago, George Bush came to Philadelphia promising to ‘strengthen Medicare for the greatest generation.’”

CHYRON: Four years ago, George Bush came to Philadelphia promising … “We will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the greatest generation.” George Bush, Philadelphia, PA, 8/3/2000

NARRATOR: “Four years later, Bush imposes the largest Medicare increase in history. Now Bush is back, but around here we remember Bush’s broken promises.”

CHYRON: Four years later … Bush imposes largest Medicare increase in history. Medicare premiums to jump a record 17% LA Times, 9/04/04; Four years later … A record of broken promises.

Kerry Voted For Balanced Budget Act Of 1997 Conference Report. Adoption of the conference report on the bill to cut projected entitlement spending by $140 billion, establishing a balanced budget by fiscal 2002. The bill would reduce Medicare funding by $115 billion; increase health insurance options available to Medicare beneficiaries beyond fee-for-service programs; and permit up to 390,000 Medicare beneficiaries to establish tax-free medical savings accounts. The bill also would include a $24 billion block grant program to help states improve health coverage for uninsured children, funded in part by a federal tobacco tax increase of 15 cents per pack over five years, and restore Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid benefits to certain legal immigrants. (H.R. 2015, CQ Vote #209: Adopted 85-15: R 43-12; D 42-3, 7/31/97, Kerry Voted Yea)

Balanced Budget Act Of 1997 Created Formula That Resulted In 17 Percent Increase In Medicare Premiums This Year. ‘‘The Secretary, during September of each year, shall determine and promulgate a monthly premium rate for the succeeding calendar year that is equal to 50 percent of the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over, determined according to paragraph (1), for that succeeding calendar year.’’ (PL 105-33, Sec. 4571, 8/5/97)

Medicare Premiums Are Set “Without Any White House Involvement.” Kerry “overstates the case by saying that ‘George Bush imposes’ the increase in Medicare premiums. By law, the premiums are set by the Department of Health and Human Services without any White House involvement, based on a formula that in this case largely reflected rising health costs and increased benefits.” (Howard Kurtz, “Kerry Chides Bush On Medicare,” The Washington Post, 9/6/04)

Medicare Law Signed By President Bush Provides Significant Prescription Drug Savings For All 2.1 Million Of Pennsylvania’s Medicare Beneficiaries. “Beginning in 2006, all of the approximately 2.1 million Medicare beneficiaries living in Pennsylvania will be eligible to get prescription drug coverage through a Medicare-approved plan. In exchange for a monthly premium of about $35, seniors who are now paying the full retail price for prescription drugs will be able to cut their drug costs roughly in half. In many cases, they’ll save more than 50 percent on what they pay for their prescription medicines.” (“What MMA Means For Pennsylvania,” Fact Sheet, U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, 2/17/04)

Under New Medicare Law, Seniors Are Now Using Drug Discount Cards To Save Up To 60 Percent On Generic Drugs And Up To 18 Percent On Name Brand Name Prescriptions. “Seniors and people with disabilities can begin using their Medicare-approved drug discount cards to garner savings on prescription medicines. … Analysis by CMS shows that Medicare beneficiaries can expect discounts of up to 18 percent off the average retail prices for name brand drugs and discounts of between 30 and 60 percent on generic drugs. Mail order and Internet discounts through the cards offer savings of up to 24 percent from comparable services.” (U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, “HHS Secretary Urges Seniors To Sign Up For Discount Cards,” Press Release, 6/1/04)

ü Low-Income Seniors Can Receive $1,200 Credit Over The Next 18 Months That Will Offer Savings Of Up To 70 Percent On Their Prescription Expenses. “On top of the discounts, low-income beneficiaries can qualify for a $600 credit this year to help pay for their prescription medicines and another $600 in 2005. Any money from the credit not spent this year will carry over into 2005. For millions of low-income beneficiaries, these savings translate to 30 to 70 percent or more reductions in their drug costs.” (U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, “HHS Secretary Urges Seniors To Sign Up For Discount Cards,” Press Release, 6/1/04)

“Over 4 Million Seniors Already Are Saving On Their Prescription Medicines Through Medicare-Approved Prescription Drug Discount Card.” (U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, “HHS Proposes New Rules To Deliver Better Benefits And Savings On Drugs For Medicare Beneficiaries,” Press Release, 7/26/04)

NARRATOR: “It’s time for a new direction. John Kerry - a real plan to strengthen Medicare and lower healthcare costs. John Kerry - stronger at home, respected in the world.”

CHYRON: Kerry-Edwards; Approved By John Kerry & Paid For By Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.

Kerry “Has Not Laid Out A Clear Path To Solvency,” Says More About What He Would Not Do Than What He Would Do To Strengthen Medicare. “[K]erry has not laid out a clear path to solvency for Social Security and Medicare. Experts agree that the longer the government takes to fix those programs, the harder it will be. Kerry and the Democratic platform pledge fealty to the programs. But the candidate and the platform say more about what they will not do than what they will to avert insolvency.” (Janet Hook, “Major Fiscal Worries Not On Anyone’s Agenda,” Los Angeles Times, 7/27/04)

Kerry Is “Vague Or Silent” About How He Will Address Medicare’s Financial Instability. “[K]erry and the [Democrat] platform are vague or silent on some of the far-reaching issues that will confront the next president: how to address the burgeoning budget deficit and the financial instability of Social Security and Medicare. Kerry has said he wants to halve the deficit in four years, but independent experts have questioned whether that promise squares with costly domestic initiatives he has proposed. And he has offered few details on how he would handle the bigger problems that loom after 2008, when large numbers of baby boomers begin to draw government retirement benefits.” (Janet Hook, “Major Fiscal Worries Not On Anyone’s Agenda,” Los Angeles Times, 7/27/04)

Kerry’s Medicare Plan Would Make Government Negotiate Prescription Drug Prices And Allow Importation Of Drugs From Other Countries. “John Kerry will fight to allow Medicare to negotiate better prescription prices for seniors and will fight to pass reimportation so seniors can get safe quality affordable prescriptions. Kerry will strengthen drug coverage for those who have it - not make it worse.” (John Kerry For President, “Bush’s Broken Promises: Social Security And Medicare,” Press Release, 3/7/04)

ü According To Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Government Negotiation Would Not Reduce Costs; Under New Medicare Law, Private Plans Will Negotiate “Substantial Savings.” “CBO has examined the effect of striking the ‘noninterference’ provision (section 1860D-11(i) of the Social Security Act) as added by P. L. 108-173, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. That section bars the Secretary of Health and Human Services from interfering with the negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacies and sponsors of prescription drug plans, or from requiring a particular formulary or price structure for covered Part D drugs. We estimate that striking that provision would have a negligible effect on federal spending because CBO estimates that substantial savings will be obtained by the private plans and that the Secretary would not be able to negotiate prices that further reduce federal spending to a significant degree. Because they will be at substantial financial risk, private plans will have strong incentives to negotiate price discounts, both to control their own costs in providing the drug benefit and to attract enrollees with low premiums and cost-sharing requirements.” (Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, Congressional Budget Office, Letter To Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, 1/23/04)

ü Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office Concluded That Importation Would Produce Only A Small Reduction In Prescription Drug Spending. “On the basis of its evaluation of proposals to date, CBO has concluded that permitting the importation of foreign-distributed prescription drugs would produce at most a modest reduction in prescription drug spending in the United States. H.R. 2427, for example, which would have permitted importation from a broad set of industrialized countries, was estimated to reduce total drug spending by $40 billion over 10 years, or by about 1 percent. Permitting importation only from Canada would produce a negligible reduction in drug spending.” (Colin Baker, Anna Cook, and Margaret Nowak, “Would Prescription Drug Importation Reduce U.S. Drug Spending?” Issue Brief, Congressional Budget Office, 4/29/04)

Kerry’s Plan Would Shift More Health Care Costs To Taxpayers Without Reducing Spending. “Mr. Kerry would partly take the burden off employers by making government responsible for 75% of the cost of catastrophic cases, those running up more than $50,000 in bills. He says these cases account for nearly 20% of private insurers’ costs. But then what? The cost is just transferred to taxpayers but there’s no injection of efficiency into incentives, no reason to imagine total costs won’t continue to grow wildly.” (Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., Op-Ed, “Faint, Desperate Hope For Health Care Leadership,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/17/04)

ü President Of National Business Group On Health Said “Giving The Government Responsibility For Highest-Cost Medical Cases Shows A ‘Blank-Check Mentality.’” “The notion is to have taxpayers take the risk of very costly illnesses in exchange for companies’ agreeing to cover all workers, funnel savings to them and take steps to slow the growth of health spending. Mr. Thorpe estimates that companies would have to spend $68 billion over 10 years to provide the required coverage, resulting in a net savings of $222 billion for the companies. … Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, a coalition of employers, said that the idea is appealing to business ‘if you were voting only on that particular provision.’ But, she adds, giving the government responsibility for highest-cost medical cases shows a ‘blank-check mentality.’ Once a worker’s bill hits the ceiling, she says, ‘there’s no reason for anyone to pay attention to costs.’” (Sarah Lueck, “Businesses Are Wary Of Kerry Health Plan,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/26/04)

ü Because Kerry Puts Mandates On Businesses In Order To Qualify For Reinsurance Pool, Large Employers With Many Part-Time Workers Probably Would Not Participate. “To qualify, companies would have to institute disease-management programs, which are designed to help reduce the long-term expense of such chronic illnesses as diabetes and heart disease. In addition, employers would have to offer health coverage to all workers, including part-timers. Employers, therefore, would have to weigh the cost of covering all workers against the benefit of the subsidy. Large employers with many part-time workers - such as Wal-Mart, for example - probably would pass, [health policy expert Ken] Thorpe said.” (Marilyn Werber Serafini, “Targeting The ‘Worried Insured,’” National Journal Magazine, 2/7/04)

Kerry Opposed Or Voted To Block Medical Liability Reform At Least Ten Times. (H.R. 956, CQ Vote #137: Motion Rejected 39-61: R 10-44; D 29-17; I 0-0, 5/2/95, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 956, CQ Vote #140: Motion Agreed To 65-35: R 24-30; D 41-5, 5/2/95, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 956, CQ Vote #141: Motion Agreed To 56-44: R 13-41; D 43-3, 5/2/95, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 956, CQ Vote #144: Passed 53-47: R 48-6; D 5-41, 5/2/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 956, CQ Vote #151: Motion Rejected 46-53: R 44-10; D 2-43; I 0-0, 5/4/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 956, CQ Vote #152: Motion Rejected 47-52: R 45-9; D 2-43; I 0-0, 5/4/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 956, CQ Vote #160: Motion Agreed To 54-44:: R 46-7; D 8-37, 5/10/95, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 956, CQ Vote #161: Passed 61-37: R 46-7; D 15-30, 5/10/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1052, CQ Vote #212: Motion Agreed To 52-46: R 2-45; D 49-1; I 1-0, 6/29/01, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 812, CQ Vote #197: Motion Agreed To 57-42: R 6-42; D 50-0; I 1-0, 7/30/02, Kerry Voted Yea)

ü Medical Liability Reform Could Save Between $60 Billion And $108 Billion In Health Care Costs Annually, Making Health Insurance More Affordable For Millions. “The [medical malpractice] litigation system also imposes large indirect costs on the health care system. Defensive medicine that is caused by unlimited and unpredictable liability awards not only increases patients’ risk but it also adds costs. The leading study estimates that limiting unreasonable awards for non-economic damages could reduce health care costs by 5-9% without adversely affecting quality of care. This would save $60-108 billion in health care costs each year. These savings would lower the cost of health insurance and permit an additional 2.4-4.3 million Americans to obtain insurance.” (“Confronting The New Health Care Crisis: Improving Health Care Quality And Lowering Costs By Fixing Our Medical Liability System,” U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, 7/25/02)

Pennsylvania Is Experiencing A Medical Liability Crisis, According To The American Medical Association. (“Medical Liability Reform - NOW!” American Medical Association, 3/26/04, p. 7)

ü Pennsylvania Lawmakers Said Kerry Is “Holding Pennsylvania Physicians Hostage” And “Depriving All Americans Of Affordable And Accessible Health Care.” “Although more needs to be done to restore fairness, common sense, and personal responsibility to Pennsylvania’s lawsuit abuse system, the [PA] Senate has taken an important step forward toward achieving meaningful reform. Unfortunately, Kerry continues to blatantly accuse President Bush and Pennsylvania lawmakers as being responsible for the reason that malpractice reform has not been achieved. Yet Kerry has done nothing to fix our country’s broken lawsuit abuse system, therefore, holding Pennsylvania physicians hostage. He continues to serve as an outspoken opponent of caps on damages and liability reform, thus depriving all Americans of affordable and accessible health care.” (Sen. Jake Corman, Sen. Jeff Piccola and Rep. Mike Turzai, “Restoring Fairness, Common Sense, & Personal Responsibility To Pennsylvania’s Lawsuit Abuse System,” Centre Daily Times, 7/1/04)

...Bush imposes the largest Medicare increase in history.

This is such horsecrap. The Medicare increase was already written into law, and Bush is enforcing the law the Congress wrote.

Don't look for any real critique of this spot from the Lame Stream Media.

2 posted on 09/10/2004 11:03:54 AM PDT by Recovering_Democrat (I'm so glad to no longer be associated with the Party of Dependence on Government!)

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