A House Republican hearing on the harmful impact of Obamacare on Medicare Advantage completely backfired when the expert witnesses that Republicans invited disagreed with them.
Subcommittee on Health Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) set the stage for gloom and doom, “The future for Medicare Advantage may look grim. The questionable $8.3 billion quality bonus payment demonstration program used to mask the ACA cuts is coming to an end…This leaves the looming threat that Medicare Advantage plan rates could again include the broken physician reimbursement formula, unless we finally and permanently fix the way Medicare pays physicians. Instead of improving the situation, CMS’s regulatory actions are threatening plans through potential termination and limiting their ability to innovate.”
The Republicans quickly crashed and burned when their own witnesses disagreed with them.
Chris Wing of SCAN Health Plan said, “The MA program continues to grow in popularity. It gives seniors and other eligible individuals what they want: choice, coordination of care, affordability. It has begun to put the incentives in place for constant quality improvement by rewarding collaboration between providers and plans. Congress should have a strong interest in seeing the continued advancement of Medicare Advantage.”
Joe Baker of the Medicare Rights Center testified, “Many predicted that ACA changes to MA payment methods would lead to widespread disruption of the MA market. However, there is little evidence that this has occurred. In fact, it is important to note that MA enrollment is at an all-time high, with nearly 16 million beneficiaries now enrolled in an MA plan, representing a steadily growing percentage of beneficiaries. In addition, premium costs, benefit levels, and the availability of MA plans remain relatively stable across the country.”
Robert Book of Health Systems Innovation Network told the committee, “Since its inception, Medicare Advantage has proved to be one of the most popular and successful components of Medicare, with enrollment steadily increasing over time.”
The expert testimony of the witnesses that the Republicans invited was that Medicare Advantage enrollment is at an all time high. The myth that the ACA is going to kill Medicare is one of the favorite standards used by Republicans to scare seniors out of supporting Obamacare.
Republicans repeatedly called Obamacare a raid on Medicare despite the fact that their own experts, who were sitting right in front of them, disagreed. The scene was surreal. Republicans kept discussing how Obamacare is destroying Medicare while ignoring the facts that were being presented to them at their own hearing.
The hearing itself was another waste of time and money as House Republicans continue to try to convince the American people that affordable access to healthcare is a bad thing.
Republicans may have lost the battle and the war, but they are never going to stop lying about Obamacare.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
As usual, facts don’t mean anything to Republicans in Congress.
“We don’t need no stinkin’ facts….we got guns and the Bible….”
ya know… these rat bastards keep insisting that Obama is a Nazi even as they continue to use the Goebbels propaganda playbook…
tell the BIG LIE and repeat it loudly and often and people will believe…
Well, the healthcare thing didn’t work……BENGHAZI!!
No?
That’s just more proof that no matter what you tell Republicans, or who tells them, they will not listen.
Their agenda is to take over America and turn it into an Ayn Rand wonderland and they will let nothing get in the way of their goal.
Hopefully, the one way to stop them, will be utilized this November. Vote, vote, vote.
Why bother to have these hearings at all? It makes no sense when they are not listening to the facts even from their own handpicked witnesses. Wish someone could add up all the money spent by these fools on these faux hearings and investigations. Must be in the multi, multi millions by now, and they cry we need to cut spending. Let’s sue them for taxation without representation because they’ve done nothing for the American people, absolutely nothing.
tone deaf. their own witnesses are telling them how it rely is, but the republicans prefer their own facts, aka lies.
reality is not something republicans realize anymore. fantasy land us where they live now.
If Republicans worked as hard HELPING the American people as they do at trying to tear down Pres. Obama, we’d have far fewer problems than we do.
What are their constituents thinking in returning these same people to Congress again and again – or putting even worse people in their seats.
It’s just ridiculous how so many people continue to buy their misdirection, half-truths, and outright lies.
It is time to arrest and execute every Republican in federal and state government for treason and replace every single one of them with Democrats.
By the way, this is the ONLY time that I support the use of the death penalty.
We should take them to court and sue their ass. Please people, leys vote their asses out in November.
Having given this a lot of thought I can only see one rational explanation for why the republicans are trying so hard to derail the ACA. The ACA is already responsible for gaining health care for ten million Americans who were unable to obtain health insurance before. As health care becomes more widely available to the American people, the average lifespan of Americans will increase. That means more money will inevitably be needed for social security payments to a growing population of elderly people. This could end up reducing the money available for spending on lucrative defense contracts, which senior republicans have been known to directly profit from, for example. Think about it, why else would a rational person object to increasing access to health care for the American people?
I thought Medicare Advantage was a private management company Overseeing Medicare benefits for recipients at a 14% mark up at taxpayer’s expense, whereas Medicare use to manage these accounts with a 3% overhead providing the same service. Maybe I’m missing something here, did the ACA take back control those accounts managed by private firms but kept the name to not cause confusion for the recipient.
“Well, Conjecture, Tendentious Misreadings, and Cherry Picking Are Kinds of Evidence.”
Neil Seigel summarizes the problems with the hackwork of the 2 (of 8) federal judges who accepted the latest and possibly very weakest ad hoc challenge to the ACA perfectly:
http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2014/07/61063
The Republicans are looking stoopid and inept each and every day with their failed attempts to tear down the ACA (a/k/a OBAMACARE). That train has left the station, the ship has sailed away….YET the incompetent fools are STILL trying to sink and derail it. No wonder they deserve the disdain and disrespect of the Nation! (Non-Republicans anyway). WHY are they so obstinate and delusional? WHY are they seeming like hungry Vultures picking at the sinews of a dead carcass? WHY do they continue to look FOOLISH,MEAN and SPITEFUL? The WORST Do Nothing Republican House of Congressmen EVER. That tag they will wear for ever in the History books. While OBAMA will,in the long run, join the ranks of the Most EFFECTIVE Presidents since IKE in our history. Just look at what he has to overcome along the way…with the Republicans trash talking and being un-cooperative with this Black, Democratic President. They will hang their heads in shame for- EVER! We know who they are. YES we do.
Almost 7 Million Americans Will Receive Obamacare Refunds
http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/2014/7/24/almost-7-million-americans-will-receive-obamacare-refunds#disqus_thread
Hey Democrats are you paying attention?
dj…I have received refunds for the past 2 years from my insurance company. Thank you President Obama!
I believe Medicare Advantage is overseen by an insurance company. Don’t think this effects the procedure of the Govt run Medicare. The Insurance company – in my case United Healthcare receives my premium from Medicare and agrees to cover my expenses according to Medicare Guidelines for that amount.
I think advantage is going away.
VOTE VOTE VOTE BLUE in 2014. Let’s suffocate the Republicans with a BLUNAMI.
Not sure why you think Democrats need to pay attention. Am confused.
Because the village is telling the dummycrats don’t run on Obama’s achievements. If you are a dem and run as a rethug the people will vote for the rethug all the time. Stand for what is right and hit their ass where they are most at their weakest.
The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Actually, I think the reason is because it galls them to think that the black Democrat president has been successful – and had the guts to initiate this very valuable program for the American people. They know it can work and it’s driving them crazy.