Mitt Romney says Obama 'robbed' Medicare of $716 billion. True? (Some analysts say it's inaccurate)

CS Monitor ^ | 08/16/2012 | Peter Grier

[SeekAndFind]

Mitt Romney is hammering President Obama with the allegation that he's robbed Medicare to pay for Obamacare. But analysts suggest that's not an accurate appraisal of Obama's plan.

The Mitt Romney campaign has a new talking point that it’s hitting hard: President Obama “robbed” Medicare of $716 billion to help pay for his health-care reform legislation. Is this assertion accurate?

Well, it is true that the Affordable Care Act – known to some as Obamacare – would reduce spending on Medicare by $716 billion from 2013 to 2022, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. It is also true that this reduction is used to offset spending on other ACA provisions.

However, the ACA does not literally lop this figure off Medicare’s bottom line. Most of these reductions would occur due to the fact that the law makes changes meant to lower future costs for the big health-care program for seniors.

For instance, the ACA cuts many of the payments Medicare makes in its fee-for-service system to hospitals, nurses, and other health-care providers. (Doctors would not be affected by this payment squeeze.) According to CBO, over the 10-year period it measured, Medicare payments for hospital services would go down by $260 billion, for instance. Payments for skilled nursing services would go down by $39 billion and for home health services by $33 billion.

The other big category of ACA Medicare reductions is aimed at Medicare Advantage, a sub-section of Medicare plans run by private insurers. Medicare Advantage began as a pilot program under President George W. Bush, who pushed it as a means to save money by pitting private insurers against each other in a competition to cover Medicare beneficiaries.

This approach has not worked out as intended. Currently Medicare Advantage plans cost the government more on a per-person basis

[Huskrrrr]

Actually the Supremes decision cut the use of Medicare funds for Obamacare.

[Perdogg]

known to some as Obamacare – would reduce spending on Medicare by $716 billion from 2013 to 2022, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis

Where are the inaccuracies?

[ConjunctionJunction]

Back in 2009, here’s what Obama said to Jake Tapper:

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-pledged-his-medicare-cuts-are-here-stay

[Big Horn]

The US has the best medical care in the world and they are going to screw it up.

[nhwingut]

Funny to see lib media teach everyone about baseline budgeting.

[preamble]

I think you mean the Supreme Court allowed the states to opt
out of the Medicaid expansion.

Medicare gets a $716 Billion haircut to “pay” for the first 1.5 trillion
10 year period of Obamacare.

SUpreme Court said nothing about Medicare.

Medicaid is a joint state-Feds program. Under Obamacare, the feds
pick up the 100% tab at first. But then there is no committment down the
line. ALso the states are stuck with cost of implementing exchanges
if they decide to do so.

[Jim from C-Town]

There aren't any discrepancies...They state that they get savings from lowering the pay to hospitals, nurses and other practitioners, BUT NOT DOCTORS, which is a lie. The ACA (Obamacare) lowers doctor payments and then off that budget adds back the Doc. Fix to reinstate those payments. It then further eliminates Medicare Plus, which is the choice of 25% of all seniors. They say that Med + is More expensive than trad medicare, ANOTHER LIE, it is significantly less expensive for the government, but since the Insurance Companies make income on it, they count the income AS A LOSS TO MEDICARE. More lies.

It states that it is true, but also not really true, oh really?

[ScottinVA]

For instance, the ACA cuts many of the payments Medicare makes in its fee-for-service system to hospitals, nurses, and other health-care providers

Do the dems actually think we'll buy into the notion the costs won't be passed onto patients?

[kabar]

Reduction of payments to hospitals will result in the closure of many hospitals. 4 million will be forced out of Medicare Advantage. And the so called Death Panel (IPAB) will decide on what treatments will be allowed and reimbursed. This is how they reduce Medicare costs.

[TomGuy]

As I understand it:

The Obamacare amount impacts ALL seniors beginning next year.

The Romney plan does not impact current (those 55 older) seniors.

That is the big difference.

Romney leaves the Medicare Advantage as is. Obamacare cuts benefits from Medicare Advantage beginning next year.

Romney plan solidifies Medicare for those under 55.

Obamacare bankrupts Medicare in another decade or so.

[Principled]

Funny to see lib media teach everyone about baseline budgeting.

Yes it's full of poetic justice in that respect.

But remember - with MC and SS, the number of recipients is ballooning and hence so will the cost - so notwithstanding baseline budgeting the budget for MC and SS would have to grow significantly.

So it IS being taken from those who paid into it and being given to 0bamacare. No bones about it.

Paid In

[dalereed]

“Currently Medicare Advantage plans cost the government more on a per-person basis”

Co pay under our Advantage plan have been going up drasticly in the last 2 years!

All due to cuts in Obamacare legislation!!!

[TornadoAlley3]

http://budget.senate.gov/republican/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=4177a52a-2420-46af-92ad-891fe0c683a9&SK=92A9C21D1393FB73D4E4CD6B360E3219

[TomGuy]

BUT NOT DOCTORS,

The doctor provision was taken out of Obamacare and made a standalone. That way they were able to placate the doctors now, without upsetting them before the election.

Similarly, they managed to 'save' Medicare Advantage, as is, until after the election also. The cuts in it were supposed to have begun this year.

[Cracker Jack]

“There’s only one president that I know of in history that robbed Medicare, $716 billion to pay for a new risky program of his own that we call Obamacare.” Citing this sentence, the fact-checking site Politifact.com judges it “Mostly False.”

This is the same Politifact that labeled Texas congressional candidate Roger Williams with "Pants on Fire" for calling Obama a socialist.

Which suggests that Politifact is not a reliable source for determining fact.

[Tallguy]

Point is you have to throw a lot of manure on top of Romney’s criticism in order to make his claim that Obama cut Medicare look “false”. A lot of Obama’s claims about future savings to medicare will undoubtedly fail to materialize. ‘Course he’ll be long gone by then.

[KansasGirl]

[ Most of these reductions would occur due to the fact that the law makes changes meant to lower future costs for the big health-care program for seniors ]

By denying them healthcare.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Oh, excellent. Let’s get real nuanced with this, shall we? Let us discuss the size of the envelopes the transfer payments will occur in. Why the hell do we have to fight bumper stickerism with this incessant wondering as to whether we are being fair or even, yes, accurate? What difference could it possibly make?

Make the accusation and shut up except for repeating it and throw the other side into the same type of defensive posture they work to throw our side into at every turn. It’s all anything expects from the other side. This $700 billion thing has been known about for 3 years now. I find it entirely goofball that suddenly, today, it is like some sort of time bomb, as if it took 3 years until maybe a week ago to read 0bamacare and with our badly creased bookmark, we finally hit on something. This was known about years ago. I am frankly glad it has emerged as an issue in present tense. I don’t need to know why.

[preamble]

I totally agree.

I never understood Obama and the Dems signing up for this pay for in
Obamacare. $716 Billion in cuts to Medicare.

1. It was either a cynical ploy which they would undo later (which jake tapper
asked the President in 2009) and he said no he would veto attempt.
Their problem was that Obama PLEDGED deficit neutral “not one dime”
and that was a STUPID NEOPHYTE thing to do. The Amateur.
OR

2. It was a step on the way to reduce Medicare reimbursement level
to get it down to Medicaid level. Right now Medicare reimburses about
80% and Medicaid about 55% of private insurance.

Once you throw 30 million more onto Medicaid. AND have Medicare
be equal in reimbursement rate (low)...

It’s easy to mix Medicaid and Medicare into one program.
We should just do it, those Progressives say.

Then we will have left about 25% of population in 10 years on private
insurance. Then less and less.

VOILA. A SINGLE PAYER PROGRAM.

I say it’s #2. BUT WHO WAS GOING TO DRAW ATTENTION TO 716 billion
stolen out of Medicare????

I think it’s immoral to start a new entitlement Obamacare
with money and from a program at least everyone paid something into
it.
It’s immoral to start a new entitlement when the first one is going
bankrupt.
It’s immoral to take money from Peter to pay Paul.

It’s immoral for the federal government to give any money, never mind
borrowed from Chinese money. to able bodied adults less than 65 years
old. What is the moral reason????