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DeLay: Dems March to Mislead Seniors on Medicare

Democrats Playing Ghoulish Games With Life & Death

 

WASHINGTON — House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) today decried a Democrat campaign designed to mislead seniors about the recently enacted Medicare prescription drug plan.  House Democrat leaders have armed their members with a ready-to-use Microsoft PowerPoint presentation designed to deceive and frighten American seniors, millions of whom are relying on the new program to afford their medication.

 

“The Democrats are playing games with seniors’ lives,” DeLay said.  “Trying to censor public information about Medicare’s new prescription drug coverage, while financing a campaign of deceit to frighten seniors about their coverage is hypocrisy at its most dangerous. 

 

“This is constituent service at its worst,” DeLay said.

 

Below are only some of the intentional inaccuracies contained in congressional Democrats’ prepared presentations to seniors for the President’s Day recess:

 

  • Lie: “Not Voluntary”
  • Truth: Every senior has the right to choose from a range of new options or stay in their current Medicare program.
     
  • Lie: “Seniors cannot leverage purchasing power to get lower prices.”
  • Truth: Seniors will enjoy 20-25% lower drug costs by leveraging their group purchasing power.  The Congressional Budget Office stated that the new law does more to lower drug costs than any other proposal.
     
    •
  • Lie: “No public scrutiny of drug company/insurer kickback arrangement.”
  • Truth: Our bill contains transparency requirements.  The Health & Human Services secretary can disapprove plans with excessive cost to seniors.
     
  • Lie: “2.7 million retirees will lose their drug coverage”
  • Truth: The new law will reverse the increasing rate of employers dropping retiree coverage.  The Employers’ Coalition on Medicare said “the conference agreement will help strengthen the retiree health care system and begin to shape Medicare’s future for generations to come.”

In December, President Bush signed a bipartisan bill to strengthen and secure Medicare with competitive reforms and a prescription drug benefit for all seniors.  Seniors will receive their prescription drug card this summer.