Health care: 8 examples why Dems’ health care bill does not meet the president’s stated goals

President Obama has stated goals on his health care reform plan. There's a problem--his health care reform plan is not meeting them, as the Senate Republican Communications Center informs us:

PROMISE #1: “If You Like Your Plan, You'll Be Able To Keep It”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “If You Like Your Current Plan, You Will Be Able To Keep It. Let Me Repeat That: If You Like Your Plan, You'll Be Able To Keep It.” (President Obama, Remarks At The White House, Washington, D.C., 7/21/09)

AP FACT CHECK: “This Is A Pledge That's Beyond The President's Power To Keep.” (“Fact Check: Obama's Words About Iran Get Tougher,” The Associated Press, 6/23/09)

SEN. BOB CASEY (D-PA) On Medicare Advantage Cuts: “We’re Not Going To Be Able To Say ‘If You Like What You Have, You Can Keep It’ … And That Basic Commitment That A Lot Of Us Around Here Have Made Will Be Called Into Question.” (“Obama’s Planned Medicare Cuts Distress Some Democrats,” Bloomberg, 12/3/09)

PROMISE #2: “My Plan Won’t Raise Your Taxes One Penny”

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): “And If You're A Family Making Less Than $250,000 A Year, My Plan Won't Raise Your Taxes One Penny -- not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” (Barack Obama, Remarks, Orlando, FL, 8/3/08)

SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS’ ANALYSIS OF JOINT COMMITTEE ON TAXATION FINDINGS: “In 2019, 39.9 million individuals and families or 24% of all tax returns under $200,000 will, on average, see their taxes go up. This is even after taking into account the premium tax credit.” (“Joint Committee On Taxation Indicates That 38% Of People Earning Less Than $200,000 A Year Will See A Tax Increase Under The Reid Bill,” Senate Finance Committee Minority Staff, 12/05/09)

THOMAS BARTHOLD, JOINT COMMITTEE ON TAXATION CHIEF OF STAFF: “But To The Extent That, Yes, We Think That Some People Would Be Subject To The Penalty Excise Tax When Everything Shakes Out, We Would Expect That Some Would Have Incomes Less Than $200,000.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 9/22/09)

PROMISE #3: “I Will Protect Medicare”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “So don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut, especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past and just this year supported a budget that would essentially have turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program. That will not happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 9/9/09)

Reid Bill Contains Half Trillion Dollars In Medicare Cuts. “Senate Republicans lost their first major challenge to a Democratic plan to overhaul the health-care system, as the chamber voted Thursday to reject a GOP proposal to strip the package of nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts, its most important source of financing.” (“Senate Votes Down GOP Plan To Strip Medicare Cuts From Bill,” The Washington Post, 12/4/09)

CBO: Medicare Cuts Could “Reduce Access To Care Or Diminish The Quality Of Care.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P. 1, 17)

PROMISE #4: “Slow The Growth Of Health Care Costs”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “And It Will Slow The Growth Of Health Care Costs For Our Families, Our Businesses, And Our Government.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 9/9/09)

CBO: “Under The Legislation, Federal Outlays For Health Care Would Increase During The 2010–2019 Period, As Would The Federal Budgetary Commitment To Health Care. The net increase in that commitment would be about $160 billion over 10 years, driven primarily by the $848 billion gross cost of the coverage expansions (including increases in both outlays and tax credits).” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P. 16)

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “Experts — Including Some Who Have Consulted Closely With The White House, Like Dr. Denis A. Cortese, Chief Executive Of The Mayo Clinic — Say The Measures Take Only Baby Steps Toward Revamping The Current Fee-For-Service System, Which Drives Up Costs By Paying Health Providers For Each Visit Or Procedure Performed.” (“Democrats Raise Alarms Over Costs Of Health Bills,” The New York Times, 11/10/09)

WILLIAM GALSTON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Dem Health Bills Do A “Very Poor Job” Of “Controlling Costs.” “I say with regret but consistent with a very important article on the front page of today’s New York Times that of the two objectives that people had going into health care reform, namely expanding access and controlling costs we’re on track to do a pretty good job on number one and a very poor job on number two. So if we don’t do number two in this bill we’re going to have to come back and do it in some subsequent bill because it is not sustainable to expand access and to do nothing about costs. It’s just as simple as that. I am interested in sustainable moral commitments.” (Senate Budget Committee, Hearing, 11/10/09)

PROMISE #5: “Broadcasting Those Negotiations On C-SPAN”

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): "That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are, because part of what we have to do is enlist the American people in this process." (Sen. Obama, Presidential Debate, 1/31/08)

“But Now, As A Senate Vote On Health-Care Legislation Nears, Those Negotiations Are Occurring In A Setting That Is Anything But Revolutionary In Washington: Three Senators Are Working On The Bill Behind Closed Doors. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) sits at the head of a wooden table at his office as he and Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) work to merge two competing versions of health-care legislation into one bill. The three men will be joined by top aides as well as by members of President Obama's health-care team, led by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. The sessions started on Wednesday and could be completed this week.” (“Small Group Now Leads Closed Negotiations On Health-Care Bill,” The Washington Post, 10/18/09)

“After Months Of Buildup, The Historic Debate On Health Care Reform Opens On The Senate Floor Monday — But The C-SPAN Cameras Won’t See The Real Action.” (“Dems Seek Deal As Sen. Debate Begins,” Politico, 11/30/09)

PROMISE #6: “Slow The Growth Of Health Care Costs For … Our Businesses”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “And It Will Slow The Growth Of Health Care Costs For Our Families, Our Businesses, And Our Government.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 9/9/09)

Mandates In Health Bill Are “Likely To Reduce Employment”

“Penalty Payments By Employers And Uninsured Individuals… 2010-2019… 36 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P. 6)

COMPANIES THAT DON’T PROVIDE INSURANCE FINED $750 PER WORKER

CBO: “Firms With More Than 50 Workers That Did Not Offer Coverage Would Have To Pay A Penalty Of $750 For Each Full-Time Worker If Any Of Their Workers Obtained Subsidized Coverage Through The Insurance Exchanges; That Dollar Amount Would Be Indexed.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P. 7)

CBO: “Requiring Employers To Offer Health Insurance—Or Pay A Fee If They Do Not—Is Likely To Reduce Employment…” (“Effects Of Changes To The Health Insurance System On Labor Markets,” CBO, 7/14/09)

More Than $100 Billion In Taxes & Fees On The Health Care Industry

“Fees On Certain Manufacturers And Insurers… 2010-2019… 102 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P. 6)

PROMISE #7: “Will Not Sign It If It Adds One Dime To The Deficit”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “I Will Not Sign It If It Adds One Dime To The Deficit, Now Or In The Future, Period.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 9/9/09)

CBO: “A Detailed Year-By-Year Projection For Years Beyond 2019, Like Those That CBO Prepares For The 10-Year Budget Window, Would Not Be Meaningful Because The Uncertainties Involved Are Simply Too Great.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P.14)

The Washington Post’s David Broder: “Every Expert I Have Talked To Says That The Public Has It Right. These Bills, As They Stand, Are Budget-Busters.” (David Broder, Op-Ed, “A Budget-Buster In The Making,” The Washington Post, 11/22/09)

PROMISE #8: Medical Liability Reform: “This Is Going To Be A Priority For Me”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “I want to work with the AMA so we can scale back the excessive defensive medicine that reinforces our current system, and shift to a system where we are providing better care, simply -- rather than simply more treatment. So this is going to be a priority for me.” (President Obama, Remarks To The AMA, Chicago, IL, 6/15/09)

Reid Bill Does Not Directly Address Medical Malpractice Reform. “It is the sense of the Senate that— health care reform presents an opportunity to address issues related to medical malpractice and medical liability insurance.” (S .Amdt 2786 To H.R. 3590, “Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,” P. 1858)

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