Berkley’s Job-Killing Healthcare Law Cut Over $500 Billion From Medicare
Two years ago liberal U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley – at the urging of Nancy Pelosi – voted for President Obama’s healthcare bill that raided over $500 billion from Medicare in order to expand government and yet today she’s hoping Nevadans will forget that vote.
According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), ObamaCare will cut $500 billion from Medicare, which includes $200 billion from Medicare Advantage, $150 billion from hospitals and nursing homes and $40 billion from home healthcare.
“It’s remarkable that Shelley Berkley would celebrate the birth of Medicare, given that she recently raided over $500 billion from the program for her job-killing healthcare law,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox. “This fall, Nevadans will remember that Shelley Berkley is the only candidate that has cut Medicare.”
Notably, as Nevada continues to suffer from the highest unemployment rate in the country, the Wall Street Journal has written that ObamaCare is the largest tax increase in history on the middle class.
BACKGROUND…
SHELLEY BERKLEY VOTED FOR OBAMACARE
Berkley Voted For The Health Care Reform Law. (H.R. 3590, CQ Vote #165: Motion agreed to, thus clearing the bill for the president, by a vote of 219-212: R 0-178; D 219-34, 3/21/10, Berkley Voted Yea)
WHICH STRIPPED OVER $500 BILLION FROM MEDICARE
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): “Some Of Our Critics On The Other Side Of The Aisle Have Said, ‘Ydurbou Know, They’re [Democrats] Going To Cut Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars Out Of Medicare.’ And The Simple Answer Is, Yes.” (Sen. Durbin, Floor Remarks, 3/4/10)
WASHINGTON POST: The Health Care Bill Cut Medicare By Roughly “$500 Billion Over The Next Decade.” “To cover the cost of those changes, the compromise would impose a 3.8 percent Medicare tax on investment income for wealthy taxpayers, a levy that would come in addition to a Senate-proposed increase in the regular payroll tax for those families. And it would slice an additional $60 billion from Medicare, with the privately run program known as Medicare Advantage targeted for particularly deep cuts, bringing the total reduction in projected spending on the program to more than $500 billion over the next decade.” (Lori Montgomery and Paul Kane, “House Leaders Announce $940 Billion Health-Care Compromise Bill,” The Washington Post, 3/19/10)
AND THE NON-PARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE BREAKS DOWN BERKLEY’S MEDICARE CUTS
$200 BILLION IN CUTS TO MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
“Medicare Advantage Payments… -131.9 [Billion Dollars].” “TITLE III—Improving The Quality And Efficiency Of Health Care; Subtitle C—Provisions Relating to Part C; Medicare Advantage Payments… 2010-2019… -131.9 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Pelosi, 3/18/10, P. 13)
“Medicare Advantage Interactions… -70.4 [Billion Dollars].” “Interactions; Medicare Advantage Interactions… 2010-2019… -70.4 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Pelosi, 3/18/10, P. 18)
$150 BILLION IN CUTS TO HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES, AND HOSPICE
“Ensuring Medicare Sustainability… -156.6 [Billion Dollars].” “TITLE III—Improving The Quality And Efficiency Of Health Care; Subtitle E—Ensuring Medicare Sustainability; 3401 Revision Of Certain Market Basket Updates And Incorporation Of Services Productivity Improvements Into Market Basket Updates That Do Not Already Incorporate Such Improvements (Effect Of Productivity Adjustment For Home Health Included In Estimate For Section 3131)… 2010-2019… -156.6 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 3/18/10, P.14)
$40 BILLION IN CUTS TO HOME HEALTH CARE
“Home Health Care… -39.7 [Billion Dollars].” “TITLE III—Improving The Quality And Efficiency Of Health Care; Subtitle B—Improving Medicare For Patients And Providers; Part III – Improving Payment Accuracy; 3131 Payment Adjustments For Home Health Care (Includes Effect Of Section 3401)… 2010-2019… -39.7 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 3/18/10, P.13)
$20 BILLION IN REDUCED “PAYMENTS TO HOSPITALS THAT SERVE A LARGE NUMBER OF LOW-INCOME PATIENTS”
“Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) Payments… -22.1 [Billion Dollars].” “TITLE III—Improving The Quality And Efficiency Of Health Care; Subtitle B—Improving Medicare For Patients And Providers; Part III—Improving Payment Accuracy; 3133 Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) Payments… 2010-2019… -22.1 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 3/18/10, P.13)
“Reducing Medicaid and Medicare payments to hospitals that serve a large number of low-income patients, known as disproportionate share (DSH) hospitals…” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P. 10)
