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President Obama: Medicare cuts here to stay
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
August 16th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
August 16th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
He's a man of his word. President Barack Obama declared in 2009 that the Medicare cuts he signed as part of his ObamaCare health reform law would never be repealed. In an interview he granted in 2009 with ABC News' Jake Tapper, the president noted that nearly one-third of the bill's funding came from cutting Medicare.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "One of the concerns about health care and how you pay for it: third of the funding comes from cuts to Medicare," Tapper said.President Obama replied "Right."
Tapper then asked Obama whether he would let Congress to repeal or repair the Medicare cuts as it does every year with the so-called "Doc Fix," which is a measure designed to ensure adequate reimbursement payments are maintained to doctors treating Medicare patients.
Obama was adamant that his Medicare cuts were permanent and that he would never allow Congress to repeal them.
"Are you willing to pledge that whatever cuts in Medicare is being made to fund health insurance - one third of it - that you will veto anything that tries to undo that?" Tapper asked.
"Yes," the president said. "I actually have said that it is important for us to make sure this thing is deficit neutral, without tricks. I said I wouldn't sign a bill that didn't meet that criteria."
The Affordable Care Act will cut Medicare by an estimated $716 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The reductions are mostly from cuts made to Medicare payments for such items as hospital care as well as cuts to the Medicare Advantage program.
Obama and fellow Democrats have recently criticized the GOP over vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wisconsin) plans to reform Medicare, saying that the Republican plan will "end Medicare as we know it."
"Romney and Ryan are committed to a plan that would end Medicare as we know it. They would create a voucher system that would increase seniors' health costs," Obama's Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter said in a recent email.
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