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Aderholt Statement on Unfavorable CMS Report On Health Care Law

April 23, 2010

Contact: Darrell "DJ" Jordan
202-225-4876

ADERHOLT STATEMENT ON DISCOURAGING GOV’T REPORT PREDICTING HIGHER-THAN-EXPECTED HEALTH CARE COSTS


WASHINGTON, DC. - Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) today issued the following statement on Thursday’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) analysis report on the President’s health care law that predicts that our nation's health care costs will increase due to the law. This new government report from Rick Foster, the chief actuary of CMS, finds that President Obama's new health care reform law will increase the nation's health care costs, instead of bringing it down, to the tune of $828 billion over the next decade while saving $577 billion.

CMS is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and health insurance portability standards.

“Yesterday’s government report on the President’s recently signed health care law is very troubling but confirms what many had feared, that the law will increase the nation's health care costs more than expected instead of bringing it down.”

“Many Americans and members of Congress believe that you can expand health insurance for millions of Americans by reducing health care costs for everyone with common sense policies, but unfortunately those ideas were not seriously considered during negotiations of the bill.”

“The CMS analysis found that the law falls short of the President's goal of controlling rising health care costs, but instead raises projected spending by about 1% over 10 years. The report also shows that our seniors are at risk because the President’s Medicare cuts could drive about 15% of hospitals and other institutional providers into more debt, possibly jeopardizing access to care for seniors who rely on Medicare coverage.”

“In early March, Speaker Pelosi warned Americans that Congress would have to pass the health care bill for people to find out what was in it. Well, we’re learning more and more about this law every day and it’s becoming more and more clear that we need to repeal this law and start over with real reform that gives the American people more choices, not more government.”

Congressman Aderholt co-sponsored an alternative health care solution in July 2009, called the "Empowering Patients First Act" (H.R. 3400). Congressman Aderholt voted against the first version of the health care bill, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, in the House on Saturday, November 7, 2009, as well as the final version of the health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, on March 21, 2010. The final version of the health care bill passed the House by a vote of 219-212 and was signed into law by the President on Tuesday, March 23rd.

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