Editor, The Transcript:
In response to Joe Carter's letter criticizing Tom Cole, I'd like to criticize his argument that AARP and the AMA are supporting this bill. They are indeed endorsing the bill but do you know the reasons why? A recent article in the Wall Street Journal revealed the reasons. First of all the AARP got a financial windfall in return for its support of the healthcare bill. Over the past decade, the AARP has morphed from an advocacy group to an insurance company (through its subsidiary company). It is one of the main suppliers of Medi-gap insurance, a high-cost, privately purchased coverage that picks up where Medicare leaves off. But President Bush passed the Medicare Advantage program, which offered a subsidized, lower-cost alternative to Medi-gap. Under Medicare Advantage, the elderly get all the extra coverage they need plus coordinated, well-managed care usually by the same physician. So more than 10 million seniors went with Medicare Advantage, cutting into AARP Medi-gap revenues. Under the current healthcare bill, these seniors would lose their Medicare Advantage coverage entirely, which would be a financial boon for the AARP.
With regard to the AMA's support, it is once again all about the money. The AMA was facing a 21 percent cut in physicians' reimbursements under the current law. Obama promised to kill the cut if they backed his bill. The cuts are the fruit of a law requiring annual 5 to 6 percent reductions in doctor reimbursements for treating Medicare patients. Bravely, each year Congress has rolled the cuts over, suspending them but not repealing them. So each year, the accumulated cuts threaten doctors. By now, they have risen to 21 percent. With this blackmail leverage, Obama compelled the AMA to support his bill... or else. Furthermore, less than 20 percent of practicing physicians belong to the AMA, which makes the AMA's endorsement of this bill even less impressive.
The only industry that refused to knuckle under was the medical device makers. They stood for principle and would not go along with Obama's blackmail. So the Senate Finance Committee retaliated by imposing a tax on medical devices such as automated wheelchairs, pacemakers, arterial stents, prosthetic limbs, artificial knees and hips and other necessary accoutrements of healthcare.
So, these endorsements are not freely given, but bought and paid for by an administration that is intent on passing its program at any cost. This bill is bad and I say Rep. Cole should be thanked for voting against this bill and for listening to this constituents, who packed his town hall meetings in opposition to this bill.
NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST
Norman
