Just Words: Barack Obama's Medicare Malpractice And Lies

Today, in Virginia, Barack Obama committed malpractice by accusing John McCain of trying to cut Medicare services and benefits. Nothing could be further from the truth. Check out Barack Obama's top Medicare lies below:

OBAMA MEDICARE MALPRACTICE #1: The Very Same Reforms That Barack Obama Calls "Cuts" Under John McCain, He Says Will "Strengthen" Medicare Under His Program
THE MALPRACTICE: While Saying Today That John McCain's Reforms Will "Cut" Medicare Spending, Barack Obama Says He Will "Strengthen" Medicare With His Reforms. OBAMA: "So what would Senator McCain's cuts mean for Medicare at a time when more and more Americans are relying on it? It would mean a cut of more than 20 percent in Medicare benefits next year. ... I think every single American has a right to affordable accessible health care. We can strengthen Medicare by eliminating wasteful subsidies to big HMOs in Medicare, and making sure seniors can access home-based care, and letting Medicare negotiate with drug companies for better prices. That's the kind of change we need." (Barack Obama, Remarks As Prepared For Delivery, Roanoke, VA, 10/17/08)

THE TRUTH: Just Two Days Ago, Barack Obama Highlighted His Own "Cut" To Medicare Spending. OBAMA: "And some of the cuts, just to give you an example, we spend $15 billion a year on subsidies to insurance companies. It doesn't -- under the Medicare plan -- it doesn't help seniors get any better. It's not improving our health care system. It's just a giveaway." (CNN, Presidential Candidate Debate, Hempstead, NY, 10/15/08)

THE TRUTH: One Such "Cut" That John McCain Must Support Under Barack Obama's Logic Is A Reform That Today, Barack Obama Said Would "Strengthen" Medicare.

MCCAIN: "Government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid should lead the way in health care reforms that improve quality and lower costs. Medicare reimbursement now rewards institutions and clinicians who provide more and more complex services. We need to change the way providers are paid to focus their attention more on chronic disease and managing their treatment. This is the most important care for an aging population. There have been a variety of state-based experiments such as Cash and Counseling or The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, called PACE, that are different from the inflexible approaches for delivering care to people in the home setting. Seniors are given a monthly allowance that they can use to hire workers and purchase care- related services and goods. They can get help managing their care by designating representatives, such as relatives or friends, to help make decisions. It also offers counseling and bookkeeping services to assist consumers in handling their programmatic responsibilities. In these approaches, participants were much more likely to have their needs met and be satisfied with their care. Moreover, any concerns about consumers' safety appeared to be misplaced. For every age group in every state, participants were no more likely to suffer care-related health problems." (John McCain, Remarks, Tampa, FL, 4/29/08)

OBAMA MEDICARE MALPRACTICE #2: Barack Obama Implies The Wall Street Journal Reported John McCain Plans To "Cut" Medicare By $882 Billion -- The Number Is Not Reported By The Journal But Made Up By The Obama-Supporting Center For American Progress

THE MALPRACTICE: Today, Barack Obama Implied That The Wall Street Journal Reported John McCain Plans To "Cut" Medicare By $882 Billion. OBAMA: "But the Wall Street Journal recently reported that it's actually worse than we thought. It turns out, Senator McCain would pay for part of his plan by making drastic cuts in Medicare -- $882 billion worth. $882 billion in Medicare cuts to pay for an ill-conceived health care plan, even as Medicare already faces a looming shortfall." (Barack Obama, Remarks As Prepared For Delivery, Roanoke, VA, 10/17/08)

THE TRUTH: Barack Obama Is Basically Citing His Own Campaign Because The Report Comes From The Liberal-Leaning, Obama-Supporting Center For American Progress. "Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) disclosed this week that he would cut $1.3 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid to pay for his health care plan. ...The McCain plan will cut $882 billion from the Medicare program, roughly 13 percent of Medicare's projected spending over a 10-year period." (Peter Harbage, Karen Davenport and Ellen-Marie Whelan, "McCain's Latest Health Care Strategy," Center For American Progress, 10/7/08)

OBAMA MEDICARE MALPRACTICE #3: Barack Obama Accuses John McCain Of Not Being Forthcoming About His Health Care Plan Just One Day After His Own Campaign Refused To Answer Questions About His Plan

THE MALPRACTICE: Today, Barack Obama Said That John McCain Has Not Shared All The Detail Of His Health Care Plan. OBAMA: "Senator McCain has been eager to share some details of his health care plan -- but not all. Like those ads for prescription drugs, you have to read the fine print to learn the full story." (Barack Obama, Remarks As Prepared For Delivery, Roanoke, VA, 10/17/08)

THE TRUTH: Just Yesterday, The Obama Campaign Said That It Had "No Plans" To Detail How Much Of A Fine Small Business Not Offering Health Insurance Would Have To Pay Under The Obama Health Care Plan. "As the presidential candidates push their competing health-care plans, Sen. John McCain regularly presses Sen. Barack Obama to tell voters how big a fine he would impose on companies that don't offer their workers health insurance. ... Obama officials say the campaign has no plans to answer that question before Election Day on Nov. 4. Neera Tanden, a top Obama policy adviser, said the fine is intended to discourage employers from dropping coverage, not to raise significant revenue." (Laura Meckler, "McCain Presses Obama On Health-Plan Penalties," The Wall Street Journal, 10/16/08)

THE TRUTH: Barack Obama's Plan Has "Little" To Say About The "Immediate Challenge" Of Taming The "Soaring Costs Of Medicare And Medicaid." "While Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama fight over who has the better health plan for the uninsured, they say little about a more immediate challenge that will confront the next administration, whether Democratic or Republican: how to tame the soaring costs of Medicare and Medicaid." (Robert Pear, "About Those Health Care Plans By The Democrats," The New York Times, 3/3/08)

THE TRUTH: Barack Obama Has "Not Focused On The Dour Forecast For Today's Workers Who Hope Someday To Be Enrolled In Medicare." "Clinton and Obama have also said they would raise the current income tax rates on upper-income people to help pay for offering insurance to younger and middle-aged Americans who now have none. But their health insurance rhetoric has not focused on the dour forecast for today's workers who hope someday to be enrolled in Medicare." (Tom Curry, "Next President To Inherit Medicare Morass," MSNBC News, www.msnbc.msn.com, 3/25/08)

John McCain on the Financial Rescue Bill

U.S. Senator John McCain today delivered the following statement on the passage of the economic rescue package from Flagstaff, AZ:

"I commend the House of Representatives for coming together to pass the economic rescue bill today. I'm glad I suspended my campaign to go back to Washington to help bring the House Republicans to the table. I believe that the taxpayer protections that have been added have improved the bill.

"This rescue bill is not perfect, and it is an outrage that it's even necessary. But we must stop the damage to our economy done by corrupt and incompetent practices on Wall Street and in Washington.

"The action Congress took today is a tourniquet, not a permanent solution. Our economy is still hurting and further action is needed, and it should not take a crisis to get this Congress to act.

"Washington is still on the wrong track, and we face a stark choice in this election. We can go backwards with job-killing tax hikes, the same old broken partisanship, and out of control spending as Senator Obama would have us do or we can bring real reform to Washington.

"My focus is to reform Washington and put government back on the side of working families with tax relief, modern job training, energy independence, more affordable health care, and policies that get spending under control.

"That's how we're going to get America moving again, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.
Thank you and again, I commend the House Republicans for acting in the best interest of our nation."

Senator McCain's Speech at Ohio Rally Today

I'm happy to be introduced by Governor Sarah Palin from the Great State of Alaska. She is a bit of a maverick herself. She will be my partner in reforming everything that's broken in Washington, and she is a leader who knows what it means to put her country first.

Sarah has a debate this week against my friend and colleague Joe Biden. He is a good man. But his is not the heart of a reformer, and if there's one thing every voter I've met this year agrees on, it's the need for big, tough reforms. We need the kind of reforms that require us to ruffle feathers and take on the entrenched special interests. And that's Governor Palin's specialty! Whether it's taking on big oil, or members of her own party, Governor Palin knows who she works for. She works for you!

Sarah and I have news for the big-spending, smooth-talking, me-first, country-second crowd in Washington and on Wall Street:

Change is coming!

We need reform in Washington and on Wall Street. When the financial crisis threatened the economic security of all Americans, I laid out principles to protect hardworking Americans. I believed that inaction was not an option.

I put my campaign on hold for a couple days last week to fight for a rescue plan that put you and your economic security first. I fought for a plan that protected taxpayers, homeowners, consumers and small business owners.

I went to Washington last week to make sure that the taxpayers of Ohio and across this great country were not left footing the bill for mistakes made on Wall Street and in Washington.
Some people have criticized my decision, but I will never, ever be a president who sits on the sidelines when this country faces a crisis. Some of you may have noticed, but it's not my style to simply "phone it in."

I am a Teddy Roosevelt Republican. I believe our leaders belong "in the Arena" when our country faces a challenge. I've never been afraid of stepping in to solve problems for the American people, and I'm not going to stop now.

Senator Obama took a very different approach to the crisis our country faced. At first he didn't want to get involved. Then he was "monitoring the situation." That's not leadership, that's watching from the sidelines.

And watching from the sidelines is exactly what got us into this mess. It was the lack of accountability and oversight that put your tax dollars on the line. But it shouldn't be surprising that Senator Obama isn't interested in protecting your tax dollars.

Senator Obama has proposed more than 860 billion dollars in new spending. He was asked in our debate Friday to name a single program he would consider cutting to help our country through this crisis, and he struggled to name a single program!

Senator Obama is a fan of all that spending because he's always cheering for higher taxes or against tax relief. He's voted that way 94 different times.

Two times, on March 14, 2008 and June 4, 2008, in the Democratic budget resolution, he voted to raise taxes on people making just 42,000 dollars per year. He even said at the time that this vote for higher taxes on the middle class was "getting our nation's priorities back on track." Then something amazing happened: on Friday night, he looked the American people in the eye and said it never happened. My friends, we need a President who will always tell the American people the truth.

Senator Obama's record of higher taxes and more spending isn't going to help "95 percent" of Americans, as he likes to say: it's going to hurt 100 percent of us by growing government, slowing growth, and destroying jobs.

Times are tough for our economy, but I am confident America and Americans will emerge stronger than before. I will do my part. My commitment to the American people is this: I will clean up the Wall Street mess, reform Washington, and focus the entire federal government on a pro-growth agenda that creates jobs and gets this country back to work and back on track.

Now, let me give you some straight talk about this election:

In 36 days your vote will determine the next president of this great country we all love. I think the differences between Senator Obama and myself are pretty clear.

A vote for me will guarantee immediate pro growth action: tax cuts for America's hard working families, strong support for small businesses which are the back bone of our economy, and an end to pork barrel spending in Washington.

A vote for Barrack Obama will guarantee higher taxes, fewer jobs and an even bigger federal government. These policies will deepen our recession.

A vote for me will guarantee that the forces that have brought down our economy will be out of business. I will end the corrupt practices on Wall Street and the back room deals in Washington DC. I will hold accountable those responsible for the oversight and protection of consumers, taxpayers and homeowners.

A vote for Barack Obama will leave this country at risk during one of the most severe challenges to America's economy since the Great Depression.

You see, when it comes to growing the economy and protecting you from the corruption of Wall Street and Washington, Senator Obama just doesn't get it.

Americans have had enough of business as usual. Americans have had enough of the cozy relationships between politicians and power brokers. The status quo will end on November 4 with a vote for me and Sarah Palin.

You see, we've made the tough choices that make us unpopular in our own party. We have pushed for difficult reforms that leave special interests on the sidelines and give "the little guy" a seat at the table.

We will never forget who we work for -- we work for you.

So, that's how we see this election: Country First or Obama First, and I have a feeling I know which side you're all on.

When it came to cutting taxes for seniors, for working families, for small businesses -- my opponent did not put the hard working people of this country first.

When it came time to support our troops fighting to protect our freedoms and way of life, my opponent said he'd never deprive them of the funds they needed to fight -- and then he did just that. Barack Obama voted against funding the equipment our troops rely on as they fight to protect us. That is not putting the men and women of our military first.

When it comes time to reach across the aisle and work with members of both parties to get things done for the American people -- my opponent can't name a single occasion in which he fought against his party's leadership to get something done for the country. That is not putting the interests of the country first.

The country is looking for leadership. The country is hungry for change. They want a leader who will stand up to entrenched special interests -- in Washington, and on Wall Street. They deserve a president who knows when to put politics aside and act in the best interest of the nation. The choice is clear. You have my word. I will always put this country first.