Kuster and Shea-Porter Hypo(critical) Oath
If you still needed to know why Ann Kuster and Carol Shea-Porter are wrong for the Granite State, look no further than what their support for ObamaCare would mean to more than 30,000 military family members and veterans in New Hampshire who rely on TRICARE.
Simply put, Kuster and Shea-Porter’s support for ObamaCare will harm care for military families and those who have served in uniform.
We already know ObamaCare will cut $500 billion from Medicare and that will impact TRICARE, the health insurance program for military families and retirees, since TRICARE is linked closely to Medicare.
Additionally, ObamaCare instituted the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which empowers a panel of government bureaucrats to make decisions that could deny care and increase costs. Furthermore, President Obama’s defense budget proposal would increase TRICARE fees and co-pays for military families and veterans.
As you cover the impact of ObamaCare on New Hampshire’s military community and veterans, please consider the following quote:
NRCC Comment: “Under Ann Kuster and Carol Shea-Porter’s plan more than 30,000 Granite State military family members and veterans could see their access to care harmed and their costs go up. Talk about a slap in the face to those who sacrifice most for our nation. Kuster and Shea-Porter may not care if their plan hurts New Hampshire’s military community, but common sense voters in New Hampshire surely will come November.”– NRCC Spokesman Nat Sillin
The Washington Democrats who recruited and are supporting Kuster and Shea-Porter are now trying to make their Medicare- and TRICARE-gutting board even stronger:
TRICARE RECIPIENTS MIGHT BE FORCED TO LOSE THE CARE THEY HAVE, ENTER OBAMACARE’S NEW HEALTHCARE EXCHANGES: “If reimbursement rates for care are higher in the health care exchanges, for example, more providers might gravitate toward that population, [National Military Family Association Deputy Director for Government Relations Barbara] Cohoon said.
‘We won’t really know until we see how the [health care] exchanges shake out,’ she said.” (William H. McMichael, “Tricare and Health Reform: What It Could Mean in the Long Run,” The Air Force Times, 3/21/2012)
TRICARE’S REIMBURSEMENT RATES TIED TO MEDICARE: “One particular concern is rising fees. Tricare’s reimbursement rates to private caregivers generally are tied to those of Medicare, and many doctors say Medicare’s reimbursement rates already are too low.” (William H. McMichael, “Tricare and Health Reform: What It Could Mean in the Long Run,” The Air Force Times, 3/21/2012)
FEARS THAT ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE THROUGH TRICARE COULD BE JEOPARDIZED BY CUTS TO MEDICARE: “That raises concerns that the Pentagon may one day have to shore up Tricare’s reimbursement rates by increasing its already considerable funding support for the program or raising patients’ fees and co-pays — or both — to keep private-sector doctors from dropping Tricare-eligible patients if they think they can make more money treating the influx of private-sector patients that will be generated by the reform law.” (William H. McMichael, “Tricare and Health Reform: What It Could Mean in the Long Run,” The Air Force Times, 3/21/2012)
Military veterans’ groups are urging Democrats to abandon IPAB, the Medicare-gutting bureaucrat board created under ObamaCare. These organizations believe IPAB’s cuts could limit access to care for military retirees who use Tricare, the military health insurance program:
NATIONAL MILITARY VETERANS ALLIANCE REPRESENTING 35 MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS AND 3.5 MILLION MEMBERS CALLS FOR IPAB REPEAL: (Statement of the National Military Veterans Alliance, Letter to House Committee on Ways & Means, 3/6/2012)
GIVEN LINKAGE BETWEEN MEDICARE AND TRICARE, “WE HAVE REAL CONCERNS ABOUT THE IPAB INDIRECT IMPACT UPON MILITARY RETIREES”: “As you know, almost one third of our nation’s 24 million veterans are over the age of 65, and the vast majority of them live in households in which at least one person receives Medicare benefits. Thus the impact of any change in Medicare services is felt both immediately and directly by them. Moreover, because Medicare reimbursement rates and coverage determinations are standard measures for some provisions of TRICARE as well as a number of private insurance programs, we have real concerns about the IPAB indirect impact upon military retirees now and particularly in the future as its scope of authority expands.” (Statement of the National Military and Veterans Alliance, Letter to House Committee on Ways & Means, 3/6/2012)
DOCTORS HAVE WARNED THAT IPAB WILL THREATEN PATIENTS’ ACCESS TO CARE:
IPAB’S CUTS “WOULD LEAD TO A REDUCTION IN ACCESS TO CARE”: “The Independent Payment Advisory Board, created under the health care law to help control Medicare costs, lacks flexibility to do much more than cut provider payments that would lead to a reduction in access to care, witnesses told a House Ways and Means panel March 6.” (Ralph Lindeman, “IPAB Would Reduce Access to Care, Witnesses Tell Ways and Means Panel,” Bloomberg, 3/7/2012)
41 DOCTORS’ GROUPS REPRESENTING 400,000 DOCTORS FEAR THAT “15 UNELECTED AND LARGELY UNACCOUNTABLE” BUREAUCRATS WILL MAKE MEDICARE DECISIONS, AND NONE ARE ALLOWED TO BE “PRACTICING PHYSICIANS”: “With the advent of the IPAB, however, the people’s elected representatives will no longer have power over Medicare payment policy. Instead, these major health policy decisions will rest in the hands of 15 unelected and largely unaccountable individuals. Even worse, if IPAB fails to report recommendations or never becomes operational, this power will rest solely in the hands of a single individual – the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, fewer than half of the IPAB members can be health care providers, and none are permitted to be practicing physicians or be otherwise employed.” (Letter from Healthcare Stakeholders, House Energy and Commerce Committee, 3/5/2012)
AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION: DOCTORS WILL “OPT OUT OF THE MEDICARE PROGRAM OR BE DRIVEN OUT OF PRACTICE ALTOGETHER”: “He warned, ‘These cuts could be driven so low that physicians will be forced to limit the number of Medicare beneficiaries they see, opt out of the Medicare program, or be driven out of practice altogether.’” (Ralph Lindeman, “IPAB Would Reduce Access to Care, Witnesses Tell Ways and Means Panel,” Bloomberg, 3/7/2012)
AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION: CONCERNS THAT “QUALITY CARE FOR OUR PARENTS WILL BE JEOPARDIZED”: (Martin S. Levine, American Osteopathic Association, Letter to House Energy & Commerce Committee, 2/28/2012)
IPAB WILL “NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE AVAILABILITY OF QUALITY, EFFICIENT HEALTH CARE”: “The Committee’s consideration of H.R. 452 is an important step in preserving Congress’ role in Medicare payment policy. Leaving payment policy decisions in the hands of an unelected, unaccountable governmental body with minimal congressional oversight will negatively impact the availability of quality, efficient health care to Medicare beneficiaries and all Americans.” (David B. Hoyt, Letter to Joe Pitts, House Energy and Committee, 2/28/2012)