Dems’ Mediscare Tactics Shot Down by Nonpartisan Fact Checks

June 1, 2011

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Jason Altmire (PA-04), John Barrow (GA-12), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Dan Boren (OK-02), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Ben Chandler (KY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Jim Costa (CA-20), Jerry Costello (IL-12), Mark Critz (PA-12), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Joe Donnelly (IN-02), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Martin Heinrich (NM-01), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Tim Holden (PA-17), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Jay Inslee (WA-01), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-10), Dale Kildee (MI-05), Ron Kind (WI-03), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Jim Matheson (UT-02), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Brad Miller (NC-13), Bill Owens (NY-23), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Gary Peters (MI-09), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), David Price (NC-04), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Mike Ross (AR-04), Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Heath Shuler (NC-11), Adam Smith (WA-09), Betty Sutton (OH-13), Niki Tsongas (MA-05), Pete Visclosky (IN-01), Tim Walz (MN-01), Anthony Weiner (NY-09), John Yarmuth (KY-03)
 
McIntyre’s Mediscare Tactics Shot Down by Nonpartisan Fact Checks
North Carolina Democrat Running Out of Ways to Hide His Plan to Bankrupt Medicare

Washington — Although Mike McIntyre continues to distort the only comprehensive plan to save Medicare, his Democrat attacks are now falling flat. McIntyre is running out of ways to hide the fact that he would rather have Medicare run out of money, requiring immediate slashes to benefits for seniors enrolled in the plan. Instead of continuing these political games and distortions, McIntyre should own up to the disastrous results of his current plan to bankrupt Medicare.

“It’s obvious that Mike McInytre and his party leaders have a hard time telling the American people the truth about their plan to bankrupt Medicare,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Despite being called out by numerous nonpartisan factcheck organizations, McIntyre and his party leaders continue to mislead Americans on the Republican proposal to protect and save Medicare for future generations. It will be interesting to see what desperate tactic McIntyre chooses next in order to hide his plan to slash benefits for North Carolina seniors when Medicare runs out of money.”

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has issued the talking points Democrats have used to hide their plan to let Medicare go bankrupt, but multiple fact checkers are calling them out:

“Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz falsely claimed that seniors with preexisting medical conditions would be denied Medicare coverage under the GOP’s plan. The House GOP plan specifically says insurance companies ‘must agree to offer insurance to all Medicare beneficiaries.’

“She also repeated a false Democratic talking point that future beneficiaries — those who are now younger than 55 — would be left on their own to buy insurance in the private market. The GOP plan, as we have written before, would provide subsidies for future beneficiaries to buy private insurance from a Medicare exchange set up by the government.” (Eugene Kiely, “DNC Chair Throws Truth to ‘Wolves,'” FactCheck.org Blog, 5/31/11)

“But Wasserman Schultz is jumping to conclusions — not to mention scaremongering metaphors — to describe provisions in the GOP Medicare plan that just do not exist.”
(Glenn Kessler, “Wasserman Schultz’s bogus claim that the GOP Medicare plan will ‘throw you to the wolves,'” The Washington Post‘s The Fact Checker Blog, 6/1/11)
 

The Democrats’ own plan to let Medicare run out of money will require cuts to benefits for seniors depending on the program:

“If the trust funds run out, the programs no longer would be able to pay full benefits. … Medicare could pay 90% starting in 2024, dropping to 75% in 2045.” (Richard Wolf, “Medicare, Social Security running out of money faster,” USA Today, 5/13/11)
 

Mike McIntyre will have to continue to find new ways to hide his plan to let Medicare run out of money since his current attacks have been shot down. The fact remains that McIntyre’s choice to reject the only plan that actually saves Medicare means he needs to own up to his own plan that would cut benefits for seniors depending on the program.

Dems’ Mediscare Tactics Shot Down by Nonpartisan Fact Checks http://ow.ly/57Qfb #madeinwdc

###