Kirkpatrick Voted for the Health Care Reform Bill which Cuts Medicare by Over $500 Billion

Press Release

Last week, Dr. Paul Gosar met with seniors at a roundtable discussion to talk about Medicare. The event, hosted by the Coalition for Medicare Choices, focused on the importance of protecting Medicare for the over 866,000 Arizona seniors who are enrolled. Dr. Gosar opposes the disastrous health care reform plan which cuts Medicare and Medicare Advantage, while his opponent, Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, was a key supporter of this legislation.

"As a healthcare provider, I understand how important it is for the government to keep its promise to our seniors," said Gosar. "The health care reform bill amounts to nothing more than a government takeover of health care. Rather than empowering our seniors to keep their Medicare Advantage plans, this bill may cost seniors to lose some of the Medicare benefits they now enjoy. This is unacceptable. We need health care reform that lowers the cost of health care, not more government bureaucracy that hurts our seniors."

Liberal Ann Kirkpatrick voted for the flawed health care reform bill. This bill expands the role of government, creating huge spending increases and, in these challenging economic times, increases taxes and government regulations. In 2010, more than 866,000 seniors in Arizona were enrolled in Medicare- this bill will cut Medicare by over $500 billion. This year alone, more than 331,000 Arizona seniors were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan- this bill cuts Medicare Advantage by more than $100 billion. As a result of these cuts, nationwide, 7.4 million fewer seniors could be enrolled in their Medicare Advantage plans. The nearly 40% of Arizona seniors that are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans are at risk of losing the benefits they now enjoy.

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released a report that states by next year alone, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plans will increase by 10% as a result of this new health care reform bill. The Congressional Budget Office has stated that, as a result of the cuts to Medicare, additional benefits provided by Medicare Advantage will be cut in half and that millions of seniors will lose their current coverage. Maurice Cazenee, a senior who has a Medicare Advantage plan and attended last week's Medicare roundtable, said, "When you're happy with your health care, you don't like the possibility of having it cut. I don't know where my health care stands right now."

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