Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="moreluck" data-source="post: 625862" data-attributes="member: 1246">KEN CALVERTMember of CongressThree alarming outcomes of the Pelosi Health Care Plan:RAISES TAXES: The Pelosi bill breaks a promise made by President Obama, imposing a range of tax increases on families with income below $250,000.  Tax increases on middle class families include: an individual mandate tax of up to 2.5 percent of income for taxpayers earning as little as $9,350; a repeal of tax incentives for Americans to purchase many popular medicines with funds from an HSA (health savings account); new limits on FSAs (flexible spending accounts) destroying tax incentives for Americans to plan ahead for their medical expenses; a "wheel chair" tax that the independent Congressional Budget Office agrees will be passed on to consumers; and a new tax on all insurance policies.MASSIVE CUTS TO MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Under the Pelosi health care plan, $170 billion would be cut from the highly successful Medicare Advantage Program, which covers almost 50% of the Medicare beneficiaries in the 44th Congressional District.  These cuts undermine a program that gives seniors the choice to enroll in a private option that provides the same benefits as traditional Medicare, prescription drug and other additional health benefits, usually with lower copayments.  These cuts will result in reduced benefits to Medicare Advantage beneficiaries or in fixed income seniors having to pay higher premiums and copayments for the same level of service.  The Pelosi bill also gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services unchecked authority to reject any Medicare Advantage or Part D provider’s offer to provide coverage, giving another bureaucrat the unlimited authority to force 10 million beneficiaries off of Medicare Advantage and onto government-run Medicare.REWARDS TRIAL LAWYERS:  The Pelosi plan bribes states to repeal effective liability reforms that cap fees for trial lawyers and limit punitive damages in malpractice lawsuits.  California, which enacted these common sense reforms to lower medical liability costs for their residents, will lose out on federal funds for its health care systems if it does not repeal its reforms.  This provision would force California to choose whether to put money into the hands of trial lawyers and repeal reforms or sacrifice needed health care dollars.Text of the health care bills can be found here:H.R. 3962 - Affordable Health Care for America Act as Introduced: <a href="http://calvert.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=32960-2430227" target="_blank">http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf</a>, and H.R. 3961 - Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009: <a href="http://calvert.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=32961-2430227" target="_blank">http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_sgr1.pdf</a></blockquote>

Verification