AARP slams Republican-disseminated lies about Medicare. The timing is perfect for Obama.

[Ira]

The November’s issue of the AARP magazine just hit the mail boxes of seniors throughout the nation. (AARP membership over 36 million.) There is a very large article entitled, “Big Myths About Medicare and Health Care Reform”, and subtitled “The media noise about the new health care law is confusing – and scary. Here’s the truth about how it will change your life.”

“Myth 1: The new law cuts Medicare drastically, so I won’t be able to get quality health care. The Affordable Care Act in fact prohibits cuts to guaranteed Medicare benefits. . . . (much more explanation)

Myth 2: I’ve heard that Medicare Advantage plans will be cut or taken away. The ACA does not eliminate Medicare Advantage plans , . . . (much more)

Myth 3: I’ll have to wait longer to see my doctor – or I won’t be able to see my doctor at all. If your current plan allows you to see any physician in the plan, nothing will change. . . . (more)

Myth 4: If I have Medicare, I will need to get more or different insurance. That is just not accurate. . . .

Myth 5: What about the statement that the new law “raids Medicare of $716 billion.” It is simply not true. . . .

Myth 6: The law is going to bankrupt America. Not according to the CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation … health care reform will actually reduce the nation’s deficit by $210 billion between 2012 and 2021. . . .

Myth 7: The new law will drive up premiums astronomically. That’s an unlikely scenario. . . .

Myth 8: If I can’t afford to buy health insurance, I’ll be taxed – or worse. If you can’t afford health insurance … , you will be exempt from the tax penalty. . . .

Myth 9: I’m a small-business owner and I’ll pay big fines if I don’t provide health insurance to my employees. Penalties for not providing health insurance apply only to companies with 50 or more workers. … and many small companies will be eligible for tax credits. . . .

Myth 10: The ACA basically turns our health care system into universal health care. So now some government bureaucrat will decide how and when I get treated. Health care under ACA will not be government run . . . . “

[ProfessionalLeftist]

1. LINK to story online:

http://www.aarp.org/health/health-insurance/info-09-2012/medicare-and-health-care-reform-myths.html

“The amount of misinformation about the Affordable Care Act [ACA] — including outright lies — is astonishing,” says Shana Alex Lavarreda, Ph.D., director of health insurance studies at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “The point of the law is to make the health system better for each person, for less cost to society overall.”

MYTH 1: The new law cuts Medicare drastically, so I won't be able to get quality health care.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) in fact prohibits cuts to guaranteed Medicare benefits. There are provisions in the law to help curb the soaring costs of Medicare, but savings will come from reining in unreasonable payments to providers, taxing high-premium plans (beginning in the year 2018), cracking down on fraud and waste, and encouraging patient-centered, coordinated care, says Sara R. Collins, Ph.D., vice president of the Commonwealth Fund, a private research foundation focused on health care.

The ACA also covers preventive care designed to avert chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, which currently cost billions. Medicare beneficiaries get an annual wellness exam as well as numerous screenings and vaccines free of charge. The new system also improves coordination of care between doctors, nurses and other providers to prevent harmful and costly hospital readmissions.

Finally, the law closes the infamous Medicare Part D prescription drug "doughnut hole," in which Medicare beneficiaries paid full price for prescription drugs after exceeding a certain dollar limit each year. Now enrollees who reach the doughnut hole get large discounts, and by 2020, the hole will close.
Related

MYTH 2: I've heard that Medicare Advantage plans will be cut or taken away.

The ACA does not eliminate Medicare Advantage plans, which are privately administered plans that provide benefits to about a quarter of Americans with Medicare. These plans were created to bring market efficiencies to Medicare, but they actually cost taxpayers 14 percent more per enrollee than the traditional Medicare program does. The ACA aims to bring costs back into line.

"The plans are still required to provide at least the same benefits as those available through traditional Medicare plans," says Stuart Guterman, vice president of the Commonwealth Fund. "And for the first time, the law ensures that plans that perform better will be paid better, so the care they provide should improve."

MYTH 3: I'll have to wait longer to see my doctor — or I won't be able to see my doctor at all.

"If your current plan allows you to see any physician in the plan, nothing will change," says UCLA's Lavarreda. Health plans are already building bigger networks in anticipation of new patients, so choices could be even greater.

Although the law doesn't specifically address wait times, many of its provisions are aimed at improving quality of care, including some that encourage more physicians to become primary care doctors.

THE REST...

http://www.aarp.org/health/health-insurance/info-09-2012/medicare-and-health-care-reform-myths.html

[Ira]

2. Thanks for locating the online link.

I looked, but an old fart like me couldn't find it. Much appreciated.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

3. Happy to do it!

People need the facts.

[lamp_shade]

5. Thanks for the link. I just read the article in my november issue and wondered if there was

an on-line link. I just posted it to my facebook.... My comment: An EXCELLENT compilation of many of the myths surrounding Obamacare. I urge anyone interested to read it. You may find that you've been seriously misinformed.

[The Wielding Truth]

4. Seniors. Believe this. AARP's purpose is to improve your lives.

[DallasNE]

6. Obama 10 - Romney 0

What AARP has done here is to fact check what the candidates are saying and AARP is saying that Obama has told the truth all 10 times and the Romney has lied all 10 times.

But will this matter. Can seniors overcome their "put the white back in the Whitehouse" and actually vote their pocketbook? Frankly, I have my doubts.

[Blue Idaho]

7. Looks like I need to renew my membership... nt.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. We need some support, thank you AARP

[GetTheRightVote]

9. Glad to see them come out with the truth...

and no time is better then the present, hurray.