Wyo Dems Refute Enzi Health Care Facts

(Cowboy State Free Press)

April 2, 2010, http://thewyonews.net/2010/04/02/wyo-dems-refute-enzi-health-care-facts/

CASPER–In statement on Mar. 31, Sen. Enzi suggested a list of bold numbers in relation to health reform, but there are a few numbers Sen. Enzi forgot to mention, according to Wyoming Democratic Party Communications Director Brianna Jones, some of which are;

-128.8% – Increase in health insurance premiums for working families in Wyoming from 2000-2007.

-27.9% – Increase in Wyoming worker’s wages between 2000-2007, a difference of almost 100% from the previous figure

- 71,000 – The number of uninsured in Wyoming as of 2008

-$250 – Under reform, the rebate for Medicare recipients who fall in to the Part D donut hole

-26 – Under reform, the age until young adults can stay on their parents’ health insurance plan

-$40 billion – Under reform, amount of tax credits available to small businesses to help them offer coverage beginning in 2010

$40 billion – The investment which will be invested in Pell grants to help low income students attend college under the reconciliation legislation.

- $100 billion – Reduction of the federal deficit with the health reform legislation over the next ten years as estimated by the CBO.

- $2 billion – Investment in community colleges in the next four years, which today serve more than 6 million students.

Sen. Enzi’s rhetoric does not fit with reality and we see that time and time again, She said. For example:

• RHETORIC: Wyoming residents will pay higher taxes.
  REALITY: It is agreed by economists that by taxing the highest cost plans this provision will lead insurance companies to be more efficient and provide quality care to consumers at lower prices. [White House blog, 12/16/09; PWC, 2009; CBO 2009]
  
• RHETORIC: Wyoming residents who have insurance will see their premiums rise.
  REALITY: For a vast majority premiums would go down 14-20 percent as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Subsidies will lower costs for as much as 59 percent for 18 million people buying their own insurance, said the CBO. [Wall Street Journal Washington Wire, 2/25/10; New York Times, 12/4/09; Bloomberg, 12/1/09]
  
• RHETORIC: Medicare enrollees will see decreased access to care because of cuts.
  REALITY: Health reform strengthens Medicare by cutting wasteful spending. The doughnut hole is closed and affordable coverage will be more attainable, says AARP. [AARP letter to Sen. Harry Reid, 12/15/09; FactCheck.org, 11/3/09; CMS Report, 12/10/09]
  
• RHETORIC: Health insurance premiums for Wyoming’s small businesses will rise.
  REALITY: $40 billion worth of tax credits will be available to small businesses to help them offer coverage starting in 2010. According to a study by The Third Way Economic Program, “Over the next 15 years, American businesses would collectively spend $637 billion less on their share of health insurance premiums, and their workers would save a collective $177 billion. [Time Magazine, 2/22/10, Bending the Curve: 12 Ways Health Reform Will Tackle Runaway Costs, 1/12/10]
  
• RHETORIC: Medicare Advantage enrollees will see their benefits reduced by half.
  REALITY: Reforms to Medicare Advantage will end wasteful subsidies to health insurance companies without affecting benefits and would reduce or eliminate the difference in part by introducing a competitive bidding system to pay the plans [AP, 9/22/09; Boston Globe, 9/24/09]
  
• RHETORIC: Wyoming will be burdened by Medicaid expansions.
  REALITY: Health insurance reform will pay for 100% of Medicaid expansion for states through 2017, then 95% for 2018-2019, and then 90% for 2020 and beyond. [White House, 2/22/10]
  
• RHETORIC: Wyoming college students will pay more on student loans to fund health care.
  REALITY: Student lending reform will make higher education more achievable and will increase Pell grants, cap repayments, and invest in community colleges. Before students payed 6.8 percent on their unsubsidized federal loans and will continue to pay the same rate. [Politifact, 3/30/10; New York Times, 3/30/10; New York Times, 3/30/10; New York Times, 3/30/10]