Obama's Lies About Medicare

Perhaps, you've seen or heard the ad, with the approval message in Obama's own voice:

Announcer: John McCain’s health care plan … first we learned he’s going to tax health care benefits to pay for part of it.

Now the Wall Street Journal reports John McCain would pay for the rest of his health care plan “with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid.”

Eight hundred and eighty-two billion from Medicare alone. “Requiring cuts in benefits, eligibility, or both.”

John McCain … Taxing Health Benefits … Cutting Medicare. We Can’t Afford John McCain.

Obama: I’m Barack Obama and I approved this message.

From this article at FactCheck.org (Annenberg):

● In a TV ad and in speeches, Obama is making bogus claims that McCain plans to cut $880 billion from Medicare spending and to reduce benefits.

● A TV spot says McCain's plan requires "cuts in benefits, eligibility or both."
Obama said in a speech that McCain plans "cuts" that would force seniors to "pay more for your drugs, receive fewer services, and get lower quality care."

● Update, Oct. 21: A second Obama ad claims that McCain’s plan would bring about a 22 percent cut in benefits, “higher premiums and co-pays," and more expensive prescription drugs.

These claims are false, and based on a single newspaper report that says no such thing. McCain's policy director states unequivocally that no benefit cuts are envisioned. McCain does propose substantial "savings" through such means as cutting fraud, increased use of information technology in medicine and better handling of expensive chronic diseases. Obama himself proposes some of the same cost-saving measures. We're skeptical that either candidate can deliver the savings they promise, but that's no basis for Obama to accuse McCain of planning huge benefit cuts....

From the "Analysis" section of the article at FactCheck.org:

[T]o state as a matter of fact that McCain will be forced to cut benefits, or that he is proposing any such thing, is simply a falsehood designed to frighten elderly voters.

Read the entire article HERE, including the links at the end.

[Crossposted to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS]