President Joe Biden is traveling the country after his State of the Union Address to promote the policy initiatives in his speech, including upholding Social Security and Medicare.
During the speech, Biden tricked Republicans into booing over his allegations that members of their party want to kill the beloved programs. During the last election, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) proposed that all programs, even Social Security and Medicare would sunset every five years unless lawmakers voted to uphold them. It was a proposal that was quickly shot down by Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Now Republicans are trying to flip the script and claim that really it was Biden who wanted to slash the programs, Politico Playbook said on Wednesday.
Rep. Steve Daines (R-MT) claimed that Biden, not Republicans, was the one “proposing Medicare Advantage cuts.” Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) ranted too, calling the claim "a gross political lie." He too cited the Medicare Advantage program issue.
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In Sept. 2022, Biden announced those on Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D would see lower premiums in 2023.
“Today we’re delivering on our commitment to reduce health care costs for Americans, including 64 million people with Medicare,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, millions of Medicare enrollees will have lower prescription drug costs and improved benefits when they sign up this year. We will continue working to strengthen Medicare to ensure everyone gets the high-quality, affordable care they deserve.”
Medicare Advantage dropped to just $18 a month. It's more than a $1.50 reduction since 2022, said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
What Biden did propose is audits of insurance companies offering Medicare Advantage programs who are being overpaid.
"Studies and audits have identified billions of dollars of excess payments to health plans that weren't supported by patients' medical records, but federal officials in the past backed off many repayment demands," reported Axios last month.
“Auditing plans and recouping funds puts money back in the Medicare trust funds when big insurance companies get caught taking advantage of the Medicare program,” Politico cited a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services. “This is about good governance and holding our senior’s health care to the standard they deserve; indications otherwise are incorrect.”
Still, Republicans argue that somehow this is the Democrats attempting to kill the program.
