A key AARP official went on Hugh Hewitt’s nationally syndicated talk radio program yesterday and demonstrated yet again what a disaster Obamacare has become for the credibility of the 40 million-member seniors organization.
Hewitt, whose weekly column appears in The Washington Examiner on Mondays, asked all the right questions, but AARP legislative policy director David Certner had few credible answers.I strongly encourage you to read the entire transcript of the interview, then come back to this post.
Okay, did you notice how, on question after question, Certner hemmed and hawed, providing in the process a classic illustration of the Washington insider spinning facts to conceal the truth about what is being done by the White House, Members of Congress, federal bureaucrats, and the special interest groups like AARP?
For example, Certner resolutely refused to say that as many as 20 percent of Medicare participants are going to see higher premiums if Obamacare becomes law.
Here’s the heart of the lengthy exchange with Hewitt on the point:
“DC: Roughly 20% of the Medicare population is in a Medicare Advantage plan.
“HH: So 20% of Americans over the age of 65 are going to be impacted by these, what did you call, changes to their benefit plans?
“DC: Well, I would say that 20% are in the class that could be potentially impacted. I suspect that there’ll be a smaller percentage of those who may actually be impacted.
“HH: So that’s millions and millions of senior citizens who are going to have their benefits diminished or their insurance payments increased?
“DC: I would say potentially, there are a few million people. On the other hand, 80% are likely to see their premiums now be lower because they’re not providing these extra subsidies. And of course, all taxpayers will be getting a benefit out of this, because they’ll also pay for some of these subsidies. And of course, I want to add a third point, which is we want to put Medicare on a more financially stable ground, so in places where we can save Medicare money are also important for the entire Medicare system.”
Of course, Certner had no qualms at all about claiming that most of these Medicare participants will “see their premiums now be lower.” But Hewitt called him on that one, too:
“HH: Now everything I’ve read does not tell me anywhere that Medicare premiums are going down for people. Now I have not read that anywhere. Is that part of a plan, Medicare premiums are going to go down?
“DC: Well, as you know, Medicare premiums goes up with the cost of health care. So the more we can reduce the cost of health care, whether it’s reducing the subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans or other health care costs, we’ll keep premiums as low as possible.
“HH: But right now, I mean, I have not seen a single projection from any source that says Medicare premiums are going to go down.
“Do you guys have a study that says Medicare premiums are going to go down after Obamacare?
“DC: Well, we know health care costs keep going up, so at this point in time, we, part of the deal here is we’re trying to hold down health care costs as best as possible.
“HH: Yeah, but when we’ve got at least 20% in a class of people that we know their premiums are going to go up. I thought you said, maybe I misunderstood you, but some people will have their Medicare premiums go down. And I thought to myself well, that’s not true.
“DC: Well, I want to be clear. What we’re trying to do is hold down the increases in premiums. Premiums, as you know, go up every year.
“HH: So they are going to go up?
“DC: Well, premiums pretty much every year go up for people who pay for health care benefits. The problem is that premiums have been going up at a tremendously fast pace. For Medicare beneficiaries, they’ve basically seen their premiums double over the last seven or eight years. We want to make sure we can slow down those premium increases, and by saving money in Medicare, we can slow down those premium increases so they’re not rising as fast. We don’t want to see double digit increases in premiums every year.
“HH: But premiums aren’t going to be cut, but the Medicare Advantage people are going to have their premiums go up. So there is no one who is going to be better off in terms of the premiums they pay at the end of this, if Obamacare passes?
“DC: No, I think by holding someone’s premiums down, they will be better off.
“HH: No, come on, that’s semantics, David. Everyone’s, the bottom line, everyone’s going to be paying more money if this thing passes, some less than they might have been paying otherwise, but they’re all going to be paying more.
“DC: Well no, I think if you have to compare it to what’s going on currently, under current law, people are paying a lot more every year. And hopefully, with these changes…
“HH: You know, David, that’s Beltway stuff. Right now, Granny and Grandpa are listening, and they’re paying $100 a month, or $300 a month, and next year, they’re going to pay $100 or $300 plus X, and it’s going to be more. Now you’re saying it’s not going to be as much as it would be, but they’re still going to be paying more.”
Exactly right, Hugh, “Beltway stuff.” Certner is part of AARP’s Washington office, which is among the most heavily financed lobbying operations in Washington for higher taxes, more regulation, and bigger government budgets; it is, effectively, an appendage of the liberal wing of the Democratic party. For additional information on that point, see my previous posts here, here, here and here.
By the way, why is it Washington Establishment types like Certner never are so rarely challenged by tough, persistent questioning like that here by Hugh? You suppose that could have anything to do with the Mainstream Media’s loss of credibility and readers?
