Washington, DC – Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Wally Herger (R-CA) today questioned AARP’s unequivocal endorsement of legislation expected to be considered in the coming days by the Senate that will result in massive Medicare premium increases for its members. “It makes no sense for AARP to abandon their long-stated legislative priorities, which had included… Read more

After nearly a month of requests from Ways and Means Republicans to remove the misguided gag order placed on Medicare plans from communicating with their members, the Obama Administration finally lifted the ban Friday evening. As a result, Medicare plans will once again be able to communicate factual information on pending legislation without penalty or political pressure. Below are a… Read more

Washington, DC – Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Agency was backing away from its inappropriate and unconstitutional gag order on all Medicare Advantage (MA) and prescription drug plans. On September 21, 2009, CMS issued an order prohibiting all MA and prescription drug plans from communicating with seniors about the Medicare cuts in health… Read more

Washington, DC – Ways and Means Democrats today shut down the committee process, blocking Republicans from offering amendments to H.R. 3200, the House Democrats' health care legislation.  In doing so, Democrats rammed through a letter to the Budget Committee that paves the way for health care to be considered under reconciliation – which requires only 51 votes for passage in the Senate as… Read more

Washington, DC – Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA), Ranking Member of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health, today challenged the Obama Administration’s flawed defense of its “gag order” prohibiting Medicare Advantage (MA) and prescription drug plans from communicating with enrollees about benefit cuts in proposed health care legislation.  Previously, Herger had joined with other… Read more

Healthcare reform is dividing the membership of the AARP more than any other issue ever has. Despite expending vast resources, the AARP has not been able to unite its own membership, Nancy LeaMond, the executive vice president of the organization’s social impact group, told reporters on Wednesday. AARP’s membership is roughly divided between Democrats, Republicans and independents,… Read more

Some of the headlines in recent days are not worthy of belief. No, I'm not referring to the headlines that Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, however odd that many seem to many (including, it seems, Obama himself). I'm referring to the headlines earlier in the week to the effect that the health care bill sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus will cut the federal… Read more

Washington, DC – Following today’s announcement by the Congressional Budget Office that substantive medical liability lawsuit reform would reduce health care spending and reduce the deficit by $54 billion over the next 10 years, Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement: “Republicans have said from day one that lawsuit reform must be included in any… Read more

Washington, DC – Ways and Means Committee Republicans today reacted sharply to a letter from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding the recent gag order issued by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which prohibits Medicare plans from sharing accurate and constitutionally protected information about proposed Medicare cuts with seniors. “In suppressing all… Read more

As Ways and Means Republicans have noted, the health plans Congressional Democrats are proposing have already failed at the state level. The results of these misguided policies have been significantly higher premiums, higher health care costs and reduced access to care. Below is a Wall Street Journal opinion piece further illustrating the problems with nationalizing these failed state… Read more