Well I guess it depends on how the question was asked:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/medicare.asp
Claim: President Bush is responsible for a 17% increase in Medicare
premiums.
Status: False.
Democrats have maintained that the Bush administration bears much of
the responsibility for the increase in premiums because it has done
little to control health costs and had directed too much Medicare money
to the managed health care industry, and Democratic nominee John
Kerry's campaign aired a commercial that (incorrectly) implied that
President Bush was responsible for the increase in Medicare premiums
("George Bush imposes the biggest Medicare premium increase in
history . . ."). President Bush's campaign countered by running a TV
spot that (incorrectly) stated Senator Kerry had "voted five times to
raise Medicare premiums":
Stuntman
>
> Hi Stuntman,
>
> I'm still getting caught-up on my messages so while this reply is
late I believe it's still relevant so I suggest anyone interested read
the Web Sites I've quoted from below.
>
> Summary
>
> A Bush ad falsely claims that Kerry "voted five times to raise
Medicare premiums." Actually, Kerry voted for maintaining the same
premium formula that had been in place since well before he was elected
to the Senate.
>
> The Bush ad also falsely implies that Kerry referred to required
premium increases as "a day of vindication," when Kerry actually was
referring to items such as increased health coverage for children.
>
> Bush's ad is meant to counter a Kerry TV spot that isn't much better.
Kerry's ad falsely implies that Bush alone was responsible for next
year's increase in Medicare premiums. Actuaries say rising costs and
other factors account for nearly half of the 17.4% increase, and have
nothing to do with Bush's Medicare legislation. And some of the costs
imposed by Bush's legislation are aimed at providing increased benefits
for seniors who choose HMO's over traditional Medicare.
>
> http://www.factcheck.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Your research puts the 17% increase on The Balanced Budget Act of
1997 (BBA), which made the 25% formula permanent so that Congress would
not have to continually renew the rate.
>
> It passed overwhelmingly, 85-15 , with most Republicans in favor.
>
> It is true that premium costs would have fallen had Congress allowed
the 25% formula (25% of the total Part B costs, which allowed premiums
to rise more quickly and slowed the rising cost to taxpayers) to lapse,
reverting to a formula that would have decreased premiums and increased
the expense to taxpayers. Only in that sense did Kerry vote "to require
premium increases."
>
> ...
> Bush's Medicare bill does account for 9.9 percentage points of the
total 17.4% increase in premiums, according to Medicare actuaries.
>
> The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that the
general inflation adjustment (prior to the MMA) and the increased use
of services would together require an increase of about 4.8% in
premiums. Other factors include replenishing reserve funds drawn down
by higher-than-expected costs in the past.
> A large part of the Bush-mandated premium increase goes to provide a
very small increase in fees for physicians -- just a 1% rise, much
lower than the overall rate of inflation. It looms much larger in the
accounting, however, because the law prior to MMA would have imposed a
4% cut in fees. So Bush's law gets the blame for reversing that fee cut
as well as allowing a modest increase for doctors.
> Congress increased payments to doctors to address a problem created
by the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, which had slowed the growth of costs
(and premiums) by severely restricting payments to physicians and other
providers of health care. But a consequence of the cuts was that a
number of doctors and healthcare providers dropped out of the program
altogether.
> Another portion of the Bush-mandated increase is due to higher
payments to HMO's offering alternatives to traditional Medicare under
so-called "Medicare Advantage" plans. Administration officials argue
that these payments will lead to increased benefits for those who
choose the plans, while Democrats argue that this will "force" seniors
into HMOs.
> http://www.factcheck.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> The Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997:
>
> The Right Thing to Do for America and Its Families
>
> WASHINGTON - The President and Congressional Leaders announced an
historic bi-partisan agreement which will benefit Americans of today
and tomorrow. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete V. Domenici, R- NM,
called the landmark deal "an agreement that promises the first balanced
budget in thirty years -- marks a great victory for American taxpayers
and America�s working families. During the past year, we have heard a
lot about the bridge to the 21st Century. We are here today to suggest
that this agreement serves as a solid underpinning for that bridge."
>
> "Moreover, we have done just what the American people asked us to do
last year. We have worked together to make this happen. We have worked
in a bipartisan spirit. Each side has had to compromise on what they
want, but neither has had to sacrifice their fundamental principles.
>
> This agreement includes $250 billion in tax cuts over ten years,
helping Americans through the $500 per child tax credit, death tax
relief for small businesses and farmers, capital gains relief, expanded
IRA�s and relief for parents who send their kids to college. The plan
also saves over $850 billion over ten years to achieve the first
balanced budget in over 30 years.
>
> Additionally, Americans will benefit from a stronger economy which
will produce more and better jobs for our workers. Lower interest rates
mean more affordable homes and education for families across the
country.
>
> http://www.senate.gov/~budget/republican/analysis/dealpr.htm
>
>
> I guess it's just which poison you pick!
>
> With Love,
>
> CtrlAltDel aka Dave
> C4/5 Complete - 28 Years Post
> Texas, USA
>
>
> Stuntman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Medicare Increase
>
> Have you seen the John Kerry commercial in which George Bush
> pledges to help Seniors on Medicare and "the very next day
> imposes a 17% premium increase -
> the biggest in history"? That ad is a stoke
> of genius on Kerry's part and will surely gain him many votes
> among the uninformed.
>
> I found it so amazing that I did some homework on the issue.
> As it turns out the 17% increase was not imposed by President Bush
> but was mandated by the "balanced budget agreement" signed by
> then President Clinton, voted into law by Senator John Kerry, and
> was scheduled to come into effect during the Bush administration.
> President Bush had no authority to reverse what had been voted
> into law by Senator Kerry during the Clinton administration. Once
> again Kerry is counting on the ignorance of the American people.
> Don't be duped by his mendacity.
>
>
> >
> > He is not promising a cure... REALLY! JUST WHAT WOULD YOU CALL
> C.R.
> > GETTING UP OUT OF HIS CHAIR AND WALKING AGAIN? YOU ARE REALLY
> MINCING WORDS HERE.
> > HE EXACTLY SAID, "IF KERRY WAS ELECTED, QUADS WILL WALK AGAIN."
> THERE'S NO
> > MISUNDERSTANDING THAT SENTENCE UNLESS YOU HAVE A BENT FOR KERRY AND
> THE REST
> > OF HIS STORY.
> >
> >
> > "If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we
> > will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve
> > will get up out of that wheelchair and walk again,"
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> It's not the fall that hurts.
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>
>
>
>
>
>
--
It's not the fall that hurts.
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