ANCHORAGE: The Anchorage NAACP is calling on Dan Sullivan to retract an inaccurate press release about Medicare and the Affordable Care Act.  Sullivan’s ad false claims that the ACA cuts money from Medicare, when in fact non-partisan studies have found that the Affordable Care Act adds Medicare benefits while making Medicare more financially secure. 

“It is despicable that Dan Sullivan is lying about Medicare and the Affordable Care Act,” said Kevin McGee, Vice President, and Chairman, Political Action Committee of the Anchorage NAACP.  “Sullivan should retract his inaccurate press release immediately.”

Ironically, Sullivan’s candidacy is being promoted by Washington D.C. organizations that want to cut or privatize Medicare, such as the Club for Growth.  The NAACP strongly supports Medicare and opposes Medicare privatization or cuts to Medicare.

Debunking Dan Sullivan’s Medicare Fabrications:

•FactCheck.Org says ACA Reduced Future Growth of Spending – Did Not Cut Current Medicare Budget. According to an analysis from FactCheck.org, “This might be the most common line of attack of them all. We’ve seen many versions of the claim that the health care bill cuts Medicare by $500 billion. That’s actually a reduction in the future growth of spending over 10 years, not a slashing of the current budget, as we’ve pointed out. To put that in context: The Congressional Budget Office estimates that federal Medicare spending will be $519 billion this year, and $929 billion in fiscal year 2020, even with these cuts. The health care law calls for a reduction in the currently projected growth of federal outlays of about 7 percent over the decade.” [FactCheck.org, 10/28/10]

•FactCheck.Org said ACA Would Actually Add Benefits – Like Free Preventive Care – To Medicare And Said Guaranteed Medicare Benefits Could Not Be Reduced. According to an October 2010 analysis from FactCheck.org, “Claims that these cuts will ‘hurt the quality of our care’ — like the one below from the 60 Plus Association — ignore the fact that the law adds some benefits to Medicare, such as free preventive care and more prescription drug coverage. And the law (section 3601) says that guaranteed Medicare benefits can’t be reduced.” [FactCheck.org, 10/28/10]

•Politifact said “There Are No Cuts To Guaranteed Medicare Benefits.” Reported Politifact in October 2010, “The national PolitiFact site, and various state sites, have ruled repeatedly on the Medicare question. They have found the health care law does not take $500 billion out of the current Medicare budget, but rather is an attempt over 10 years to slow the program’s future growth by curtailing spending by that amount. Medicare spending will still increase — the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects spending will reach $929 billion in 2020, up from $499 billion in actual spending in 2009. There are no cuts to guaranteed Medicare benefits.” [Politifact, 10/8/10]

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