Washington, DC – Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) and Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Wally Herger (R-CA) today questioned a new Health and Human Services mailing to Medicare enrollees, noting the document is highly misleading and a potential abuse of taxpayer funds.

Camp said, “This goes beyond propaganda and is blatantly political.  If this document is really about Medicare, then why is there information in there about 26-year-olds being able to stay on their parents’ policies?  I may agree with that idea, but what does it have to do with Medicare?  The Administration has gone too far with this document and is doing a disservice to America’s seniors who will soon have to deal with over one-half trillion in cuts to the Medicare program – cuts the Medicare actuaries have said could jeopardize access to health care providers.  Instead of trying to combat bad poll numbers, the Administration should be helping the millions of seniors who are soon going to lose their Medicare plan and have to start paying more for their prescription drug coverage.”

Herger added, “I find it curious that the Administration has such vastly different policies regarding mailings on Medicare.  It was just last year that they enforced a gag role on private companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans to prevent them from sharing information about massive cuts to Medicare Advantage contained in the government takeover of health care.  Yet the Administration apparently sees no conflict in using taxpayer dollars to attempt to convince the American public, who, according to the polls, do not believe that more government involvement in health care will help reform the system.  While this inconsistency is not altogether surprising, I believe that the Obama Administration should start being honest with seniors about the how these cuts to the Medicare program will impact them and stop trying to solve their political problems with the American people’s money.”

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