Romney Campaign Press Release - Three Years Later, Obama Broke His Promise On Medicare

"President Obama promised to protect Medicare for future generations — but now his campaign is bragging they 'achieved' $700 billion in cuts through Obamacare. Our nation's seniors and future retirees are the ones who will pay the price with increasing costs and fewer benefits. As president, Mitt Romney will always put seniors first by protecting Medicare benefits and strengthening the program for future retirees." — Amanda Henneberg, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Three Years Ago Today, President Obama Promised To Ensure Medicare Would "Be There For The Next Generation":

President Obama, Three Years Ago Today: "I Want Medicare To Be There For The Next Generation, Not Just For This Generation." OBAMA: "Medicare is a terrific program and it gives our seniors security. And I want Medicare to be there for the next generation, not just for this generation." (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Belgrade, MT, 8/14/09)

But The Obama Campaign Is Touting Obamacare's $700 Billion In Medicare Cuts As An Achievement:

Two Days Ago, The Obama Campaign Touted "The $700 Billion Cuts In Medicare That The President Achieved Through Health Care Reform." OBAMA DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER STEPHANIE CUTTER: "You know I heard Mitt Romney deride the $700 billion cuts in Medicare that the president achieved through health care reform." (CBS's "Face The Nation," 8/12/12)

• The Miami Herald Headline: "Obama's $700 Billion Medicare-Cut Problem" (Marc Caputo, "Obama's $700 Billion Medicare-Cut Problem," The Miami Herald, 8/12/12)

According To The Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Obamacare Cuts $716 Billion From Medicare. (Congressional Budget Office, Letter To Speaker John Boehner, 7/24/12)

Seniors Will Be Hit With Higher Costs And Fewer Benefits Because Of Obamacare's Medicare Cuts:

Beginning In 2013, Obamacare Will Cut Over $100 Billion From Medicare Advantage — A Program That Benefits One In Four Seniors. "ObamaCare slashes about $145 billion from Medicare Advantage, the program that allows one of four seniors to escape the traditional entitlement and choose commercial plans. ... Lo and behold, according to a new investigation by the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, the $8.35 billion pilot program is just enough to reverse 71% of the Advantage cuts that would have hit seniors in the runup to November. And behold again, the demonstration project turns into a pumpkin in 2013." (Editorial, "Medicare's Obama Donation," The Wall Street Journal, 4/23/12)

Obamacare's Cuts Will Cause Enrollment In Medicare Advantage To "Plummet By About 50 Percent" And Leave Seniors With "Higher Out-Of-Pocket Costs." "In addition to flagging provider cuts as potentially unsustainable, the report [HHS] projected that reductions in payments to private Medicare Advantage plans would trigger an exodus from the popular alternative. Enrollment would plummet by about 50 percent. Seniors leaving the private plans would still have health insurance under traditional Medicare, but many might face higher out-of-pocket costs." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Report Says Health Care Will Cover More, Cost More," The Associated Press, 4/23/10)

FactCheck.org, On Medicare Under President Obama: "The Promise That 'Benefits Will Remain The Same' Is Just As Fictional As The Town Of Mayberry..." "Currently, about 1 in every 4 Medicare beneficiary is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. For many of them, the words in this ad ring hollow, and the promise that 'benefits will remain the same' is just as fictional as the town of Mayberry was when Griffith played the local sheriff." (Brooks Jackson, "Mayberry Misleads On Medicare," FactCheck.org, 7/31/10)

And Obamacare Created The Independent Payment Advisory Board To Create Even Steeper Cuts In Medicare Benefits:

Obamacare Created The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) "To Come Up With Ways To Cut Medicare Spending." "That's the job description for the 15 members of the Independent Payment Advisory Board — the new panel created by President Barack Obama's health care law to come up with ways to cut Medicare spending if it grows too fast." (David Nather, "Medicare Cost-Cutting Job Could Be Worst In D.C.," Politico, 5/14/11)

• IPAB Is "The New ObamaCare Bureaucracy With Vast Powers To Control Health Care And Health Markets." "The vehicle is a bill from Tennessee Republican Phil Roe that would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, the new ObamaCare bureaucracy with vast powers to control health care and health markets starting next year." (Editorial, "Independent Payment Advisory Revolt," The Wall Street Journal, 3/9/12)

Experts Have Warned That IPAB's Cuts Could "Lead To A Reduction In Access To Care." "The Independent Payment Advisory Board, created under the health care law to help control Medicare costs, lacks flexibility to do much more than cut provider payments that would lead to a reduction in access to care, witnesses told a House Ways and Means panel March 6." (Ralph Lindeman, "IPAB Would Reduce Access To Care, Witnesses Tell Ways And Means Panel," Bloomberg, 3/7/12)

"While The Board Is Not Supposed To Be Able To Cut Benefits, Industry Groups Fear That Its Actions Would Result In Rationing Care." (Duff Wilson, "Industry Aims At Medicare Board," The New York Times, 11/4/10)