Fact check for Mike Rogers' (likely automated) response to my email?

[tmyers09]

Is there any truth to any of these claims? I'm extremely skeptical.
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Dear Mr. Myers:



Thank you for contacting me regarding our nation's health care system. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and concerns with me on this matter.

I think we all agree that America needs health care reform. We must also ensure though that Congress gets it right. Health care accounts for 15% of all economic activity in America and more importantly affects every single American. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve, passed a bill that I believe will do more harm than good and will break a crucial promise of President Obama. Under H.R. 3200, if you like your health plan, you are almost certainly not going to be able to keep it. I encourage you to visit www.congress.gov, where you can find the text of H.R. 3200. A few of the major concerns with this bill:



• The immediate elimination of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), taking away a private health care option from 8 million Americans.



• The elimination of high-quality Medicare Advantage plans, which allow 200,000 Michigan seniors access to better services than traditional Medicare.



• 100 million Americans with health insurance through their employers could be forced into a government plan, according to an independent study. The bill creates a perverse incentive forcing many employers to drop their employee's health insurance, leaving them only the government-run plan to choose.



• $400 billion in cuts to Medicare, including cuts to hospice care, home health care, and skilled nursing.



• An 8% tax on employers who do not offer private health insurance.

Medical innovation is an American trademark. We are blessed with the world’s leading health professionals and the most advanced medical technology. I am confident a truly American, bipartisan health care solution can bring down costs, increase access to coverage, and improve health outcomes for everyone. My health care reform plan addresses four critical goals:

Costs: Coverage of preventative services – like disease management programs – should be expanded to reduce the need for expensive treatments. Medicare and Medicaid improvements would include going after fraud that costs taxpayers billions every year.

Control: No one – not your insurance company, not the government, not your employer – should be making health decisions for you and your doctor. Federal laws should change to help families keep their health insurance regardless of a job change or job loss. Patients should also have easy access to information to compare insurance plans, provider quality and drug costs.

Choices: Small businesses should be allowed to band together to purchase health insurance for employees at more affordable prices, just as large corporations and unions do. Important safety-net programs – like Medicaid and SCHIP – should be strengthened by expanding premium assistance programs which give low-income families new insurance options.



Cures: There must be additional incentives for researchers to develop the next generation of cures, and to ensure that patients gain access to cutting-edge clinical trials.

In addition, there should be expanded assistance for those who can’t afford health insurance – that 15 percent of Americans without coverage for some period of time every year. The cost of caring for the uninsured affects the cost of health care for everyone. In finding solutions to address the critical needs of the 15 percent, however, we must be careful to not destroy a system that works for the other 85 percent of Americans. We also should expand funding for Community Health Centers, with a focus on cities and towns with high uninsured populations.

I have proposed new regulations on the insurance industry. Insurers would be required to allow students to remain on their parents’ health policies up to the age of 25, reducing the uninsured by 7 million. My plan would expand funding for state programs that require insurers to cover everyone who applies, regardless of pre-existing conditions, so uninsured families with complex diseases can gain access to essential coverage.

All of these ideas can be accomplished if Democrats and Republicans work together on a bipartisan solution that doesn't raise taxes, pile up mountains of debt, or put the government in charge of our health care.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my views on this very important subject. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office.