Attack Ad Latest Attempt By Congressman Young to Distract From His Plan That Ends Medicare As We Know It

INDIANAPOLIS ­– Last night, an investigation by WTHR ripped apart a desperate, recycled and hypocritical attack ad from Congressman Todd Young, concluding that it contains a “heavy dose of misleading statements.”

Congressman Young’s deception is no surprise, though, given the negative attention his own Medicare plans have received across Indiana. Young’s plan, which he voted for six times and helped to draft, would end Medicare as we know it, could raise the cost of prescription drugs for more than 1 million Hoosier seniors, and would increase seniors’ out of pocket health care costs by $6,400 every year.

Key points from the WTHR Fact Check:

“But it is important to point out,the $716 billion spending cut did NOT reduce senior programs or impact Medicare coverage for seniors. The large reduction in Medicare spending under the Affordable Care Act was achieved by cost savings, specifically in reduced payment rates to hospitals and insurance companies.”

“Also important to note:Republican leaders in Congress seemed to appreciate the significant cost savings because they included the $716 billion in spending cuts in their proposed 2012 federal budget – a budget that Todd Young helped to write and pass as a then-member of the House Budget Committee.”

“Twice in 2007, the former Nevada senator offered a nearly identical proposal to his 2006 amendment, and both times Bayh voted in favor of the legislation to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving Social Security payouts. In October 2007, the senate overwhelmingly passed the amendment.”

While Congressman Todd Young’s attacks on Medicare are both desperate and false, they are hardly new. In fact, as far back as 2010, FactCheck.org pointed out that their staff had “time and again” underlined that the Medicare claim was deceiving.

“Not only is Congressman Todd Young peddling misinformation and misleading attacks that don’t stand up under scrutiny, his own plan for Medicare would hurt seniors, take away their hard-earned benefits, and increase the cost of crucial medications,” said John Zody, Chairman. “If Congressman Young’s plan became law, it would re-open the donut hole, forcing Hoosier seniors to pay $120 million more over the next decade for the prescription drugs that they need. And in a move only possible for a Washington politician, his plan also includes the very same Medicare savings his ad attacks Evan Bayh for supporting. But while Bayh’s savings would do nothing to harm Hoosiers’ Medicare coverage, Congressman Young’s full plan would rip away the Medicare benefits that our seniors have paid into and have been counting on. This misleading ad is the latest demonstration of how Todd Young will say or do anything for his own political gain, while not hesitating to hurt Hoosiers.”

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