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Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

    • Dark money group behind misleading ‘Seniors 4 Better Care’ flyer
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    Dark money group behind misleading ‘Seniors 4 Better Care’ flyer

    Umito Posted on

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    Kris Miller, a resident of a West Bend senior living community, said her mailbox was flooded with political mail.

    At first, she didn’t think the flyer she received from a group calling itself “Seniors for Better Care” was one of them.

    “I thought, ‘Wow, that sounds like a high-profile organization that I’d like to look into to see if it could help some people here,'” Miller said.

    But when she opened it, Miller became skeptical.

    The letter, which accused the Biden administration of raising Medicare costs to finance its “liberal, green agenda,” reminded Miller of Public Investigator articles on fake news sites And political disinformationshe said.

    Miller worried that this mailer could mislead others, especially those in his age group who fear losing Medicare.

    “A member of your team could uncover a very suspicious organization that clearly has large sums of money to spend on another lie,” Miller told the Public Investigator.

    She wasn’t far away.

    Terms of service posted on the group’s website, Seniors4BetterCare.com, say the organization is actually called American Prosperity Alliance Inc. but is “doing business as” Seniors for Better Care .

    The American Prosperity Alliance donated millions to conservatives political action committees and finances conservative advertising campaignsaccording to campaign finance records.

    Because the mailer featured a prominent photo of Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, as well as a message inviting people to call him, Miller assumed he was affiliated with the ad.

    However, Johnson’s office told the public investigator that he had no affiliation with Seniors for Better Care.

    “He has no information or knowledge of their operations, including any flyers they may send out,” the emailed statement said.

    The group’s mailings and advertisements raised eyebrows in other states for their unverified claims regarding the Medicare program. Here’s what you need to know.

    What is the American Prosperity Alliance?

    As a politically active nonprofit organization, the American Prosperity Alliance is a “black money” groupwhich means it is not required to disclose its funding sources.

    Based in Reston, Virginia, he donates millions of dollars to conservative political action committees like the American Liberty Action PAC and the Conservative Americans PAC, according to campaign finance data.

    The group’s website says it was formed in 2022 and bills itself as “the leading advocacy organization opposing passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.”

    The site also claims to have “made more than $11 million in television, radio and digital advertising to advocate for problematic issues.”

    In 2022, fact-checking organization Politifact debunked an American Prosperity Alliance ad that claimed the Inflation Reduction Act would “take $300 billion from Medicare.”

    The $300 billion actually refers to the extent to which the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to reduce federal spending by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

    Savings would come from lower prices, not from cutting Medicare benefits, according to the Commission for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes the fiscal impact of policies.

    The American Prosperity Alliance also funded ads in support of border security funding this year, NBC reported.

    What is the Inflation Reduction Act?

    The Biden administration adopted the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. It aims to fight inflation by reducing the public deficit.

    The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the drug law’s provisions will save the government $288 billion by 2031.

    The law addresses the rise in drug prices, but it also includes provisions for reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce energy costs, and improve services to taxpayers from the Internal Revenue Service.

    How does the Inflation Reduction Act affect drug prices for Medicare enrollees?

    Juliette Cubanski researches Medicare issues at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health policy organization.

    She said the Inflation Reduction Act requires Medicare to negotiate prescription drug priceswhich was not allowed before.

    A round of price negotiations Negotiations with manufacturers for 10 drugs have been finalized so far, she said, and the price cut will take effect in 2026. Drugs considered for the negotiation program must have been on the market for several years , she added.

    “These drugs were selected because they are very expensive for the Medicare program,” Cubanski said.

    This does not mean that Medicare can simply dictate the price of prescription drugs.

    “Some people have suggested that this Medicare price negotiation program does not allow the free market to function optimally,” Cubanski said. “But this is a negotiation process. It’s not like Medicare is just offering a take-it-or-leave-it price to manufacturers.”

    Does the Inflation Reduction Act Help Medicare Enrollees Save Money?

    Medicare users may benefit from other aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act.

    Other provisions include limiting Medicare prescription drug plans to charging no more than $35 in monthly copayments for insulin.

    “This provision went into effect in 2023, so seniors are already benefiting from this change,” Cubanski said.

    Another change that came into effect this year is a cap on personal spending for Medicare Part D enrollees. Now, according to Cubanski, annual out-of-pocket expenses can’t exceed $3,500, and in 2025, Part D enrollees won’t have to spend more than $2,000.

    This especially helps Medicare users who need expensive or multiple medications, Cubanski said.

    Cubanski added that even for those who don’t need expensive medications, the cap gives people confidence that they will be able to afford it if needed.

    The Inflation Reduction Act also eliminates any cost for vaccines covered by Part D.

    For example, Cubanski said many adults are recommended to get the shingles vaccine; however, prior to the IRA, this was not covered by Medicare.

    Did the Inflation Reduction Act Make Medicare Premiums More Expensive?

    The Seniors for Better Care website says seniors are seeing Medicare premiums increase because of the Inflation Reduction Act.

    Researchers’ analysis of premium increases is still ongoing, Cubanski said, so the exact percentages provided by the American Prosperity Alliance are unverifiable.

    Cubanski said it’s true that some plans are increasing their premiums, but others are maintaining them or decreasing them. This trend is no different from other years, she said.

    “They generally go up year over year because drug prices are going up, drug use is going up and more people are entering the market,” Cubanski said.

    Premiums vary widely among Medicare plans, Cubanski said.

    Cubanski said some increases could be attributed to the Inflation Reduction Act because Medicare plans must pay a larger share of drug costs. If a plan is unable to manage these costs, it can compensate in the form of higher premiums, she said.

    But this is not the case for all plans.

    “This claim that premiums for all Medicare plans are increasing, that’s simply not the case,” Cubanski said.

    Cubanski said the Medicare open enrollment period, which began Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7, allows people to upgrade to plans better suited to their needs. Medicare.gov offers tools which allow users to compare plans and find out what’s right for them.

    Does the Inflation Reduction Act discourage incentives for manufacturers to create new drugs?

    Some opponents of the Inflation Reduction Act argue that allowing the government to negotiate drug prices would stifle innovation.

    “The reality is we don’t have a lot of hard evidence to support these arguments,” Cubanski said.

    Cubanski said she was listening to calls between investors and pharmaceutical companies and had not heard of any decisions based on the trading agenda or other provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act .

    During this first negotiation process this year, no one was concerned about prices, she added.

    “They weren’t expressing a lot of concern about having to agree or come to an agreement with Medicare on a lower price than what’s currently being paid,” Cubanski said.

    Cubanski said the real question is whether pharmaceutical companies will make different decisions about which drugs to invest in for research and development, depending on when they become eligible. the negotiation process.

    But there’s no way to see those effects just two years after the IRA passed, she added.

    Are Democrats trying to make more changes to Medicare?

    The American Prosperity Alliance letter states that “liberals want to expand this project” in the form of a bill called “S. 1246.”

    The bill, titled SMART Prices Act, was introduced last year strengthen drug pricing reforms in the IRA.

    The bill would expand the selection of drugs eligible for negotiation and adjust the limits on prices that can be negotiated.

    Cubanski said this would allow the federal government to accumulate even more savings.

    However, the bill has not advanced since April 2023.

    Umito
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