Laurence Verga
In his most recent Fifth District Report, Congressman Tom Perriello writes that “Medicare is a critical part of our promise to our seniors and it must be protected.” Unfortunately Perriello’s vote for Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill breaks this promise. The non-partisan Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), who controls both programs, found that the more than $500 billion in Medicare cuts in the House bill will lead to reduced benefits and access to care for seniors.
Secondly, Perriello says that his vote for PelosiCare will “significantly extend the financial solvency of Medicare.” How does stealing over $500 billion from a program that’s almost broke make it more solvent?
Finally, Perriello brags about his vote to avoid payment cuts for doctors accepting Medicare patients. What he forgets to tell us is that the bill will add $210 billion to our already ballooning deficits. This is not reform that Perriello should be proud of; the citizens of the 5th district certainly won’t be happy when they have to foot the bill to pay off our debt.
I support real Medicare reform that restores the solvency of the program while protecting seniors. First we must eliminate the $47 billion in Medicare fraud that occurs every year. This is an atrocious waste of taxpayer’s hard-earned money that can be avoided through common-sense protections. Second, we must reduce the high cost of health care, something Pelosi’s 2,000 plus page bill completely fails to address. Real cost reductions can be accomplished through free-market reforms such as tort reform, selling insurance across state lines, incentivizing wellness, and expanding pooling capabilities.
If elected your Congressman next year, these are the reforms I will pursue in addition to reversing the harmful legislation Perriello has imposed on seniors.
Laurence Verga is a Republican Congressional candidate in Virginia’s 5th District. Read more about his platform at vergaforcongress.com.
