WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Politico reported that a new analysis by President Obama’s own Administration finds that seniors will pay more because of the health care reform legislation. Medicare actuary Richard Foster “concedes that seniors may have to dig deeper into their wallets next year thanks to the healthcare law.” A new analysis “finds the healthcare overhaul will result in increased out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare Advantage plans.”

U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (TN-01) released the following statement in reaction to this troubling new analysis:

“When the health care legislation was signed into law, I warned the legislation would increase costs for families, businesses and seniors. Just seven months after the health care legislation passed this Congress, we have already seen a rise in insurance premiums, we are learning more and more about what the bill will actually cost the American people, and we are beginning to understand the reality that taxes to pay for this legislation will be harmful to our already fragile economy.

“Now we are learning that seniors are going to have to ‘dig deeper into their wallets’ because of this bill. Many of our seniors are on fixed incomes and cannot afford higher costs, but that’s what they are going to get according to President Obama’s Medicare analyst. True reform should be about lowering the cost of health care, but what was promised is not what is being delivered. The concerns expressed about this bill are now becoming reality. This bill is bad for America and for our seniors. Ultimately, it will reduce access to care and reduce the quality of care because rationing is inevitable. This is not what I want, nor is it what the American people want – but the emerging details indicate that is what we’re going to get unless we act soon to change it.”