House Whip Roy Blunt just dropped by, also to talk about Medicare:

People who project numbers here in Washington are almost always wrong. There were three premises here that were totally inaccurate:

– Competition wouldn’t make a difference on price and the $37/month average insurance rate would be higher. The average rate is no $23/month. Competition is huge. These plans aren’t getting worse, they’re getting better. $14/month x 12 months x 40 million seniors = your savings.

– Giving seniors access to drugs would not have any impact on the long-term health of seniors. Data here is common sense.

– New Medicare initiatives on preventative care would have no impact. “Welcome to Medicare” physical — bring people into the system with a new view of what health care is ail about, treat them before they reach a crisis. Lots of additional screenings, etc. All help aid the long-term health of the individual.

The “facts” were wrong. Seniors are finding out that this works for them. The marketplace is turning out to be a better provider for senior care than a government “straitjacket.” Very popular in my district. Everybody tried to make this more complicated than it was.