Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement in response to a ‘gag order’ issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, prohibiting private insurers from communicating with their customers about the proposed cuts to Medicare in the President’s health care plan.

“American seniors deserve to know how their coverage would be affected by the plan being promoted by the President,” said Congressman Price. “The administration, however, would clearly prefer America’s seniors be left in the dark about how the President’s plan would slash coverage for those on Medicare Advantage. The President has admitted that the proposals being advanced in Congress would all make huge cuts to Medicare Advantage, so it is only reasonable that seniors on those plans know that their coverage is at risk. This gag order is nothing more than political bullying.

“If the President thinks cutting care for seniors on Medicare Advantage is good policy, then he should defend it. But shielding seniors from accurate information about how their coverage would change is dangerous and shameful. As American seniors deserve better than this, I call on the President to lift this indefensible gag order and be honest with Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.”

NOTE: This incident reinforces Republican concerns about Section 131 of the Democrat’s health care bill, H.R. 3200, which gives the Health Choices Commissioner control over marketing practices for private health plans.