Pryor For Senate Fact Check: Cotton Goose Ad October 6th, 2013

Ad Claims Truth I’m Tom Cotton. I approve this message

Voice Over: PolitiFact: Claim That A Senator Cast The Deciding Vote Was Rated “Mostly What’s good for the goose False.” According to PolitiFact, “The 60 Plus Association says that Florida Sen. Bill ought to be good for the Nelson cast the ‘deciding vote’ for health care. The health care law required 60 votes, so gander Nelson's vote was crucial -- as were the other 59 votes. But describing Nelson as the But not in Washington ‘deciding vote’ suggests he had some extraordinarily powerful role, and that’s not the Mark Pryor cast the case. Nelson had cautiously been a supporter for months as he tried to amend the law. deciding vote to make you We rate this claim Mostly False.” Nelson was 43rd vote cast in support of the bill. live under Obamacare [PolitiFact, 6/6/12]

Graphic: Senator Ben Nelson Was 60th Vote To Break Filibuster Of Affordable Care Act. What’s good for the According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Then there's this to consider: Before the votes goose…ought to be good for were taken, Democrats and Republicans kept a count of supporters and opponents, and the gander Democrats could only round up 59 proponents to end debate -- until Ben Nelson of Nebraska agreed to join in. News coverage on that day, Dec. 19, 2009, described Nelson But not in Washington. the crucial 60th vote to break the filibuster. Never mind that "N," for Nelson, is in the middle of the alphabet, and Nelson's actual roll call votes put him there, not 60th. What mattered was that he was the 60th senator to agree, effectively putting the total at 60 before a single name was called. [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4/14/12]

 GOP Claimed Multiple Senators Were Deciding Vote. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Brown and his allies say that's preposterous. They note that Republicans have made the same claim about several other Democrats, including Jon Tester of Montana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin. [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4/14/12

But Pryor voted himself and Factcheck.org: Congress Is Not Exempt From The Law, No Special Subsidy Exists. everyone in Congress According to Factcheck.org, “Congress isn’t ‘exempt’ from the law. It wasn’t exempt special subsidies so they’re back in 2010, when we first debunked such a claim; nor were lawmakers exempt in May protected from Obamacare when the bogus bit surfaced again. Three months later, they’re still not exempt. In fact, as we’ve said before, lawmakers and their staffs face additional requirements that other Mark Pryor voted to make Americans don’t. And the “special subsidy” to which Pittenger refers is simply a you live under Obamacare premium contribution that his employer, the federal government, has long made to the [H.R. 2590, Vote #396, health insurance policies of its workers.” [Factcheck.org, 8/30/13] 12/24/09] PolitiFact: Claim Congress Got “Sweetheart” Exemption From Obamacare Was Special Subsidies for Mark Rated “Pants On Fire” And “Wrong In Almost Every Regard.” According to Pryor PolitiFact, “Hensarling said that in a ‘sweetheart deal … members of Congress, thanks [Vote 211, 9/30/13] to the Obama administration, are going to be the only people in America to get subsidies in the Obamacare exchanges.’ This statement is wrong in almost every regard. Millions of ordinary Americans who currently lack health coverage are expected to get Obamacare subsidies in the years ahead. Congressional employees who purchase insurance on the marketplaces won’t be getting subsidies so much as they will be benefiting from a traditional employer cost-share, as many other Americans do. Far

from getting a ‘sweetheart deal,’ congressional employees would otherwise find themselves forced off their existing insurance plan, something the law itself does to no other employment group. And the issue has been largely driven by Republicans, not by the Obama administration.” [PolitiFact, 10/1/13]

Factcheck.org: Claim Congress Exempted Itself From Health Care Law Was “Bogus.” According to Factcheck.org, “Congress isn’t ‘exempt’ from the law. It wasn’t exempt back in 2010, when we first debunked such a claim; nor were lawmakers exempt in May when the bogus bit surfaced again. Three months later, they’re still not exempt. In fact, as we’ve said before, lawmakers and their staffs face additional requirements that other Americans don’t. And the ‘special subsidy’ to which Pittenger refers is simply a premium contribution that his employer, the federal government, has long made to the health insurance policies of its workers.” [Factcheck.org, 8/30/13]

Factcheck.org: “Special Subsidy” Is In Fact Normal Employer Contribution For Federal Employees. According to Factcheck.org, “In fact, as we’ve said before, lawmakers and their staffs face additional requirements that other Americans don’t. And the ‘special subsidy’ to which Pittenger refers is simply a premium contribution that his employer, the federal government, has long made to the health insurance policies of its workers.” [Factcheck.org, 8/30/13]

Factcheck.org: Claims That Congress Exempted Itself Were “Convoluted” And Not True. “This twisted reading of the legislation was based on the fact that originally Congress, like other Americans with work-based insurance or Americans on Medicare and Medicaid, wouldn’t be eligible for the exchanges. In other words, Congress was supposedly “exempt” when members couldn’t participate in the exchanges, and now that they are required to do so, they’re still somehow “exempt” from the law. Neither of these convoluted claims is true.” [Factcheck.org, 8/30/13]

Washington Post: “There's No Effort To ‘Exempt’ Congress From Obamacare.” “The story has blown up on Twitter. ‘Unbelievable,’ tweets TPM's Brian Beutler. ‘Flat out incredible,’ says Politico's Ben White. ‘Obamacare for thee, but not for me,’ snarks Ben Domenech. ‘Two thumbs way, way down,’ says Richard Roeper. (Okay, I made the last one up). If this sounds unbelievable, it's because it is. There's no effort to ‘exempt’ Congress from Obamacare. No matter how this shakes out, Congress will have to follow the law, just like everyone else does.” [Wonkblog, Washington Post, 4/25/13]

Huffington Post: “In Actuality, No One Is Getting An Exemption.” “In actuality, no one is getting an exemption. The decision to have the Office of Personnel Management continue its contribution to health care premiums simply restored the original intent of the law, as written by a Republican senator.” [Huffington Post, 8/2/13]

New Republic: “The Suggestion That Obama Made Congress Exempt From His Health Care Law Seems Impervious To Reality.” “Like the death panels and immigration myths, the suggestion that Obama made Congress exempt from his health care law seems impervious to reality.” [New Republic, 8/13/13]

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, INCLUDING PRYOR, ARE REQUIRED TO PURCHASE INSURANCE FROM EXCHANGES DESIGNED FOR EMPLOYER-SPONSORED GROUP HEALTH BENEFITS

OPM Ruled Members Of Congress And Their Staff Would Purchase Insurance On Small Business Exchanges Which Allow Employer-Sponsored Group Health Benefits. According to Politico, “The Office of Personnel Management has finalized a rule for how members of Congress and aides will obtain health coverage through the exchanges starting in January — and it’s requiring members of Congress and staff to enroll in the District of Columbia small-business exchange, even if they live or work outside the D.C. metro area. They won’t be eligible for subsidies to buy insurance regardless of their income, although they’ll be able to receive a federal employer contribution. But according to the rule, they’ll be able to collect that employer subsidy by buying in the small-business exchange, also known as SHOP. ‘SHOPs are designed to provide employer-sponsored group health benefits and are, therefore, the appropriate environment in which to provide an employer contribution to members of Congress and congressional staff,’ the rule says.” [Politico Pro, 9/30/13]

 OPM: Small Business Exchanges “Are Designed To Provide Employer- Sponsored Group Health Benefits And Are, Therefore, The Appropriate Environment… To Provide An Employer Contribution.” Federal News Radio reported, OPM's finalized regulations state that members of Congress and their official staff members must enroll in the small-business exchanges — or SHOPs — in order to continue to receive the government contribution. ‘SHOPs are designed to provide employer-sponsored group health benefits and are, therefore, the appropriate environment in which to provide an employer contribution to members of Congress and congressional staff,’ the rule states. ‘Further, this ensures that Members of Congress and congressional staff do not have additional choices in the individual exchanges with a government contribution that other individuals lack.’” [Federal News Radio, 10/2/13]

 Senator Grassley, Author Of The Amendment, Said OPM Was In Line With Intent Of His Amendment. According to Roll Call, “Grassley has said repeatedly that the OPM rule was in line with the original intent of the amendment.” Grassley told Roll Call, ““My goal, regardless of how the amendment was worded … was that we [in Congress] need to go into the exchange so that we would have to go through the same red tape as every other citizen.” [Roll Call, 9/26/13]

Members And Congress And Their Staff Will Enroll In DC Health Link Small Business Market Set Up By ACA. According to the Washington Post, “The final rules state that while the administration has not changed its view that the ACA provision did not override the FEHBP premium-sharing authority, ‘SHOPs are designed to provide employer-sponsored group health benefits and are, therefore, the appropriate environment in which to provide an employer contribution to Members of Congress and congressional staff. Further, this ensures that Members of Congress and congressional staff do not have additional choices in the individual Exchanges with a Government contribution that other individuals lack.’ To receive the government contribution, members of Congress and affected staff would have to enroll in the DC Health Link Small Business Market. Specifically, their choice for 2014 must be made from among that plan’s “gold”-level options, according to separate guidance.” [Washington Post, 9/30/13]

Factcheck.org: Health Care Law Requires Members Of Congress And Their Staffs To Buy Health Insurance From State-Based Exchanges. “The Affordable Care Act says that starting in 2014, members of Congress and their staffs can no longer get their health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, as they have in the past. Instead, these federal employees will have to get insurance through the

exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act. Other Americans with work-based insurance aren’t subject to such a requirement. They can continue to get health insurance through their employers. Other federal workers, too, can continue to select health insurance plans through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. But not Congress.” [Factcheck.org, 8/30/13]

Exemptions and special Premiums For Arkansas Health Connector Were Lower That Society Of Actuaries subsidies for Mark Pryor, Projection. KATV reported, “The premium rates for health insurance plans to be sold higher insurance premiums on the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace were released on Monday. Rates are for you approximately ten percent lower than what was projected by the Society of Actuaries.” [KATV, 9/23/13]

Exemptions & Special  Arkansas Health Connector Premiums Were Up To 25% Below Requested Subsidies for Mark Pryor Rates. According to the Associated Press, “Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford announced premium rates for the 71 qualified health insurance Higher Premiums for You plans that will be sold on the individual market in the new Health Insurance Marketplace. The qualified Health Plan issuers offering plans are Celtic Insurance Company d/b/a Arkansas Health and Wellness Solutions, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Multi-State, and QCA Health Plans, Inc. d/b/a QualChoice Health Insurance of Arkansas. Enrollment begins Oct. 1. Rates and coverage will go into effect Jan. 1, 2014. After careful review of the proposed rates and plan designs submitted by insurance companies, Bradford announced approved premiums at levels as much as 25% below what had initially been requested for the individual market.” [Associated Press, 9/23/13]

Insurance In Arkansas Health Connector “Likely Offer More Generous Benefits… Plans Would Have To Accept Everyone And Not Charge More Based On Health Status.” According to Factcheck.org, “We agree it’s tough to compare what individuals might be paying now (or what they could pay now, if they’re uninsured) to what they’d pay with newly published exchanges rates. In a September report on these rates, the Kaiser Family Foundation said it wouldn’t attempt to make such comparisons, noting that the exchange plans would likely offer more generous benefits, as they’re required to meet benefit standards, and plans would have to accept everyone and not charge more based on health status. “These changes,” the report said, “make direct comparisons of exchange premiums and existing individual market premiums complicated, and doing so would require speculative assumptions and data that are not publicly available.” Arkansas Health Connector is the name of Arkansas’s state based exchange. [Factcheck.org, 9/27/13]

WSJ: Medical-Price Inflation Is At Slowest Pace In 50 Years. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Medical prices are rising at their slowest pace in a half century, a shift in the health-care industry that could provide relief to government and businesses' budgets while also signaling consumers are being left with a larger share of the bill. The prices paid for medical care in July rose just 1% from a year earlier, the slowest annual rate of growth since the early 1960s, according to Commerce Department data. Health- care increases now trail overall inflation, which itself has been historically slow in recent years.” [Wall Street Journal, 9/17/13]

CBO Found ACA Would Either Have No Impact Or Reduce Premiums For Small And Large Businesses. According to the Congressional Budget Office, “The [Affordable Care Act] would have much smaller effects on premiums for employment-

based coverage, which would account for about fix-sixths of the total health insurance arket. I the small group market, which is defined in this analysis as consisting of employers with 50 or fewer workers, CBO and JCT estimate that the change in the average premium per person result from the legislation could range from an increase of 1 percent to a reduction of 2 percent in 2016 (relative to current law). In the large group market, which is defined here as consisting of employers with more than 50 workers, the legislation would yield an average premium with more than 50 workers, the legislation would yield an average premium per person that is zero to 3 percent lower in 206 (relative to current law). [Congressional Budget Office, 11/30/09]

Mark Pryor voting with MARK PRYOR PUTS ARKANSAS FIRST. ALWAYS. Obama, voting against Arkansans like you Pryor Voted To Approve The Keystone Pipeline In Opposition To The President. On March 8, 2012, Pryor voted for a Hoeven amendment to the Surface Transportation bill “that would provide for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline between Canada and the United States. It would require that the route for the pipeline in Nebraska be submitted by the state of Nebraska. It also would provide for certain environmental protections,” according to Congressional Quarterly. The amendment was rejected 56-42. [Senate Vote 34, 3/8/12; Floor Votes, Congressional Quarterly, 3/8/12]

 HEADLINE—Boozman, Pryor Urge Keystone Pipeline Approval [AP, 2/27/13]

Talk Business: Pryor Has “Taken Independent Stands” On Issues Like Balancing The Budget And Gun Control. In August 2013, Talk Business reported: “Pryor, who considers himself at the 'center of the Senate,' has been tied to his support of several of President Obama's big agenda items: the Dodd-Frank financial bill, the stimulus program, and of course health care reform. He's also taken independent stands on other issues, including efforts to address balancing the budget and gun control.” [Talk Business, 8/14/13]

Pryor Voted Against Obama’s Gun Control Package. “U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D- Ark., said today that he plans to vote against a background check amendment proposed by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa. “I will not support Manchin-Toomey. I think it is too broad and unworkable. I do think there is a better approach,” Pryor said. The amendment to expand background checks for gun buyers is not expected to obtain the 60 votes needed to pass when the Senate votes on the measure this afternoon.” [Southwest Times Record, 4/17/13]

 HEADLINE—Pryor Says He Opposes Manchin-Toomey Gun-Check Measure [Southwest Times Record, 4/17/13]

Pryor Opposed Obama’s Request To Use Military Forces Against Syria. “Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor says he's opposed to a resolution to take military action against Syria. The two-term senator from Arkansas on Saturday announced he doesn't support President Barack Obama's request to use military force against Syria, which U.S. officials say killed more than 1,400 civilians with sarin gas last month. Pryor said he doesn't believe the Obama administration has proven that there's a national security interest, a definitive mission or that it can build a coalition of allies.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 9/7/13]

 Associated Press: Tom Cotton “Is One Of The Most Vocal Supporters Of Obama’s Call For Military Action.” In September 2013, the AP reported: “Tom Cotton won his south Arkansas congressional seat and is challenging

Pryor next year primarily on a vow to fight President Barack Obama and his policies. But when it comes to Syria, the freshman GOP lawmaker is one of the most vocal supporters of Obama’s call for military action.” [Southwest Times, AP, 9/8/13] Pryor Opposed Obama’s Efforts To Cut Social Security By Using Chained CPI. According to Huffington Post, “The majority of Senate Democrats running for reelection in 2014, including three running in red states, have broken with President Barack Obama and are opposing his effort to cut Social Security benefits, imperiling the austerity project known as the ‘grand bargain.’ In his most recent budget proposal, Obama included a measure to reduce the cost-of-living adjustment related to senior and veterans benefits as a compromise offer to Republicans. He had already put so-called chained CPI on the table during both debt ceiling and fiscal cliff negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and defended his move this time by emphasizing it was a reform ‘championed by Republicans leaders in Congress’ that would only be made in exchange for new tax revenues.” Pryor cosponsored legislation against chained CPI. [Huffington Post, 5/6/13]