Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!
The truth: These accusations—of "death
panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated
Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."4 What's
the real deal? Reform legislation includes a
provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a
professional medical counselor who will
provide them with information on preparing a
living will and other issues facing older Americans.5
Lie #2: Democrats
are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!
The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans
will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.6
Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan
with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.7
If you're happy with
your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.8 But the new public plan will expand choices to millions
of businesses or individuals
who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford
health care now.
Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style
rationing!!!
The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and
give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to
give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.
Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing
conditions,
insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick,
gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.9 And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a
rationed situation.
Lie #4: Obama
is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!
The truth: Health
care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.10 Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated
to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of
dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and
abuse.11
Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!
The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that
affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.
Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.12 The average family premium is projected
to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade13—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because
of medical expenses.14 Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option
that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would
be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.15
We're closer to real health care reform than we've ever been—and the next few weeks will decide whether it happens.
We need to make sure the truth about health care reform is spread far and wide to combat right wing lies.
P.S. Want more? Check out this great new White House "Reality Check" website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/
or this excellent piece from Health Care for America Now on some of the most outrageous lies:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=1
Sources:
1. "More 'Town Halls Gone Wild': Angry Far Right Protesters Disrupt Events With 'Incomprehensible' Yelling," Think Progress, August 4, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51733&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=2
2. "Fight the smears," Health Care for America NOW, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=3
3. "Palin Paints Picture of 'Obama Death Panel' Giving Thumbs Down to Trig," ABC
News, August 7, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51728&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=4
4. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," The Associated Press, August
10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=5
5. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," The Huffington Post,
July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=6
6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1
7. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," The Wall Street Journal, June
24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=7
8. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" The Wall Street
Journal, 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=8
9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1
10. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN,
July 28, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=9
11. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1
12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
13. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=10
14. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN,
June 5, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=11
15. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
Sources for the Five Lies:
#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=12
#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's
Business Daily, July 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=13
#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=14
#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=15
#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744&id=16778-9165182-JiwKlvx&t=16
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