The health care fight has turned ugly, fast.

Right-wing mobs are crashing congressional town halls; lies are spreading via anonymous email chains, and Sarah Palin bizarrely said that President Obama was going to set up a "death panel," whatever that is.

Many of these claims are just incredible—but if we don't fight back with the truth, the right will continue to poison the health care debate. So as part of our Real Voices for Change campaign this August, we're working to set the
record straight.

The Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back.

The First Lie: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandmother.

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."

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.

The Second Lie: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan.

The truth: Withreform, 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. 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.

If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them. 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.

The Third Lie: 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. And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.

The Fourth Lie: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits.

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits. 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.

The Fifth Lie: 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. The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.

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.

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.


http://www.blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/5932/2009-08-11.html

Dump the liars.
Vote for a third party candidate befor voting for a Republican!

There are many more lies told by the Republicans about Health-care.
I'll be glad to list those as well.

CMS Analysis Says Senate Health Care Reform Bill Won't Cut Costs

The Senate health care reform bill (HR 3590) would not achieve President Obama's goal of reducing national health care costs but would expand coverage to 33 million U.S. residents who are currently uninsured, according to a CMS study released on Friday, CongressDaily reports (Edney, CongressDaily, 12/11).

Health Care Spending, Coverage Projections

Under the bill, total health spending in the U.S. would reach $35.5 trillion over 10 years, 0.7% more than projected under current law (Pear/Herszenhorn, New York Times, 12/11). The CMS report also projected that total health expenditures would increase by $234 billion between 2010 and 2019 under the bill (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 12/11).

The boost in spending would result primarily because of the increased use of health services by the newly insured, according to the report, released by CMS Actuary Rick Foster (CongressDaily, 12/11).

According to the report, the bill would ensure that 93% of citizens and legal residents have health insurance coverage, the Wall Street Journal reports (Yoest, Wall Street Journal, 12/11).

However, the report found that the "additional demand for health services could be difficult to meet initially with existing health provider resources and could lead to price increases, cost shifting and/or changes in providers' willingness to treat patients with low-reimbursement health coverage."

The report also had bad news for consumers, noting that additional taxes levied on the pharmaceutical, medical device and insurance industries likely would be passed on in the form of higher product prices at a cost of $11 billion annually (CongressDaily, 12/11).

Implications for Medicare

The report said that proposed Medicare cuts in the bill would threaten the profitability of 20% of U.S. hospitals and nursing homes.

In addition, plans to reduce Medicare payments to hospitals and other providers might cause them to drop out of the program, "possibly jeopardizing access to care for beneficiaries," the Washington Post reports.

However, White House spokesperson Reid Cherlin said. "Congress has implemented even larger savings in Medicare in the past, and no access problems materialized."

Democrats added that doctors and hospitals rarely end their participation in Medicare (Montgomery, Washington Post, 12/12).

CLASS Act

The report also questioned the viability of the proposed long-term care plan included in the legislation, known as the CLASS Act. It said that the program could "face a significant risk of failure" because it would attract people who are already in poor health, generating increasingly high premiums and resulting in an "insurance death spiral," the AP/Boston Globe reports (Alonso-Zaldivar, AP/Boston Globe, 12/11).

Although the program would provide savings of $38 billion through 2019, largely because the program would not pay any benefits over the first five years, CQ HealthBeat reports. After that, "there is a very serious risk the program would become unsustainable," according to the report (CQ HealthBeat, 12/11).

Political Debate

Republicans used the report as further ammunition to continue their criticism of the Senate bill. "How many more devastating studies do we need before the Democratic leadership will agree we need to scrap these failed bills and start over?" Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) asked.

Democrats touted Congressional Budget Office findings that indicate the bill would reduce the deficit and keep premiums stagnant for those who already have insurance (Miller, Washington Times, 12/12).

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) also noted that there is "a lot of great news" in the report, including evidence that the Democrats' bill would extend the solvency of a key Medicare trust fund until 2026 and reduce premiums under the program (CQ HealthBeat, 12/11).

http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2009/12/14/cms-analysis-says-senate-health-care-reform-bill-wont-cut-costs.aspx

10 more,

Lie #1: President Obama and Congressional Democrats are seeking to “nationalize” health care, which will result in “socialized medicine.”

The Truth: Fear-inducing buzzwords such as “nationalization” and “socialized medicine” are not accurate descriptions of Obama’s health care approach. In reality, Obama and Congressional Democrats are advocating that health care remain primarily in private hands, but that the government should design a "health insurance exchange" and “public option” to cover most of the estimated 46 million uninsured. In addition, Obama is promoting new regulations to reduce escalating health care costs, guarantee the portability of insurance policies, and limit the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage simply because of preexisting conditions.

Lie #2: "Universal health care” is overly bureaucratic and results in a “government takeover” of health care.

The Truth: The U.S. is the only country in the industrialized world that does not have some form of universal health care. But “universal” is not synonymous with a “government takeover.” Though some countries such as Great Britain and Canada have indeed nationalized major components of their health care systems, other countries such as Germany and the Netherlands have found ways in which to cover everyone while also retaining a strong private insurance system. In this regard, Obama and a majority of Congressional Democrats have endorsed a relatively moderate approach designed to reduce bureaucratic red tape in both private and public health care institutions. Under such a plan, no one will be compelled to switch from his or her insurance company to a public option.

Lie #3: Health care reform will result in the rationing of care, thus depriving people of important medical services.

The Truth: Insurance companies are actually the ones who are currently rationing health care in the U.S. Every day, countless thousands of Americans are denied payment for needed operations and treatments by health insurance companies. In contrast, there is nothing in any of the major Democratic proposals that would ration care. This is simply another scare tactic designed by conservative special interest groups to forestall any major reform of the system.

Lie #4: Health care reform, as proposed by President Obama and Congressional Democrats, will supply illegal immigrants with health care coverage.

The Truth: The main House bill, HR 3200, actually bans the coverage of illegal immigrants. According to Section 246 in the bill, any type of health insurance exchange or public option would forbid payments "on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."

Lie #5: Health care reform proposals endorsed by President Obama and Congressional Democrats will mandate “death panels” for elderly patients, thus encouraging euthanasia.

The Truth: There is absolutely nothing in any of the bills before Congress that would provide for death panels or euthanasia. What HR 3200, Section 1233, actually states is that Medicare would be required to pay doctors for consultations with patients about "advance care planning," such as living wills, hospice care, etc. The American Medical Association, which has endorsed the Democratic approach to health care reform, has noted that such consultations would be strictly voluntary and not result in any type of rationing of care or euthanasia for seniors.

Lie #6: Democratic proposals for health care reform include a provision that would allow the U.S. government to access patients’ bank accounts and related financial records.

The Truth: Section 163 of HR 3200 entitled "Standards for financial and administrative transactions" requires the government to set "comprehensive, efficient and robust" rules for electronic transactions, thus reducing expensive and duplicative paperwork. This is one of several provisions that are designed to cut administrative costs and red tape in the health care bureaucracy. This provision only covers companies involved in medical billing and not individual patients.

Lie #7: The U.S. cannot afford any new, expensive government programs that will fuel the deficit for years to come.

The Truth: Currently, the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world. Every year, health care costs continue to rise, while insurance companies raise premiums and other out of pocket expenses for average consumers. Health care costs result in sixty percent of all bankruptcies in the US. One major reason why health care is so expensive is due to the approximately 46 million Americans who are uninsured that tend to visit emergency rooms for even minor ailments. As the most expensive place to receive care, ERs drive up the cost of health care in general. With universal health care, ER visits would almost certainly decline, thus saving huge sums of money. Maintaining the status quo will only fuel the federal deficit since health care inflation is having a dramatic impact on the rising costs of Medicare and Medicaid. Besides, Obama has promised not to sign a bill unless it is deficit-neutral. Health care reform is designed to eliminate waste and duplicative procedures, thus actually saving taxpayers money in the long run.

Lie #8: The U.S. has the best health care system in the world; thus there is no need for any major changes in government policies and regulations.

The Truth: Among 191 countries, the U.S. ranks 37th for performance in health care and 15th in overall attainment of health care needs (according to a 2000 World Health Organization study). The U.S. also ranks 26th in infant mortality rates among industrialized countries, according to recent OECD figures. The OECD found that the U.S. comes in last among industrialized countries in the fairness of financial contributions to health care. As the WHO report states, “the impact of failures is most severe on the poor everywhere, who are driven deeper into poverty by lack of financial protection against ill-health.” The Commonwealth Fund found in 2007 that U.S. health care ranks last compared with five other nations (Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand) "on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity, and outcomes.”

Lie #9: Insurance companies would be unable to compete effectively with a government-backed “public option,” thus driving such companies out of business.

The Truth: In many countries around the world, a dual system of private insurance effectively co-exists with government-funded health care programs. Such private-public hybrids are the norm in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands. In contrast, the current private insurance system in the U.S. is overly bureaucratic and monopolistic, thus driving up health care costs. A public option would provide a more competitive market for health care, thus pressuring insurance companies to lower their rates. The idea that the private sector cannot compete with the government has been proven wrong in other sectors of the economy such as education (with private schools competing against public schools) and postal services (with FedEx and UPS competing against the U.S. Post Office).

Lie #10: Obama’s health care reform proposals will cut Medicare benefits for the elderly.

The Truth: Obama and Congressional Democrats are proposing cost-saving measures in Medicare and Medicaid that target waste, fraud, and inefficiency. The plan envisions huge savings in these programs by changing procedures for billing and paperwork, with a particular emphasis on ending overpayments to insurance companies. As many experts have noted, the Obama/Democratic plan will not reduce Medicare benefits in any way, shape, or form.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/16/767786/-Top-Ten-Republican-Lies-About-Health-Care-Reform

It's a ship that is heading towards an iceberg.. I am betting there will be insufficient lifeboats to save everyone. I can only hope that by the time the ship sinks the water in the north atlantic will warmed enough via global warming to allow the time for the rescue ships to arrive.

I respect your concerns invictus. I really do, but not one economist has predicted correctly about the costs of Obama's plans yet.

The changes we are going through are extreme. They are huge, but the consequences of doing nothing are just as huge and twice as irresponsible.
Fear is a natural reaction to such changes.
Giving trust to government is an act not taken lightly by anyone. But Obama has shown he is intent on keeping his campaign promises. He has shown he is the hardest working President in my history. That's a fact.
To continue doing as we have, as the Republicans suggest and tell lies about to convince the public to do, is sure to lead our health-care system into bankruptcy.
Not one health-care professional or expert disagrees with that forecast!

The Republican Party has proven time and time again that with them America will never have an open and honest government.

We need to replace them with a new political party.

In 2012, vote "NOT Republican."

Considering Republicans only want what is best for those "like" them it is no wonder we have all problems we have now in this country.

At least the Democrats will allow for differences in people.

I have believed healthcare to be a right in this country that has been denied people for a long time.

Yea it will be a struggle to implement and yea there will things they will have to change along the way but at least the Dems are trying to do it. You have to give them credit for that.

I will not vote Republican again until I see a drastic change in the party. It is too power hungry and controlling as it is now.

Gotta go be back on later.....

Five Big Republican Lies About HealthCare Reform

^and for every five, there's ten democrat lies and for every ten of theirs, there's twenty repub lies.....they all are liars haven't you figured that out yet?

Boy I'll be glad when this country wakes up

I can hardly wait for the changes, I think it will be a wonderful thing.

BTW, if this is 'OBamas plan' was Iraq "Bush's' war. Seems like a team effort.

OBama doesnt say 'I' nearly as often as he says 'we'. Anything thats done in government is a team effort(no matter how small or large that team is).

Poppycock!

Accusations with no fact!

What lie did the Dems say about health-care?

Bumped for the truth!

um just off the top of my head, the dems swear that national health care won't cover illegals, which anyone who works in the hospitals know it's impossible to exclude anyone from healthcare that ends up on your door with serious issues, so that's one lie...that can't be refuted.

ER's cannot and should not deny anyone medical help but the plan's language does not include illegal aliens for coverage. People just want to hang that on it as a lie but this was and will be going on dispite any reforms. We needed this reform, was not as progressive as I'd have wanted but a start towards insuring everyone.

Illegal immigration is another issue entirely.

Side note: What are the Repulsivans going to run on this year?
Obstructionism/Lies as a continued agenda?

but the plan's language does not include illegal aliens for coverage

only some parts of it exclude them, the language is broad and very vague

Who do you think picks up the bill when someone is seen at an ER and can't pay?

The Gov. Your's and my tax-dollars.

If you have Insurance then you will only go to the ER if it's an emergency, and then you will be covered. Then it will become much easier to see who is not covered and to single out the illegals since they won't be covered. Then the Gov and the ER will be able to refuse that person for gov payment.

Get it!

You also must understand that when a construction worker etc goes to the ER and doesn't have Insurance, and there are millions in America in this category, they will be singled out and fined for not having Insurance.
If they buy Insurance on their own, as the law requires, they will also show up on an IRS data base. They will either have to pay their taxes voluntarily or become a target for their crime.

This in return will probably raise enough tax revenue to pay for the bill alone. Before savings!

Win, Win!

I hate a Tax-Evader!

What ever!

What truth.

Both sides lie.

We have taken another step in the direction of a law the would make it MANDATORY for us to PURCHASE insurance... (in the US of A... who woulda thunk it).

We are one step closer to the understanding that our politicians do not think they work for US... Instead from President Obama down to the youngest congressperson they have ALL appearntly sold out to the insurance scam.

we are one step in the direction of a United States where the constitution means nothing and we are all indentured to the Government.

Or we are another step closer to taking the next step of freedom...

What followed the boston tea party?

Will we have to resort to the same course to KEEP the freedoms that were earned by blood?