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The Truth About The Health Care Bill

Posted Aug 9, 2009 by Kris DiGiovanni

Updated Aug 9, 2009 at 09:34 AM

Wow! Near riots at town hall meetings, organized protests, folks waving signs and screaming at each other.  I haven’t seen so many people so stirred up since the Viet Nam War (yes, I’m that old).  It’s too bad that most of the things these good people are so upset about aren’t true.  The people they let tell them what to think - the Rush Limbaughs, Glen Becks, and Sean Hannitys of the world – are lying to them, big time.

I’ve been listening a lot to conservative talk radio lately and hearing some really scary stuff.  Here are a couple recent examples:
Rush Limbaugh, 7/28/2009 “People at a certain age with certain diseases will be deemed not worth the investment, and they will just as Obama said, they’d give them some pain pills, and let them loop out till they die and they don’t even know what’s happened.”

Rush Limbaugh, 8/7/09 “They are going to fund abortions as well as part of the health care plan.  They are going to deny certain coverage to people who are not, by virtue of age, close to death, but if they’ve got diseases…. …. Everybody’s going to be limited in what they get.  There’s going to be rationed health care!”

If any of this were true, I’d be out protesting as well – but it’s not.  It’s all lies. How do I know?  Simple. I’ve done some things the talk show hosts haven’t.  I’ve actually read the bill.  I’ve done my own research in a thorough and diligent manner.

Here’s what I found out:

Number 1: This bill will cost a huge amount of money.  TRUE
It will cost a tremendous amount to get things going.  BUT – much of the expense will be offset by the reductions elsewhere, like ER visits by the uninsured, (which we all pay for now.) Independent analysts say over the long term, the bill will save us somewhere between $150 billion to $265 billion. The Congressional Budget Office has reported that the House plan is budget neutral and will result in a $6 million surplus.

Number 2: A public option will force private companies out of business.  FALSE
A new report by the CBO says a public option would actually increase the number of people with private insurance. Section 102(a), which has been quotes as “proof’ that exiting companies will not be allowed to enroll new policy holders actually says they can enroll as many as they want, as long as their standards and coverage are as good as the government coverage plan.

Number 3: Some people will lose their employer-based health care.  TRUE
According to the CBO, about 9 million.  BUT, another 12 million people who have no coverage now would get it due to the employer incentives in the bill.  So there would actually be a net increase of 3 million persons covered by employer-based plans.  

Number 4: Health care will be rationed. FALSE
Because health care already is rationed.  Insurance companies decide what they will pay for and what they won’t.  They also decide what they are willing to pay for a specific procedure. That is rationing, pure and simple. If you have a pre-existing condition or are denied because a procedure is deemed too expensive or “experimental” by your insurance company, you either pay for it yourself, or go without.

Number 5: Older people will be euthanized: FALSE
The euthanasia lie has its roots in a deliberate misreading of a provision in the plan that would allow Medicare to pay for patients to voluntarily consult with doctors about their wishes should they become seriously ill or incapacitated. If they wish to create a living will, the cost will be covered.

Number 6: Illegal Aliens will get free Health care. FALSE.

‘Nuf said.

Number 7: The government will have direct access to your bank account. FALSE.
Page 59 of Section 123 of the bill applies only to claims payers, (e.g. insurers), not individuals. It’s designed to prevent the intentional delay of claims payments by insurers.

Number 8:The bill will pay for/require doctors to perform abortions.  FALSE
Nothing in the bill mandates abortions or makes doctors perform them.  In fact an amendment has been introduced that specifically prohibits abortion as part of the minimum benefits coverage plan.

Number 9:After a certain age, you won’t be able to get certain life-saving procedures.  FALSE.
This lie is a distortion of the provision in Section 1401, pg 502, which establishes an entity called the Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research. Their mission would be

In other words, an agency which independently looks at treatments, compares them, and tells you which ones work best.

Number 10: The government will decide what treatments you get. FALSE
Pg 30, Sec 123, is about creating an advisory panel for purposes of determining standards for the minimum, intermediate, and premium benefits packages. This expert panel of doctors and medical professionals, not bureaucrats, would make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human services on what should be included in a “basic” benefit plan, and what should fall into other tiers.

Those are the 10 biggest lies being told, but there are many more out there.  The health insurance industry, the opposition party, and businesses that rely heavily on both are spending huge amounts of time and money to promulgate them.

It saddens me to think that there are interests so opposed to health care insurance reforms that they will resort to using distortion, outright lies and scare tactics.  It angers me that they are using the good people who trust them as pawns in their effort to stop this initiative at any cost.  It frustrates me that the opponents are not trying to stop this legislation because they have a better plan.  They have no plan of their own.  They just want to defeat this one.

Next time you get an email or hear a talk show host exhorting you to go out and disrupt a public meeting, think about this:  Freedom of speech is a basic right that extends to everyone.  Not allowing someone to talk, “getting him off his prepared script,” and preventing real debate is not public discourse. Those who urge their disciples to employ these methods are using their followers to take away the very right they claim to stand for.  Everyone has the right to be heard, whether you like what they are saying or not.  Are you brave enough and confident enough in your own knowledge to listen to the opposition and logically rebut their points, or are you just allowing yourself to be someone’s puppet?

If you’ve got the time and the inclination, read the bill for yourself here or check out specific claims here

Comments?  Email me at KrisDiGiovanni at gmail-dot-com