Health Care Reform: Myths VS Facts

[Lanore]

The Health Reform Debate - Myths vs. Facts
By: Jason Rosenbaum Monday July 13, 2009 12:58 pm


As the health reform fight moves forward, the issues people are
talking about change. While it once seemed like our biggest battle was
over whether we are going to get a strong public health insurance
option as part of reform, that question has now joined a host of
others in the debate.
Predictably, these new arguments come with their fair share of myths
that need to be pushed back on. So here we go...
Myth: Health reform will be paid for by "cutting" Medicare and
Medicaid
This is the latest line trotted out by conservatives and picked up by
the media, that we're going to cut Medicare and Medicaid to pay for
health reform. We're not cutting Medicare or Medicaid, if by cut you
mean doing anything that will lower people's benefits. We're finding
savings in the program. And that's not just spin.
Here's an example: Right now, Medicaid pays hospitals a sum of money
(which varies geographically) to help make up the losses they incur
for treating patients that show up in the emergency room without
insurance (who hospitals are legally required to treat). After health
reform is passed, the number of uninsured in this country will
diminish. These payments will therefore become redundant and can be
phased out, yielding savings without cutting anyone's benefits.
Myth: We're just waiting for reconciliation on health care so we only
need Democratic votes to pass it
This one isn't true...yet.
Right now, the Senate is still operating under regular order, which
means we will need 60 votes to end a filibuster and cut off debate
over a health care reform bill. (Aside: Which Senators are going to be
the ones to filibuster health care? People should start asking them
that.) There is, however, an October 15th deadline. If the Senate is
unable to move a health reform bill under regular order, they must
move one under reconciliation by October 15th. So, right now, Harry
Reid and other Senate leadership are giving Republicans every
opportunity to come on board and vote for real health reform. If they
don't come on board, that's what reconciliation is for.
Myth: Health reform will cost too much and put a burden on families
This is the most insidious of the right-wing lies. In reality, the
cost of doing nothing on health reform will bankrupt families, and
reforming health care will save the average American family thousands
per year.
If we don't reform our health care system and bring down skyrocketing
costs, the average family will be paying almost $10,000 more per year
for health care by 2016 than they do now. Our government will be
bankrupt. And we'll spend one in every five dollars in our entire
economy on health care, up from the already astronomical one in seven
that we spend now. The cost of doing nothing is simply unacceptable,
and those against reform are willing to bankrupt families, government
and our entire country to serve their obstructionism.
Not to mention that reforming health care will reduce costs for
families. According to the Commonwealth Fund [pdf], health care reform
that puts everyone in, gives people affordable options, and includes a
strong public health insurance option (like that proposed by the House
of Representatives) would save the average family $2,228 per year.
Plus, health reform will be fully financed. In the House, it will be
paid for by a combination of Medicare and Medicaid savings, a public
health insurance option that saves money, and a 1% tax on those that
make over a quarter of a million dollars per year.
-------------------------------
Even though these myths are fairly prevalent in the debate right now,
there's a silver lining here. The Frank Luntz messaging that was
supposed to be the GOP's silver bullet - the health care reform is a
Washington takeover leading to rationed care - is largely failing to
take hold. And so, we're forced to combat that latest set of
conservative talking points. We'll just have to do to these points
what we did to Luntz - discredit and bring the truth.