The Truth About Health Care Reform

TRUE

Americans need reform.

• More than 44,000 people lose their coverage each week – 2.3 million a year. (Families USA)
• 46 million have no coverage, including 1 in 10 children. (NCHC.org)
• The cost of doing nothing is $200 billion a year, threatening to bankrupt families – and governments. (New America Foundation)
• Polls consistently show a strong majority favors reform. (e.g. Time / Abt SRBI poll)

You’ll have more security.

• Insurers will be forbidden from denying or dropping customers just because they’ve been sick.

Coverage will cost less.

• Sick people will no longer be charged more.
• The Health Exchange will make comparison shopping easier.
• The Public Option will add healthy competition.
• Administration will be streamlined.
• Doctors and hospitals will be paid for making you well, not for performing procedure after procedure.
• Lower income people and small businesses will get help paying.

You’ll have more choices and control.

• If you like your current plan, you can keep it.
• You’ll have easier access to a range of plans.
• You can keep your doctor.
• You and your doctor will be in charge – not insurance companies.

Quality will be better.

• You and your doctor will decide on treatment, not your insurance company.
• Doctors and hospitals will be paid for making you well, not for performing procedures.
• Best practices will be studied and widely shared.
• Doctors will spend less time on paperwork and disputes, more on care.

FALSE

False: Reformers want to euthanize old people.

Betsy McCaughey claims reform would require Medicare recipients to get counseling on “how to end their life sooner."
Politifact says: “Pants on Fire!” Factcheck says: “Nonsense.” Medicare would pay for counseling on how to choose whatever you prefer for end of life care, and the counseling would be entirely voluntary. AARP supports reform.

False: Reform would ration care by age or cost. (This claim often comes with stories of people in Britain or Canada being denied care.)

Politifact says: “False.” There are no age or cost limits being considered (and the stories often misrepresent other countries too). Under the current broken system, though, many private insurers are rationing care.

False: Reform outlaws private insurance, so government can take over.

Politifact says: “Pants on Fire!” A similar claim says private insurers would be unable to compete with the Public Option. This is highly unlikely. The president insists that the public option operate without subsidy. Also, many private companies successfully compete with government services. E.g. FedEx and UPS with the Post Office, or private colleges with state schools.

False: Non-citizens will get free health care.

Politifact says: “Pants on Fire!” Simply not true.

False: Abortion coverage will be mandatory.

Factcheck says: "False". Just like now, insurers will decide if they will pay for abortions. 66% of Americans support covering abortion (Mellman Group), but abortion coverage will continue to be up to you and your insurer.

False: Reform will raise taxes and grow government.

The current system is hugely inefficient. It will cost the government (and all of us) far more not to reform it. (New America Foundation) The plans under consideration are designed to be revenue-neutral.

False: Most people are against reform.

Nationally, a strong majority favors reform (e.g. Time / Abt SRBI poll). And the more accurate the information they have, the stronger the support.

False: Democrats in Congress promote a Public Option, but won't take it for themselves.

Republican Senator Tom Coburn introduced an amendment to the HELP Committee that would require Congress to use any public health plan that passed. To his surprise Democrats voted for it and it passed the committee 12-11. (Congressional Quarterly, 7/14/09)

False: If the government gets hold of Medicare, it will wreck it.

Medicare is a government program, and always has been. It's very successful, and has 2% overhead, far lower than the industry standard.