Believe it or not we have some reporters doing their job. Here are the fact checks done by the AP.
OBAMA: “We already have rough agreement” on some aspects of what a health care overhaul should involve, and one is: “It will keep government out of health care decisions, giving you the option to keep your insurance if you’re happy with it.”
THE FACTS: In House legislation, a commission appointed by the government would determine what is and isn’t covered by insurance plans offered in a new purchasing pool, including a plan sponsored by the government. The bill also holds out the possibility that, over time, those standards could be imposed on all private insurance plans, not just the ones in the pool.
OBAMA: “I have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade, and I mean it.”
THE FACTS: The president has said repeatedly that he wants “deficit-neutral” health care legislation, meaning that every dollar increase in cost is met with a dollar of new revenue or a dollar of savings. But some things are more neutral than others. White House Budget Director Peter Orszag told reporters this week that the promise does not apply to proposed spending of about $245 billion over the next decade to increase fees for doctors serving Medicare patients. Beyond that, budget experts have warned about various accounting gimmicks that can mask true burdens on the deficit. The bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget lists a variety of them, including back-loading the heaviest costs at the end of the 10-year period and beyond.
OBAMA: “You haven’t seen me out there blaming the Republicans.”
THE FACTS: Obama did so in his opening statement, saying, “I’ve heard that one Republican strategist told his party that even though they may want to compromise, it’s better politics to ‘go for the kill.’ Another Republican senator said that defeating health reform is about ‘breaking’ me.”
It was more of the same from President Obama last night. More vague comments about the bill that are not true or he doesn’t know are not true because he has not read the draft legislation. This was proven during his conference call to left-wing bloggers recently. One of them actually asked a good question about an IBD article that referenced a provision that would in effect push out private health insurance. He then had to admit that he was not familiar with that provision, but it did not stop him from giving his tired promise later in the same call that everyone could keep their current insurance. How he can make this promise when he is not familiar with a provision affecting that particular issue is beyond me.
Me personally, I was kind of hoping that he would explain how the 50 plus bureaucracies he is creating with this legislation would make healthcare more effective and cost efficient. He could even use this handy chart.
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