The truth about health care, several views

From moveon.org, an Internet mouthpiece for the far left, with a little corrective information, the real truth.

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

Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

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 real truth: “Death panels” and forced euthanasia are only the worst possible result of medical decisions being made by bureaucrats when they run out of money which they certainly will. Look at what’s already happening in some European nations under similar circumstances. Let the camel’s nose in the tent and before long it fills your tent and you are forced out.

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, 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.7

If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.8 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 real truth: Apparently the writer of the above has not read the only health care plan in the Democrats’ arsenal. (If Obama has a plan, where is it?) The only existing Democrat plan specifically states that changes in plans or in the supplier of the plan will not be permitted. The only point of that section of their plan is to drive private health care insurance out of the business.

Lie #3: 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 real truth: Obama’s non existing plan, if it follows the house Democrats’ plan, will result in weeks, months, or even years of waiting as demands for care will far outpace the medical profession’s ability to supply it. Just look at Canada, Scandinavia, or England, and the realities there.

Lie #4: 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 real truth: There is no government run system ever created that has come close to competing with private operations. The truth is waste, fraud, and abuse are the hallmarks of government bureaucracies because employees call most of the shots and are notoriously inefficient. Compared to private organizations they have never been able to effectively compete on anything close to a level playing field without massive subsidies. UPS, FedEx, USPS, the perfect example. I rest my case. Oh yes, have you ever heard of any government cost estimates that have been even close to the final cost. Usually the final costs are five to ten times the original estimates, and that’s conservative.

Lie #5: 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.

The real truth: If you speak only of health care insurance, most people without it are without it by choice (they don’t want to spend the money) or are illegal aliens. If you are speaking of health care, since 1968 it has been illegal by federal law to deny medical care to anyone in need This includes those without insurance, or the money to pay for services, including illegals. So, anyone needing health care in America will get it. There is no health care crises other than the excess of demand over supply. We don’t have enough health care professionals available to serve the demand. Any federal health care insurance system will not even address this problem, and will certainly make it much worse. What we really need is a massive program of growth in education of health care workers at all levels. We need acceptance of new medical intermediates to do many of the simple services that now must be done by doctors. These could include many examination, diagnostic and treatment procedures that could be handled by professionals with much less time and money consuming education. There is a growing shortage of physicians and trained nurses. What is needed are training systems for professionals at several levels between nurses aides and nurses and between technicians and physicians.

We're closer to the major desolation of the best health care system in the world than we've ever been. This so called reform proposal is a recipe for the destruction of that incomparable health care service.

Currently, all levels of health care professionals are entering the US in substantial numbers from all manner of education systems from all over the world. They are staffing our hospitals, clinics, and all manner of health care facilities in steadily increasing numbers. Why is it our schools and colleges are not turning out enough graduates? That is indeed the biggest problem and it is not even mentioned in the Democrats’ only proposal.

Another thing that would reduce costs considerably would be limits on the fees trial lawyers could collect from suits against members of the health professions and health organizations.

These statements are the real truth about our situation with health care. They may not be as emotionally stimulating from either political standpoint as they are not fightin’ words, just realty that must be dealt with.