I just received another email newsletter from Congressman Levin. A very simple and concise list of FALSE CLAIMS followed by FACTS.
This is a good example of the kind of information we all should be circulating everywhere we can.
If your Representative has not sent out something similar, call them TODAY and demand that they do so.
I've copied the list below the fold and here is a link to a printable version.
Congressman Levin's Email:
Setting the Record Straight on Health Care
There has been a lot of misinformation about what is in the health care reform proposals being considered by Congress. The discussion over how to improve our health care system is too important to be decided based on false statements and scare tactics. I want you to have accurate information.
FALSE CLAIM: The health care reform proposal promotes euthanasia, and requires seniors to participate in end of life meetings with government agents.
FACT: There has been a lot of awful misinformation about this issue. Under current law, hospitals are required to inform patients of their rights under state laws to develop a living will or advance directive regarding their medical care. If you wish to speak with your doctor about living wills and advance directives and the treatment options that may be part of having them, the health care reform proposal simply allows Medicare to pay for that appointment. This would be purely voluntary, and patients do not need to have this consultation with their doctor if they do not wish to do so. The AARP strongly supports the provision, saying, "This measure would not only help people make the best decisions for themselves, but also better ensure that their wishes are followed. To suggest otherwise is a gross, and even cruel, distortion—especially for any family that has been forced to make the difficult decisions on care for loved ones approaching the end of their lives."
FALSE CLAIM: The proposal provides health insurance for illegal immigrants.
FACT: The proposal explicitly prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving any Federal dollars to subsidize health insurance. The legislative language reads: "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."
FALSE CLAIM: The proposal is socialized medicine or a "government takeover" of health care.
FACT: The health care reform proposal is not socialized medicine or a government takeover of health care. Socialized medicine is a system in which the hospitals are owned by the government and doctors are employees of the government. In contrast, the proposal maintains the current employer-based insurance system. Most Americans will continue to receive insurance through private insurers, from private hospitals, and from doctors in private practice. Some people have argued that the public health insurance plan is a government takeover of health care. This claim is simply false. People who do not get insurance through their employer will simply have the choice of signing up for a private insurance plan as they can now, or the new public health insurance plan. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that only about 3% of Americans will choose to be covered by the public plan.
FALSE CLAIM: Medicare benefits will be cut under reform.
FACT: Medicare benefits will not be cut in any way under reform. If you have Medicare, you will continue to have the same coverage and choose your doctor as you do today. The proposal does save money in Medicare by reducing increases in payments for hospitals, but hospitals have agreed that these reductions are reasonable. The reform proposal actually makes important improvements to Medicare benefits. It eliminates all co-payments for preventive care such as cancer screenings. The proposal phases out the "doughnut hole" coverage gap in the Medicare prescription drug program.
FALSE CLAIM: Members of Congress will be exempted from reform and receive gold-plated health coverage.
FACT: It is a common misconception that Members of Congress have special gold-plated health insurance plans. In fact, I pay the same amount and have the same health insurance options as all other federal government employees. I am currently covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Members of Congress will be treated exactly the same as everyone else under reform. If we choose to keep our employer-sponsored insurance, we can do that, or we can go to the Health Insurance Exchange and choose to buy a private plan or the public health insurance plan there, just like everyone else.
FALSE CLAIM: The health care reform proposal would lead to rationing of care.
FACT: There is nothing in the proposal that would lead to rationing of care. The proposal does provide funding for research to compare the effectiveness different treatments for a given disease. Doctors will not be required to use the findings. This research, far from rationing care, will lead to better care for patients by giving doctors more information different treatments. The insurance market reforms in the proposal will reduce rationing of care that happens today. Insurance companies will no longer be able to retroactively cancel enrollees’ insurance policy when they become sick or refuse to cover important medical services based on pre-existing conditions.
FALSE CLAIM: The health care reform proposal mandates coverage of abortion.
FACT: The proposal does not require abortion to be covered by any insurance plan, including the new public health insurance option.
You may also be interested in the following websites that are in place to respond to inaccurate claims.
The White House – Reality Check
The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org
The St. Petersburg Times PolitiFact project
You may review a two page summary of the proposal here and the full legislative bill here. To see how the health care reform proposal would impact you, click here.
Please call my office with any questions or concerns you have. As always, I would welcome your input.