The Continuing Dialogue (What You Ought To Know)

In my last post, I wrote about the lunatic fringe, the misinformation (i.e. lies) that they have been spreading, and how there has been mass panic in the "heartland" over the attempt by the Obama administration to reform our present health care system. I have seen the absurd and the ridiculous over the past few days. A fist fight broke out at one of these meetings and one of the people injured was one of these protesters. Guess what? The protester didn't have any health insurance. I heard one man say that, even though he doesn't have any kind of coverage, he didn't want the "Obama Administration "deciding what kind of coverage he should get”. Incredible… the level of pure stupidity in some parts of this country!

The pure genius of the Republican Party is that they can get people from the lower classes that have nothing in common with the upper class interests they really represent to be their staunchest supporters. At the core of this is racism and the desire to "break Obama" by "breaking Obama", the President. People still get no health care and many are still uncovered. In other words, we all lose.

I saw one woman say that she was not a racist but, if "those people want health care coverage then those people should get a job." I'm sure she is not a racist… why, some of her best friends are probably African-American. But, enough of that… here is what you should know if the health care initiative is still kind of foreign and murky to you. The information is provided courtesy of the good people at Move On:

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."4 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.

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.6 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. If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them. 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.

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.

Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits. 10 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.

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.12 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.

With all that said and, hopefully, read... you can now get back to the Real Housewives of Atlanta. I hear it's going to be good tonight!

(A public service announcement from The Maverick of All Bloggers!)