Viral Anti-Health Care Reform E-Mail Gets Fact Checked

The Washington Post:

Zygmunt Plater, a professor at Boston College Law School, sent The Fact Checker a copy of the above email, which purports to be an analysis of the new health care law by a judge, complete with page citations. Plater's brother, Marek, had sent him a copy of the email, asking if it could be verified, after receiving it Wednesday from a senior official at the company where he works. Under the subject heading of "Read and Heed," the official sent the email to company employees with the notation, "We are now officially out of control." There's some pretty scary stuff in here: cancer care will be rationed according to age, the government would have "real-time access" to an individual's bank accounts, the government will set all doctor's fees, and so forth. So what's truth?

Read the whole story: The Washington Post

Comments

[shangrolah]

03:32 AM on 02/05/2011

Among other things, the email totally misrepresents the issue of coverage denial for those with pre existing conditions:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/health/policy/29health.html

[shangrolah]

03:21 AM on 02/05/2011

This constituted some of the best fact checking there has been on health reform, too:

http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2011/01/11/report-health-care-repeal-costly-for.html

[IM4REAL]

09:02 AM on 02/01/2011

The federal government does have the constitutional ability to regulate interstate commerce and the judge’s ruling negates that power. Congress has the power to reform and regulate this market. Even the judge admitted this in his ruling. The judge’s ruling should have been a demonstration of his understanding of the Constitution, not demonstrate his ideology or party preference. Judges should be above politics. What we see is passive aggressive behavior of a party that wants to see Health Care Reform become the Waterloo of a President. Once again Republicans are showing just how Irresponsible they really are. Basically what republicans are saying is, Responsible Insured (tax payers) should be responsible to pay for those Irresponsible people who choose not to pay for their own medical bills simply because they do not want to pay and get free medical treatment through the hospital emergency room at no cost to them.The lack of health insurance by some does have a direct and profound cost effect on the rest of us. After decades of rising health care costs due to this fact, and part of the reason why we come to this point of a need for Health Care Reform. Far too many people are loosing financially, not only does the rising cost of health insurance affect health care costs, but it also affects the entire economy. Increasing costs affects families budget adversely and affects our nation’s budget deficit. Republican say they're fiscally conservative? Screwing the economy for ideology and power? Hmmm.

[Hillbilly49]

09:13 PM on 01/24/2011

Americans love the components of Obamacare; any talk of repeal is classic right wing republican theater.

[zenaby56]

08:30 PM on 01/24/2011

A foolish person would take information from an email, run with it without checking the facts. Anyone actually read the bill? There are some pretty darn good benefits in there. Now let's all give credit to the Obamacare for the good work it is!

[R U Sirius]

10:37 AM on 01/24/2011

The writer is from Marble Falls, Texas. That alone should indicate how out of touch he is with normal Americans --the majority of whom actually care about each other, and think it would be a good idea for the country and the economy if its work force were more healthy.

[KarenT]

12:39 AM on 01/24/2011

Chart comparing the current bill to the 1993 Republican plan. What is the one element in the current bill the Republicans say is unconstitutional and the main reason for repeal? Guess what was in their bill in 1993? Why is the media not talking about this?

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Graphics/2010/022310-Bill-comparison.aspx

[Captain Hindsight]

07:05 PM on 01/23/2011

Would you prefer to be:
1. insured to get the medical care you will need throughout your life?
2. assured that you will get the medical care you will need throughout your life?

[YankeeCanuck]

02:53 PM on 01/23/2011

"A judge"?? Which judge?
"Dear (your name here),
I have it on good intelligence that you are being watched by someone close to you. THey are saying things about your spouse, and have photos of your children. Be very careful.
Sincerely,
A friend"

[budanatr]

01:24 PM on 01/23/2011

I now live in a country with 'socialized medical care'. It is fantastic!!!

Now I get the care I need that I could not get in the good ol USA.

[metogamekun]

03:19 PM on 01/23/2011

Which one? How's the housing costs?

[29bela]

12:14 AM on 01/24/2011

If you don't have money for doctor when you get sick, you will end up not having money for housing. Where he lives now even without roof over his head he will still have proper care. That is something, don't you thing?

[seeksthetruth]

04:56 PM on 01/24/2011

Yep. Lucky you!

[newtom]

12:17 PM on 01/23/2011

Lies, fear and distraction from the right. So what else is new?

[ConservativeAlways]

03:15 PM on 01/23/2011

Lies, fear and distractio­n from the left. So what else is new?

[loveitorleave]

08:34 PM on 01/23/2011

amen

[pindiva]

05:19 PM on 01/24/2011

What lie are you talking about?

Mindless parroting does not equate to valid discourse.

[JDZSB]

11:47 AM on 01/23/2011

I am on Medicare and It costs me more then what my private insurance was costing me. The impression given by those that think Medicare is so great must be people who are not on Medicare. I am retired and have to work with Medicare so, I have had to supplment the basic plan with a Medigap policy and a separate dental and eye care plan, and when it is all added up, it costs my family more then my private insurance. My choice of doctors that take Medicare patients is decreasing and the costs I have to pay continues to grow due to many treatments Medicare does not cover totally. So, I see the growing problems with Medicare run by the government and it would be a disaster for the government to take over the rest of the public's healthcare needs.

[treadway123]

02:44 PM on 01/23/2011

Medicare is costly yes, but this H.C bill has reduced the amount u pay for your medicine, an other benefits are on the way as the donute hole is closed for good. My mom has medicare/she got the finest care nebr. had to offer. She passed a few months ago, an sure would have enjoyed the kick down u all are getting on prescription drugs right now. I stay current, as i have a older/disable sibling. But u don't want the states to take over or u will end up like Arizona who Actually let transplant people die, an not choose to cover that program after the feds gave that state 200 million in stimulus. This bill needs some twicking I am sure it will get over the yrs, but it is a start to covering millions in H.C.

[CarmanK]

12:19 AM on 01/24/2011

You will find if you have a major medical event that medicare is not only a life saver, it is a protection against bankruptcy. I have medicare Part A, which is free and Medicare Part B.
I have a secondary which covers the medicare deductible and copays. I get an eye exam, but not glasss with Medicare. It is $8,000.00 a year ( for both) for my spouse and me, his last visit to the hospital was $ 35,000.00. We did not pay a dime. When, I worked, and had private insurance, I could not afford a knee joint replacement, now that I am retired, and on Medicare, I will be able to have both knee joints replaced. there ar plenty of good doctors who accept Medicare and in fact the number is growing, because this govt program pays promptly and auto sends balance to secondary. How, do you think Gov Scott got away with bilking Medicare out of millions, admitted it and paid a 1.4 billion dollar fine??( should have gone to jail but didn't). Medicar is a reliable payor.

[exhale09]

10:29 AM on 01/23/2011

Those two senior citizens holding signs in this photo are a hoot! Are they willing to give up THEIR Medicare? No way! It will have to be pried from their little senior hands.

And then there are the Republican elected leaders who fully enjoy receiving tax payer Government subsidized socialized Health Care Insurance Plans while they are voting to repeal the similar program, they call it "Obamacare" for the rest of America.

Conservatives are so hypocritical or else they are just plain ignorant.

[CarmanK]

12:21 AM on 01/24/2011

Those seniors have been lied to so often, they think "health care for all" will break the bank and they may have to pay higher taxes. They are a selfish lot.

[nmnana]

10:08 AM on 01/23/2011

I've been wondering for years now why I only get the misinformed emails from the right. In fact, I never receive ANY emails from the left. I've started to reply all with the fact checking. That seems to have embarassed them enought that I get very few now.

[YankeeCanuck]

02:55 PM on 01/23/2011

Most people are too busy or appalled to reply to their friends/relative like this. Good for you.

[dragonmaster]

08:27 AM on 01/23/2011

I was reading in my local Newspaper this morning that Massachusetts- with its high taxes and 'socialized' medicine is leading the nation out of the recession.

For a good bit of the last year, Boston was adding jobs faster than any metro area in the nation other than Dallas and Washington, D.C.

That's right, the biggest city in our normally slow-growing region, in a state nicknamed "Taxachusetts," had stronger growth than almost all those Sun Belt cities that North-easterners envy.

It seems funny that these Tea Baggers screaming about deficits and 'socialized medicine' know little and are in fact horribly misinformed, They are basically radical extremists with NO ideas for the future.

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-massachusetts-magnet-20110117,0,2910207.story

[LoCoVrod]

09:52 AM on 01/23/2011

And, on a clear day the sky is blue.
Unless a (D) talks about the beautiful blue sky.
Then, the baggers will scream and howl that the color is NOT blue, but red and the bad old (D) somehow put a color filter up to change what we see.
They are not in control of their own faculties and think we will let them control ours.
Insanity does that to them.