In Health Care Push, Biden Asks Americans: 'Bust This Myth'

First published at WashingtonTimes.com

Vice President Joe Biden starts the week with a renewed health care push, asking supporters to join the White House in its efforts to debunk rumors and imploring Americans to send in their personal stories to showcase the need for reform.

"The biggest myth of all is that our health insurance system is just fine, that there's no serious need for reform," Biden says in this two-minute Web video, linked at WhiteHouse.gov.

The vice president asked people to upload their own videos and "tell the defenders of the status quo why health reform is important to you."

Some of the videos will be featured at WhiteHouse.gov, Biden said.

 

White House health care czar Nancy-Ann DeParle told people signed up for presidential emails they can take a quiz to find out what health care will mean for their families.

"Help the Vice President debunk this myth," was the subject line of the message.

She wrote:

Our latest Reality Check video features Vice President Joe Biden addressing the biggest whopper of all: that our health insurance system works just fine and Americans don’t care about reform. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

So we’re trying something new. You can help the Vice President debunk this myth by uploading your own video on why reform matters to you. This is an opportunity for Americans of all backgrounds and situations to make the case for reform in your own words. 

Watch the Vice President’s video and then respond with your own. 

Need some help? We also have a new online quiz to help set the record straight about health insurance reform. Find out what’s in reform for somebody like you by answering a few questions. 

What does reform mean if you already have insurance? What if you don’t? What does it mean if you’re young? If you’re a senior? If you have children? 

Take the quiz and then share it — simple tools like this are a great way to cut through the noise and get the facts about reform: www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/quiz 

Thank you, 

Nancy-Ann DeParle 

Director, White House Office of Health Reform 

P.S. No matter your age, where you work, whether you have insurance or not, you’ll be surprised at how much you’ll get out of health insurance reform. But don’t just take my word for it — take the quiz:www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/quiz 

 

I took the quiz and here's what the White House tells me:

Here's What You Will Get Out of Health Insurance Reform

1. Reform will bring down costs generally and make insurance more affordable and accessible, ensuring more choices for quality coverage

2. Reform will allow you to keep the coverage you have if you want to

3. Reform will streamline and simplify paperwork and cut the bureaucracy for you and your doctor

4. Reform will be accompanied by an agreement to end the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D, dramatically reducing both the costs and anxieties associated with purchasing prescription drugs

5. Reform will end discrimination based on gender - a healthy 22 year old female can be charged premiums 150% higher than a healthy 22 year old male under the status quo

6. Reform will ensure you always have choices of quality, affordable health insurance no matter how often you move or change jobs

7. Reform puts a cap on what insurance companies can force you to pay in out of pocket expenses, co-pays and deductibles

8. Reform will prevent insurance companies from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive

In case voters are worried about the president collecting personal info through the Web site, the Web team notes on the quiz: "The White House will not retain or store any of the information volunteered through this quiz."

 

— Christina Bellantoni, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

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Comments

[Dem02020]

I'm under the impression that the majority of Americans who want Public Health Insurance are already doing and have done the only things private citizens can do.

They've informed themselves, they're talking about it, they're complaining even, they're contributing to politically active groups who apply pressure in this issue, and they've even taken to the streets of late...

But most of all, they voted, and put Democrats in a majority of both Chambers of Congress, and made Mr. Obama their President and Mr. Biden their Vice President.

That's a lot, that took great effort to do all that, it was a lot of hard work and expense and time too.

All of the work that remains, is for those people who are the only people who actually have the power to design enact and administer a Public Health Insurance plan, to do so: our Congress and our President and the Vice President too (especially as President of the U.S. Senate, who may take the Chair in that body, and dictate its proceedings any time he wishes... true).

Regular folks have done all they can do, the work that remains is for our elected representatives in government to do the rest... only they can do what remains to be done.

[LizM]

"...and dictate its proceedings any time he wishes..."

Not true, actually. And, there is more to democracy than just voting and hoping for the best. Regular folks, in other words, are not off the hook, as you suggest.

[myke3000]

Great ideas to get information out there and put human faces on the issue.

Also in the "bust this myth" sprit...check out Wendell Potter on Bill Moyers telling the truth about his days as a Corporate Communications head for CIGNA. It was his JOB to disparage Sicko upon it's release to minimize the effect the movie would have on the profits of the health insurance industry - because (he said) what the film portrays is absolutely true.

Here's a link to this interview and a host of other episodes that involve FACTUAL, sensible shows that address the real reasons why we need healthcare reform - Check out Aug 28th, Aug 21st, and July 31st in particular:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/archives/archives.php

Here's a link to where you can watch Sicko online for free - share it with your friends/family:
http://www.documentary24.com/sicko-a-michael-moore-documentary--197/

Don't forget to March on Sept. 13th!! Check out barackobama.com ...Please pass it on!