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Kaiser Health News (used to be Kaiser Network ) is a reputable and objective information source on health care reform > > Fact-Checkers: Health Care Myths Range From Untrue To Open Questions > Aug 12, 2009 > > Business is good for fact-checkers. Various news organizations as well as > FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.org, have weeded through the rhetoric on both > sides of the health reform debate. > > CBS News asked Brooks Jackson, FactCheck.org's director, and Wall Street > Journal reporter Alicia Mundy to address six top health care myths: (1) > Does the bill encourage euthanasia? No. (2) Will health services be > rationed? Not really, and besides, it happens already. (3) Will reform be > "deficit neutral?" Probably not. (4) Will reform mean the government could > pay for abortions? Possibly, the bills are neutral on the issue. (5) Will > there be Medicare cuts? Democrats want to cut expenses, but not services. > (6) Will people be able to keep their current insurance? You can keep your > plan, but reform may mean your plan changes over time (Levi, 8/11). > > NPR's All Things Considered spoke with PolitiFact staff writer Robert > Farley yesterday about the topic of whether reforms would mean new > government subsidies could pay for private insurance plans that cover > abortion. None of the reform bills "even mentioned the word abortion until > this latest version took on this issue last week," Farley said, referring > to an amendment introduced by Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif. The amendment > would segregate "the money that would be used to cover abortions. It would > specifically prohibit federal dollars from being used to subsidize > abortions. Any of that money that would be used for abortion coverage > would have to be paid through the premiums paid by an insured person" > (Block, 8/11). > > PolitiFact.org and FactCheck.org made a joint appearance in a memo by > Reps. George Miller, D-Calif., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. The memo > summarizes much of the research by the two fact-checkers, as well as the > findings of some media organizations and progressive blogs. McClatchy > notes that both fact-checkers are "widely respected for objective > fact-checking on topics of political controversy." The news service ran > Van Hollen and Miller's entire memo, with a brief introduction, under the > headline, "Headed to a health care 'town brawl?' Read this first." > > http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/August/12/Fact-Checks.aspx > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn