THE LIE: The health care reform proposal "adds to our long
term deficit."
THE TRUTH: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office
reports that the compromise health care reform legislation
cuts the deficit by $138 billion over the next decade, and by
$1.2 trillion over the following ten years. [Congressional
Budget Office, 3/18/10]
THE LIE: "This bill will kill over 100,000 jobs in the
state of Illinois." [Fox News, 3/13/10]
THE TRUTH: Annenberg's FactCheck found that the health
reform bill is unlikely to have a significant effect on jobs
in either direction, while a Center for American Progress
analysis found that 17,755 jobs will be created in Illinois.
No other respected think tank, or the Congressional Budget
Office, or the Congressional Research Service has issued an
analysis of the state-by-state employment implications of
health care reform. [FactCheck.org, 11/17/09; Center for
American Progress, 1/8/2010]
THE LIE: Health care reform legislation would "cut Medicare
for seniors."
THE TRUTH: The AARP has endorsed the compromise reform
legislation because Medicare savings do not come from cutting
benefits, but from establishing new ways to pay doctors more
fairly and to reward providers for quality of care instead of
paying them a fee for each separate service, as we do now. The
bill also reduces billions of dollars in waste and fraud, and
cuts the amount of subsidies now paid to private health plans,
which cost an average of 14 percent more per person than
traditional Medicare does. [Center for American Progress, AARP
Bulletin, 8/14/09]
THE LIE: "Employers will face higher costs and taxes under
this bill." [Kirk press release, 3/22/10]
THE TRUTH: Small businesses will be eligible for tax
credits to help cover their health insurance premiums. [HealthReform.gov]
THE LIE: "Seniors get hit worst of all. The bill cuts
Medicare home health, hospital, drug, preventative services,
wheelchairs, hospice care and more."
THE TRUTH: The reform legislation
helps seniors and extends the long-term solvency of Medicare,
which is why it earned the endorsement of the AARP. Most
importantly, the bill will gradually close the Medicare donut
hole completely for seniors struggling with their prescription
drug costs. [AARP endorsement of Senate health care
legislation]
Millions seniors will receive free
preventive services, and will have their drug costs in the
Medicare Part D donut hole covered over time. [HealthReform.gov]
