Under the Microscope

FACT CHECK: Sorting Fact From Fiction in the Health Reform Debate

Opponents of health care reform, including Republicans and right-wing groups, are using the politics of fear and spreading inaccuracies to bring down the opportunity of a generation to improve health care in this country.  Below are two web sites to help sort fact from fiction: one created by the White House and the other a 2009 Pulitzer Prize winning site. 

Health Insurance Reform Reality Check [The White House]

PolitiFact.com [St. Petersburg Times]

Health Care Headlines

• White House Offers ‘Reality Check’ on Health Care Critics 
  The White House on Monday rolled out a new Web site designed to rebut charges leveled by opponents of President Barack Obama’s health care proposals. [Roll Call, 8/10/2009]
  
  
• House Dems Set Up Healthcare ‘War Room’ 
  House Democratic leaders have set up a healthcare “war room” to help their rank-and-file members navigate a tumultuous August in which they find themselves on the defensive on their signature issue. [The Hill, 8/10/2009]
   
• AARP Launches Multimillion-Dollar Ad Campaign AARP, the senior citizens’ lobbying group, this week is launching a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz aimed at calming fears and dispelling what it calls “myths” about health care reform that are giving its members jitters. [Roll Call, 8/10/2009]
  
  
• Obama Political Arm Urges Supporters to Visit Cong. Offices
  Organizing for America, President Obama's political organization, is urging supporters to visit the district offices of their local member of Congress to urge support for healthcare reform -- another move by Democrats to counter the loud opposition being voiced by conservatives at town halls. [Politico, 8/9/2009]
  
  
• A Primer on the Details of Health Care Reform
  With the debate over the future of health care now shifted from Capitol Hill to town halls, supporters and critics of the Democrats’ legislative proposals are polishing their sound bites and sharpening their attack lines. [New York Times, 8/9/2009]
  
  
• Obama Looks to Regain Momentum Over Recess
  President Barack Obama will use the August recess to aggressively challenge critics of his health care plans, hoping to use his bully pulpit to shift momentum on the issue his way. [Roll Call, 8/10/2009]
  
  
• Expanding Preventive Care May Add to Costs, CBO Says 
  Expanding preventive medical services may well improve public health, but it is highly unlikely to save the government money, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday.
  [Washington Post, 8/8/2009]
  
  
• Louise’s Second Act 
  Louise Caire Clark is making a karmic comeback. Fifteen years after she starred in the infamous Harry and Louise ads, she and Harry are back, angling for a shot at redemption, with a new ad campaign, “Get the Job Done,” in support of the Obama plan. [New York Times, 8/9/2009]
  
  
• EDITORIAL: The Massachusetts Model 
  Massachusetts’s experiment in near universal health care coverage has become a favorite whipping boy for opponents of health care reform. [New York Times, 8/8/2009]
  
  
• OPINION: ‘Un-American' Attacks Can't Derail Health Care Debate  
  By Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) & House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD)
  The failure of past attempts is a reminder that health insurance reform is a defining moment in our nation's history — it is well worth the time it takes to get it right. [USA Today, 8/10/2009]
  
  
• OPINION: Health Care Hullabaloo 
  by Charles M. Blow 
  One of the most frustrating aspects of the health care debate is that the people who most want reform are the most apathetic about it. [New York Times, 8/7/2009]