Who is Really Lying About Health Care?

INTRODUCTORY NOTE:  The alphabetized statements below come from Republican Party literature handed out at a health care rally in Nashville on August 13, 2009, prior to passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, commonly called the Affordable Care Act and "Obamacare".  Responses follow each statement. Due to the extensive overt lies contained in this literature, this article is longer than it should be, yet not long enough to even begin to fully expose them. 

A) REPUBLICANS SAY: “We need to reform health care because it costs too much.”

Republicans under Junior Bush passed a so-called Medicare “reform” bill highly favorable to pharmaceutical companies and the health care industry.  Legislation passed prohibits the federal government from negotiating discounts with drug companies, which would serve to greatly reduce the cost of medicine for seniors and all American taxpayers.  Other legislation first passed in 1987 under President Reagan, often ignored by American citizens desperate for affordable medications, prohibits Americans from purchasing far less expensive often exact same medicine from outside of our borders. 

This type of draconian legislation also makes purchasing drugs from foreign sources far less regulated and more dangerous than it otherwise would be.  Thus, any Republican cries today for health care 'reform' ring particularly hollow, reeking of partisan political charades and complete and total dishonesty.  It should be noted that what eventually became known as Obamacare was originally proposed by Republicans. 

Universal health care, rather than either Obamacare or our current broken piecemeal fiasco of a system, is a far, far, far better, far, far, far easier and far, far, far less expensive option for every American citizen. In particular, Americans who care about their own health and the health of their own children, which is greatly jeopardized when people within our borders lack necessary care to help minimize common communicable diseases. 

B) REPUBLICANS SAY: “Make health insurance portable so Americans can keep their coverage when they change jobs.” 

Making health care insurance portable does nothing to reduce dramatically rising health care costs, eliminate high deductibles and co-payments, help the uninsured or people with pre-existing conditions or, prevent insurers from refusing to cover the sickest among us.  As already noted, it would be very far less expensive, simpler and easier if we had universal health care, like every half-way sane nation on earth already has. 

The United States ranks 37th in quality of health care, while France, which insures all of her citizens for 2/3rds the cost, consistently ranks in the top three and usually number one in health care quality.  All other nations with universal health care pay less than France—every nation with universal health care pays far less than the United States for typically better care along with at or close to 100% coverage. 

It is quite literally insane for a modern nation to not have universal health care for everyone living within it's borders, if for no other reason than to prevent communicable diseases, which can lead to national and global pandemic disaster.  In particular in light of the 2014 Ebola crises, which should be a giant wake-up call to every American citizen. 

People who lack health care entirely or who have high deductibles, are far more likely to put off seeking medical treatment as symptoms arise. And, they are less likely to take time off work when sick, thus greatly increasing the danger of spreading this and other communicable diseases to everyone within our borders.  It should also be noted that while Republicans criticize President Obama's handling of the Ebola crises, it is the Republican-controlled House that has held up and otherwise refused to fund research for an Ebola vaccine, which both we in the United States and the rest of the world desperately needs. 

C) REPUBLICANS SAY: “Provide tax credits to make health care more affordable and accessible.” 

Doing this would solve none of the problems noted previously. Republicans in Congress under Junior Bush pushed to reduce federal funding for health care, including opposing helping uninsured children. This reeks of the worst kind of partisan political charades and complete and total dishonesty.  As always, universal health care is a far, far, far better, far, far, far easier and far, far, far less expensive option for every American citizen. 

D) REPUBLICANS SAY: President Obama and Democrats are conducting a dangerous 1.6 trillion dollar experiment with our health care.” 

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, Obamacare will cost the federal government less than 150 billion annually for the next ten years.  This does not consider the significant gain in lost productivity noted above or the fact that many thousands of American deaths from lack of health care will be prevented. Compare this to the 3 trillion plus dollars the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq initiated by Junior Bush cost American taxpayers, allegedly initiated because of the deaths of 3,000 American citizens, a number ten times less than the minimum estimated number of Americans who die annually from lack of health care. 

Or, compare the hundreds of billions of dollars Republicans continue to allocate for various planes and other war machines that even the Pentagon admits are totally unnecessary and quite frankly, an expensive training, storage and upkeep ongoing nuisance to the U.S. military.  Apparently, Republicans believe pretending to protect us from harmful dictators in foreign lands, who coincidentally, just happen to be sitting on significant stockpiles of oil, is more important than protecting American citizens against contagious diseases and death from lack of health care here at home.  It is estimated at least 30,000 Americans die from lack of health care every year. Tax cuts for the wealthy under Bush alone would cover the cost for Obamacare and, provide a home for every homeless veteran as well. 

Annual losses in national productivity, due to the spread of common contagious diseases preventable if everyone had access to health care, costs Americans trillions of dollars in lost productivity, as well as many days suffering through far from pleasant easily preventable common colds, flues and other communicable diseases, a cost far, far, far higher than it would cost to insure everyone living within our borders.  As always, universal health care is a far, far, far better, far, far, far easier and far, far, far less expensive option for every American citizen.

E) REPUBLICANS SAY: [Obamacare] “would raise taxes by 800 billion, mostly on small business.”

President Obama proposed raising taxes on personal net income over $250,000 annually to help pay for health care reform.  Republican opposition is a continuation of the ongoing "Joe the Plumber" lie as noted in the previous chapter above and, never dissected properly by the corporate-controlled mainstream media.  Almost no plumbers or owners of small independently-owned companies earn over 250K net income annually after deductions.  Also, businesses employing less than 50 people are not required to pay for health care under Obamacare.  As always, it would be very far less expensive, simpler and easier to have universal health care, like every half-way sane nation on earth already has. 

F) REPUBLICANS SAY: [Obamacare] “would create a national set of one-size-fits-all regulations, making health care more expensive for everyone.” 

This is not at all what Obamacare does but even if it did, it would serve to greatly reduce the cost for everyone, if the health care industry was forced to bid against the entire U.S. population base.  As always, universal health care is a far, far, far better, far, far, far easier and far, far, far less expensive option for every American citizen. 

G) REPUBLICANS SAY: [Obamacare] “would impose new regulations for existing plans that would make your employer drop your plan or make your current insurance carrier stop offering your plan.” 

Proposed regulations would actually have the opposite effect than what is pretended in this Republican propaganda.  They include requiring employers to insure employees or else, pay a penalty to offset the costs of a government option.  New regulations force insurers to accept all people, regardless of pre-existing conditions and, require them to cease dropping patients who are deemed "too expensive" for profit margins. It cannot be emphasized enough that it would be very far less expensive, simpler and easier for the United States to have universal health care. 

H) REPUBLICANS SAY: [Obamacare] “would create a government run insurance option that would unfairly drive out competitors to become a monopoly.” 

Since deregulation began under Ronald Reagan, major insurance corporations have essentially become a monopoly, unfairly driving out smaller competitors and, insurers who attempted to provide honest coverage.  Predominately supported by Republicans, deregulation initiated from President Reagan forward eliminated rules that once prevented the industry from refusing to pay for expensive treatments and, prevented once protected poor and elderly patients from being literally dumped out the backs of ambulances onto Skid Row, as was famously video taped and revealed on national television. 

Unlike Theodore Roosevelt and from President Reagan forward, Republicans have done everything in their power to encourage private business monopoly, while doing everything in their power to reduce anything worthwhile our government engages in domestically to help our citizens.  Such as, refusing to fund much needed public highway, electrical, sewer, dam and other necessary repair and construction, cutting back on funding for public education and in particular at higher levels, cutting back funding for police, fire, library, national parks and other necessities for a quality life of liberty and pursuit of happiness. As always, universal health care is a far, far, far better, far, far, far easier and far, far, far less expensive option for every American citizen. 

It is true the Democrats are grossly in error regarding health care, bowing to corporate pressure and pretending that we can expect to survive as a modern nation, while leaving insurance industry profits in the way of achieving quality affordable health care for us all.  The historical facts have over and over again demonstrated this to be a complete and total lie.  But, which party is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really lying about health care? 

You decide

Link to Footnotes and Documentation for this Article