There is a lot of disinformation going around about the public option health care plan being proposed by President Obama. If you sincerely care about the health care crisis and understanding some of the more confusing points and accusations then I would hope and encourage you to read this lengthy very comprehensive yet easy to understand website. Learn all the information before making a decision. That's all I ask. Here are a few examples of the myths out there and the truth about them from the website. Some of them have a liMYTH:If the bill passes approximately 114 million Americans are expected to leave private health insurance. Why? Their employers will drop the insurance because the taxpayer-subsidized plan will be 30 to 40 percent cheaper.
TRUTH: Employers will not be able to offer the public option exclusively. They will instead be able to buy into an exchange where they can offer employees more than one option including the public option. This is what all Federal employees already have.
MYTH: It's too expensive for people to afford.
TRUTH: This proposal ensures that middle-class Americans will see no tax increases. Specifically under the proposal all families with adjusted gross incomes below $350000 and all individuals with adjusted gross incomes below $280000 will not see their taxes go up. [li
MYTH: Two out of three Americans who get their health care through their employer would lose it under the House Democrat plan.
TRUTH: The source of this information is the Lewin Group which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of United HealthCare an insurance company that obviously has a vested interest in suppressing a public option. Therefore their information is suspect. In addition the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that about 11 million people will end up enrolling in the public option.
MYTH: Under Obamacare there will be rationing of healthcare which we don't have now.
TRUTH: Healthcare is rationed now. Insurance companies determine what procedures they will cover and at what price. They deny payment on certain procedures which means thay patients either go without or they pay themselves. This is how rationing works in a capitalistic system. [Additional li
MYTH: We will have long wait times for healthcare services if we end up with a public option.
TRUTH: This doesn't even make sense. Are we suddenly going to have a shortage of doctors? Is everyone going to make a mad rush to the physician's office? This is usually tied to an anecdotal report from Canada. The reality is that wait times vary from area to area as well as from service to service in Canada but it's rarely as bad as reported.
MYTH: Millions of Americans will be FORCED to change insurance plans.
TRUTH: No one is going to be forced to do anything. It is called a Public OPTION. Keyword Option. No one will be forced to change insurance plans. The House bill sets forth specifics for the insurance exchange and includes the public option as one of those exchange plans. The specifications for the insurance exchanges are parallel to current industry standards. Minority Leader [Republican] Sen. Mitch McConnell knows this. His own office admitted that no one will be forced into any plan.
MYTH: Health Care Reform will hurt Small Business.
TRUTH: Most small businesses already provide health insurance to their employees so there will be no change there. In addition 96% of small businesses would see no tax increases because of this bill.
MYTH:Health Care reform will pressure the elderly to end their lives prematurely.
Or in another form: It will allow for legalized physician-assisted suicide.
TRUTH: The section of the bill this myth is referring to is SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION: It amends the Medicare Act to allow coverage for patients to receive counseling about end-of-life care options every five years if they so choose. Moreover prominent medical societies have supported such counseling. Here is an analysis of this portion of the bill:
Provides coverage for consultation between enrollees and practitioners to discuss orders for life-sustaining treatment. Instructs CMS to modify 'Medicare & You' handbook to incorporate information on end-of-life planning resources and to incorporate measures on advance care planning into the physician's quality reporting initiative.
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