Obama's honesty on health care

http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2009/09/obamas-honesty-on-health-care.html

From Obama's speech was amazing. Obama claimed: "These are the facts.
Nobody disputes them."

Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by
those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best
example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show
hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of
bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge
would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a
lie, plain and simple. . . .

Of course, Obama has used this type of rhetoric about others lying
before (Aug. 19: ""there has been a lot of misinformation in this
debate, and there are some folks out there who are frankly bearing
false witness"). Here are just some of the discussions about rationing
in the legislation. It is also strange given that Obama has
incorrectly claimed that the private insurance system rations care.

As usual President Obama claims: "nothing in our plan requires you to
change what you have." He then gives the answer for why everything
will change:

What this plan will do is to make the insurance you have work
better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for
insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing
condition. . . . . We will place a limit on how much you can be
charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of
America, no one should go broke because they get sick. And insurance
companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine
checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies -
because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like
breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes
sense, it saves money, and it saves lives. . . .

Just take the first point and see how it is operationalized in the
Baucus plan. There is one sure way to eliminate insurance is in all
the Democratic health care plans -- prohibiting insurance companies
from charging moreto those with pre-existing conditions before they
bought insurance. There is a tax for those who don't buy insurance,
ranging from $750 for the poorest single people to as high as $3,800 a
year for families. Even without unlimited insurance benefits, the
average insurance cost today is much higher: in 2008, it was on
average $4,704 for individuals and $12,682 for families. But with no
penalty for having a pre-existing condition, people will pay the tax
and wait to buy insurance once they get sick. If people only buy
insurance once they are already sick, insurance premiums will soar
dramatically. In short order there will be no insurance.

And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up - under our plan,
no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal
conscience laws will remain in place. . . . .

Well, even Factcheck.org found problems with this claim:

The NRLC's Johnson said "the bill backed by the White House (H.R.
3200) explicitly authorizes the government plan to cover all elective
abortions." And our analysis shows that Johnson's statement is
correct. Though we of course take no position on whether the
legislation should allow or not allow coverage for abortions, the
House bill does just that.
The House leadership's bill (H.R. 3200) actually made no mention
of abortion when it was introduced. Johnson refers to an amendment to
the bill adopted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee July 30.
Abortion rights proponents characterize it as a compromise, but it
hasn't satisfied the anti-abortion side. Offered by Democratic Rep.
Lois Capps of California, the amendment was approved narrowly by the
committee, 30 - 28, with most but not all Democrats voting in favor
and no Republicans backing it. The Capps amendment states that some
abortions "shall" be covered by the "public option" plan, specifically
those types of abortions that Congress allows to be covered under
Medicaid, under the so-called "Hyde Amendment," which has been
attached regularly to appropriations bills for many years. These are
abortions performed in cases or rape or incest, or to save the life of
the mother.
As for other types of abortions, the Capps amendment leaves it to
the secretary of Health and Human Services to decide whether or not
they will be covered. It says, "Nothing in this Act shall be construed
as preventing the public health insurance option from providing"
abortion services that would not be legal for Medicaid coverage. Says
the NRLC's Johnson: "The Capps Amendment MANDATES that the public plan
cover any Medicaid-fundable abortions, and AUTHORIZES the secretary to
cover all other abortions. … [F]rom day one, she [Secretary Kathleen
Sebelius] is authorized to pay for them all. And, she will."

How about Obama's claim: "There are also those who claim that our
reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false -
the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here
illegally."

ABC News summarizes the Congressional Research Service:

Could the House bill expand emergency Medicaid laws as they
already exist, perhaps – perhaps -- expanding coverage for illegal
immigrants in keeping with current law?

According to CRS: Yes.