The White House has set up a website called The Health Insurance Reform Reality Check to debunk the main attacks against their proposals. I'm glad they're doing this but just as some people will never be convinced the world is round, some will never believe that the new plan won't involve putting old folks to death when their medicine starts costing too much.
A question for those who read this website: Have you seen — and if so, can you direct me to — an article that lays out a real case against the current reform proposals? I can't believe there aren't genuine, valid arguments against them but all the talking points we seem to get fall into one of three categories…
- You take something rotten that health insurance companies do all the time like denying coverage. You make like that never happens but would constantly if the government got into the health care business, even though the government would have little or no incentive to do that thing, whereas for-profit companies have plenty.
- You pretend that the government isn't already in the health care business…and quite successfully, at that. Has anyone ever seriously proposed turning the V.A. over to Aetna to run? I mean, besides maybe Aetna and those they pay to say such things. And has anyone checked to see how many Senators who oppose government-run health care are turning it down and buying Blue Shield policies for themselves and their loved ones?
- You just plain lie about what's in the proposal. It's so long that no one's going to read it. So if you say, "Under this plan, if you get sick the government has the right to kill your housepets," no one's going to utterly disprove it. At best, some in the media will pit a talking head who says it's in there against one who says it's not and then act like it's all an open question.
Seriously: Can anyone point to an article against the current proposals that doesn't play those games? I'd certainly be open to the argument that this particular Health Care Reform package is flawed in its design and details but no one seems to be making it. Instead, it's all about "death panels" and arranging for Granny to take the permanent dirt nap before she's ready for it.