Just the Facts, Mr. President

Politicians often rely on half-truths and blatant lies to sell their policy ideas. President Obama is no exception. After hearing his address to Congress regarding his health care plan, there are some half-truths and lies that need to be dispelled. Here is a list of them:

(1) President Obama will not sign a bill that "adds one dime to our deficit either now or in the future. Period." Verdict: Half-truth. First, there is no final version of the bill, just versions that are being kicked around and amended (probably as you're reading this). Second, the House Democrat's version would add $220 Billion to the deficit over 10 years as determined by the Congressional Budget Office (which is a non-partisan agency). Democrats say they don't have to claim $245 Billion dollars of the price tag because, and here's where it gets confusing, Democrats already decided to exempt the adjustment of the Medicare reimbursement rates from Congressional rules that require programs to be paid for. Simply put, they decided this doesn't have to be paid for because they decided it doesn't have to be paid for.

(2) President Obama has pledged not to cut Medicare benefits under his plan, but reduce Medicare payments by more than $500 Billion over 10 years. Verdict: Half-truth. The cuts proposed would disproportionately hit Medicare Advantage (which is operated through private insurance companies). Experts believe that a cut of this magnitude will reduce benefits for the 25 percent of Medicare users covered through Medicare Advantage. Supporters of Obama's plan counter that the cuts can be absorbed by improving how Medicare operates and would only reduce the waste, fraud, and abuse of the current system. Any overall affect is largely unknown.

(3) President Obama stated there are 30 Million people who cannot get coverage. Verdict: Close. Depending on which report you look at, the number of people who cannot get coverage varies. Previously, President Obama suggested there are 46 Million people who cannot get coverage, but this is probably an overestimate because it captures those young and healthy Americans who forgo getting health coverage to save money. The 30 Million individuals he used in his address come from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, whereas the 46 Million figure he previously used comes from census data. The 30 Million is the actual target of the program, because these are the individuals that cannot afford insurance because they are poor or near poor.

(4) President Obama argues that preventative medicine 'makes sense, saves money, and saves lives' (paraphrased). Verdict: Lie and a Truth. Not all preventative care saves money, but does save lives. Studies have proven that the specific types of tests mentioned during his speech (colonoscopies and mammograms) cost more money than they save. Detecting acute diseases like breast cancer in the early stages of the disease involve testing many people who would never develop the disease. The costs incurred for a large number of tests, even if they're cheap, outweigh the costs of caring for the minority of people who would have ended up with the diseases without testing. The Congressional Budget Office even agrees that "... for the most preventive services, expanded utilization leads to higher, not lower, medical spending overall". President Obama was right about saving lives, but was wrong about saving money.

(5) President Obama informed the people that changing jobs or starting your own business will not impede you from getting health coverage. Verdict: He phrased it wrong. In the President's speech, he endorsed mandatory health insurance coverage for all individuals (an approach he did not embrace as a candidate). Given his position, in his speech he should have stated, "If you lose your job or change your job, you will have to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will have to get coverage" (rather than using the words "will be able to get coverage" in his original speech).

(6) President Obama has stated that nothing in his plan will require us or our employer to change to coverage or the doctor we already have. Verdict: Correct at face value only. The current version does not guarantee that people can keep their current coverage. Employers elect sponsor coverage for most families, but under the current bill, employers would be free to change health plans in ways that employees may not like or decide to drop health insurance benefits altogether. The Congressional Budget Office analyzed the House Democrat's version and decided that by 2016 that some 3 Million people with employer-provided health care would lose coverage when employers drop health insurance in order to save money.

(7) And lastly, the comment that stole the show. President Obama stated that his reforms would not apply to unauthorized aliens, to which South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" from his seat. Verdict: You decide. The bill specifically prohibits federal money to be spent on non-citizens. However, illegal immigrants could buy private health insurance, as some do now, but won't receive any tax benefits. However, it has been argued that the system proposed under the bill does not have appropriate citizenship verification requirements in place to ensure illegal immigrants do not capitalize on the program.