Last week, ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson" made the case for socialized medicine when it suggested the VA hospital system is a successful example of government-run medicine.
This time the December 20 "World News" played on the emotions of one of its core audiences - senior citizens.
"Millions of older Americans are facing an important decision right now," anchor Charles Gibson said. "And some hard sell insurance agents see them as easy targets. Every December, seniors choose between Medicare or any of dozens of private plans that compete with the government. This year, almost 9 million opted for the private plans. And as ABC's David Muir reports, some now have serious regrets."
"World News" used one piece of anecdotal evidence where private insurance allegedly didn't work. A 76-year-old man from Chickasha, Okla., named Bobby Box ran up a $45,000 in medical bills but didn't realize his Medicare Advantage plan didn't cover some expenses when he signed up for it. Box told "World News" he was tricked.
"He had Medicare but says an insurance agent told him he could do better and enrolled him in a private plan, a so-called Medicare Advantage Plan," Muir said. "Hundreds of companies now sell these plans to seniors, and sometimes these plans can work to their advantage. But the problem is in many cases, seniors are pushed to sign up, not realizing what they're getting, or as Bobby learned, what they're not getting."
But, at the end of the story it was revealed the plan had indeed covered his needs.
The story had no voice from private insurance providers, but did offer comment from Robert Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center - a non-profit organization that advocates expanding the role of Medicare and calls for more regulation in the Medicare private health plan marketplace.
"There are millions of people who are being tricked," Hayes said.
As for the other side, the only offering was a small comment from Muir.
"The insurance industry says it's cracking down on bad agents who give these plans a bad name," Muir said. "As for Bobby, he fought for months and got that hospital bill paid. He's now back on Medicare, where he believes he should have stayed in the first place."
This is the latest round of ABC favoring government health care over private options. On December 10-12, "World News" ran a three-part series about socialized medicine and even suggested the VA Hospital system was evidence government-ran health care works.




















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I watched that story last night
December 21, 2007 - 15:20 ET by c5thenThe issue was that the new plan had limits on which hospitals and which doctors "Bobby" could use and he never "realized" that. Of course ABC made it sound like all private insurance plans are run by sheisters.
Typical dishonest reporting from the MSM.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
Jeff. Hard sell is coming from the left on socialized medicine
December 21, 2007 - 15:22 ET by Gary HallJeff. Hard sell is coming from the left on socialized medicine.
Recent personal conversation is typical. Chatting with an old (82ish) family friend. Hates Bush - any Republican. She started with:
----
Second story - Even my mom, deep down in the heart of Texas, who loves George Bush, got so twisted over the past few years from the MSM. One day, he's taking her social security away from her, and the next he is trying to take her Medicare and Rx away from her. Mom just does not understand why this fine man hates old people so much.
The hard sell; the disengenous, and pathetic hard sell is coming from the MSM.
Gary,
December 21, 2007 - 15:33 ET by BlondeSpot on, as usual.
I've tried and tried to point out to my own mom how liberal the dinosaur media is....but the oldsters are just in love with it....and they believe it, unfortunately.
The MsM is herding the elderly into Hillary's camp over this issue. Bet on it.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
Blonde
December 21, 2007 - 15:55 ET by Gary Hall..it's that Walter Cronkite drug still in their system. (;~.
Blonde (& Gary)
December 21, 2007 - 16:08 ET by MrShyB, are you sure we don't share the same mother? (Maybe I have a long, lost sister after all :p)
"Good night, and good (-'ole liberal) news."
- Wally C(B)ronkitis
We bid a fond farewell to Professor Talking Points & Cheetos
Shy, Between this thread
December 21, 2007 - 16:16 ET by BlondeShy, Between this thread and the one on recession, it's very apparent that all of our mom's are exactly the same...in love with and believing the MsM.
It's very sad....and there's absolutely no convincing them otherwise.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
Shy between this thread
December 21, 2007 - 19:23 ET by merlin61I am 70 years old. I am female. I am a mom.
I don't believe a thing the MSM says. I have
Medicare and private insurance. I do not want
socialized medicine. The cost of Medicare has
gone up,up, up and the Medicare Drug plan is
going up, up, up faster than the privat insurance
Blonde: Are you talking
December 21, 2007 - 23:03 ET by stratmanBlonde:
Are you talking about my momma? ;-)
Mom was born when Calvin Coolidge was president and grew up an FDR child in the Depression and WWII. She reuses tin foil, jelly jars and cool whip containers. She moved out on her own at the age of fifteen and did honest work ever since. She still does manual labor nearly every day of the year - cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc. She still has a catering business, though her customers seem to be moving into nursing homes or dying in recent years. The woman could make dirt taste good. Fortunately, she never had too.
Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.
An interesting
December 21, 2007 - 15:53 ET by Gary HallAn interesting statement:
The reality is, that if Medciare worked - if Medicare provided good comprehensive coverage for seniors, then private health plans would have never been needed. So the guy could be allowed a point, if he wishes to argue from the left on a call for Medicare to be fixed, however the entire presentation is out of wack - It's Medicare that's the problem.
Did they happen to show any
December 21, 2007 - 17:00 ET by motherbeltDid they happen to show any anecdotal evidence where the private insurance worked out great? Or an instance where Medicare denied treatment or refused to pay for a test?
Of course not. Why confuse the issue with opposing viewpoints?
I think that
December 21, 2007 - 18:14 ET by ziplinedownNine million plans should be evidence against the medicare system, but somehow it is twisted around?
The whole aim of practical
December 21, 2007 - 18:43 ET by rbosqueThe whole aim
of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed -- and thus clamorous to
be led to safety -- by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of
them imaginary -- H.L. Mencken