Using a "clever" headline, LiveScience.com, in a report carried at Yahoo News, tries to give those who will only see the headline the impression that Americans are a bunch of dummies who don't understand what's good for them:
Majority of Americans Believe Health Care Reform 'Myths'
Yes, the word "myths" is in quotes, but the reader is left to assume that a credible outfit must be asserting what those "myths" are. But it's actually that less than credible outfit known as "the Obama White House," which claims that those who don't swallow their assertions are subscribing to "myths." The reality is that President Barack Obama and his apparatchiks continue to peddle a set of long-disproved assertions about the kind of health care plan he and the Democratic Congress intend to make law.
The good news is that the American people aren't buying most of what Obama et al are selling:
More than 50 percent of Americans believe a public insurance option will increase health care costs, according to a new survey on assertions the White House has called myths.
The national survey, conducted from Aug. 14 - 18, involved a random sample of 600 Americans aged 18 and older living in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. Respondents indicated whether or not they believed 19 claims about health care reform, each of which is considered a myth by the White House.
.... "It's perhaps not surprising that more Republicans believe these things than Democrats," said study scientist Dr. Aaron Carroll, director of Indiana University's Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research. "What is surprising is just how many Republicans - and Independents - believe them. If the White House hopes to convince the majority of Americans that they are misinformed about health care reform, there is much work to be done."
Mr. Carroll seems to inherently assume that "the majority of Americans that .... are misinformed."
Here are some of the findings noted by LiveScience, compared to their disposition in the real world:
- 67 percent of respondents believe that wait times for health care services, such as surgery, will increase (91 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of Democrats, 72 percent of Independents). Response: Virtually every other state-run health care system has seen waiting times increase when nationalization occurs. More recently, waiting times have increased in Massachusetts after the implementation of state-controlled Commonwealth Care, aka RomneyCare.
- About five out of 10 believe the federal government will become directly involved in making personal health care decisions (80 percent of Republicans, 25 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of Independents). Response: This has of course happened already in other countries, but is also a stated objective of the likes of Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who believes that doctors too often focus on patient well-being while ignoring how doing so affects others in society.
- Roughly six out of 10 Americans believe taxpayers will be required to pay for abortions (78 percent of Republicans, 30 percent of Democrats, 58 percent of Independents). Response: Even the Associated Press has conceded that abortion is in there.
- 46 percent believe reforms will result in health care coverage for all illegal immigrants (66 percent of Republicans, 29 percent of Democrats, 43 percent of Independents). Response: The current dubious estimate of roughly 47 million uninsured Americans includes 12-14 million illegals. Though the Congressional Budget Office says that though ObamaCare will fall well short of its stated intention, that stated intention is to indeed cover all who are uninsured, legal and illegal. Beyond that, there's little doubt that illegals would be covered through court action if anyone tried to resist covering them after ObamaCare's passage.
- 54 percent believe the public option will increase premiums for Americans with private health insurance (78 percent of Republicans, 28 percent of Democrats, 58 percent of Independents). Response: This has to happen, because the relatively rich benefits package the government would impose on any plans allowed to continue to exist exceeds the coverage many individuals and companies currently carry.
- Five out of 10 think cuts will be made to Medicare in order to cover more Americans (66 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of Democrats, 44 percent of Independents). Response: The Obama administration has already stated that it will cut Medicare spending but that it will somehow not cut benefits. Even putting aside how virtually impossible that is, a so-called CNN Truth Squad Fact Check tripped up on itself by admitting that the "subsidized" Medicare Advantage program would be cut.
As said in the title of this post, a headline written to inform instead of to deceive those who don't read the full article would have written up roughly as, "Majority Not Buying Obama Health Plan Myths."
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
