Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Reality Check Answering Our Questions

You may remember from early August there was big brouhaha about a post on the White House blog by Macon Phillips directing readers to forward fishy emails to a now-disabled email address.

"[T]here is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send to..." [Phillips' blog post has been updated since its original posting August 5, 2009]
From this original posting, a new section on whitehouse.gov has been created called Health Insurance Reform Reality Check. This section includes a series of short videos featuring various White House experts designed to respond and dispel the "disinformation" and "rumors" about Obamacare. Below is one of the videos, but I encourage you to go to the website and check out the rest before you comment.



Question 1: Did this video answer your question about rationing?
Question 2: If you watched any of the other videos, did they answer your questions about Obamacare and/or Health Insurance Reform?

15 comments:

AndrewPrice said...

Ah yes, "trust me" -- the nastiest four letter word in the English language and the surest sign that someone knows they are lying.

And if by some strange chance she's not lying, then I'm glad she's not my doctor because her grasp on reality is tenuous at best.

Unknown said...

She looks a lot like a female version of the County Hospital doctor who almost killed me by prescribing the wrong medication. Or the other one who set my broken leg wrong, caused a real doctor to have to re-break it, and nearly caused me to lose my foot from putting the cast on too tight. They'll get paid minimum wage and we'll get minimum care.

I particularly liked Obama making fun of the woman who said she didn't want government health care because it would harm her Medicare. Well, let's make fun of the dummy (and avoid the truth). Of course she actually knew it's a government plan. She also knows that she has paid involuntarily into a plan her entire life which at best will give her ten or fifteen years of medical care.

And while we're giggling, let's forget about the part where Obama proposed taking $80 billion dollars from Medicare to pay for the medical care of people who have never paid a dime toward their own care.

And of course we can keep our private insurance--for the five or six months before the government plan makes it economically impossible for private insurance to compete. And forget that once they have been driven out of business, the government can stop the pretense and start rationing care. Competition across state lines for a large selection of plans with a national pool of customers to reduce costs and increase benefits would completely escape a dimwit like Obama. Sounds too much like capitalism. I'll pass, thank you very much Barack.

Writer X said...

Bev, I couldn't even watch the entire video. This women's condescending tone was an instant turn-off. I laughed when she said, "Trust me." Are these seriously the best videos they could produce? Very cheesey.

Truly, I feel like I'm listening to a car saleman who's trying to convince me to buy a car because of the cool drink holder but refusing to clearly answer my questions about what's underneath the hood. And I'm not expecting much better tomorrow night when the Prez speaks.

BevfromNYC said...

I wanted others to listen to them before I commented. So not just me then! She really is saying nothing more than "trust me" isn't she! All of the videos are like that. You know, I actually thought they were going to explain in detail. You know like "Here is the section in the bill and this misrepresentation", "this is what the section really means", "this is how it will be implemented", "this is how it will be paid for" - Maybe a pie chart or two! I really, really thought they would do that. Where's the stupid PowerPoint presentation??

I have a feeling that tomorrow night's speech is going to be more of the same. "Trust me, I'm Barack Obama! Have I ever steered you wrong before??"

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Not only is tomorrow night's speech going to be craptastic and boring, but I doubt too many people are going to watch.

As a wild guess, I think he'll be extremely lucky to draw 15 million people.

Sanmon said...

Trust Me I watched all the vid's. Look if Obama is serious tomorrow He will Lay out a 5 point plan like John Mackey did from Whole Foods. Otherwise he knows he will just cram down our throats this obscene HR3200. Or the cost effective Bacus plan.
WSJ:Sen. Max Baucus, D., Mont., released his health-care proposal that would cost less than $900 billion over 10 years.

Less than $900 billion. Do I at least get Fries with that?

Tennessee Jed said...

Bev - I'll specifically try and anser the questions you asked:

1) The video did answer questions about rationing by confirming there will be rationing. Why, she gleefully announces it already exists.

2) After watching Bam Bam disaassemble, I'd had enough. In 1996, Congress passed the health Insurance Portability Accountability Act. In conjunction with C.O.B.R.A., this act severely limits how insurance companies can limit coverage of pre-existing conditions and provides for an employee who leaves their employer to continue coverage up to 18? months to prevent lapse provisions to kick-in when the person enrolls in a new plan. Further, Group plans cannot discriminate coverage or cost. McCarron Ferguson leaves regulation to the individual states greatly increasing duplication of administrative expenses.

Tennessee Jed said...

More thoughts: Amtrack, Fannie & Freddie, Medicare, Post Office and the Department of Energy are all great examples of government failure to execute programs efficiently.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, you just put your finger on something that was bothering me! She was "gleeful" about the existence of rationing wasn't she? Well done.

P.S. You're right about those agencies. Think about all of the things that people have problems with. And in each instance, you have government regulation interfering with the creation of market dynamics.

Skinners 2 Cents said...

I must admit that I couldn't watch anymore than just one and that was a push.

I always feel like I should actually be in a trance when watching videos like this. I should just let the positive energy wash all over me and just believe; it all sounds so great, so simple, why haven't we been doing this all along.

It's actually kind of scary to watch as Jed pointed out someone that was way to happy about rationing to begin with. Perhaps she trying to restrain herself from laughing at the lack of an answer she was about to give. They've gotta be snickering behind the camera.

The best part of these is, yet again, the ability for this administration to make arguments and then use the examples that work in the opposite direction of the point they're trying to make. I'm still waiting for one example besides the military that this government does well.

Jed just brought out the list of examples this administration will be using to prove how efficient they are.

What's scary is that these incredibly stupid arguments must work on someone. They keep using them it's astoundingly funny and scary all at the same time.

Skinners 2 Cents said...

Come to think of it they are trying to brainwash the uneducated, I can't find any other reason for repeating such bad logic.

"If we just keep repeating the same BS with facts that point to governments inabilities, those incapable of logical thought will fall in line."

"Then we can have ACORN scoop them up to vote. Or just vote for them either way."

AndrewPrice said...

Skinner, unfortunately, one of the weaker aspects of human nature is that if something is repeated enough, people start to believe it -- whether it makes sense or not.

Not to mention that most people don't think about what they're told, they just take it in and store it as knowledge gained.

CrispyRice said...

OMG, I can't take this. I just can't take this anymore. Aaaarrrrghhh....

Thanks for the vids, Bev.

BevfromNYC said...

CrispyRice: I feel your pain! Oops sorry for that, but I am actually missing the Clintons!
To relieve some of my anxiety, I am going to Washington DC to shout at them at the National Teaparty on Saturday. Maybe that will help with my pent up rage...

Skinner: The tone for all of the videos that I listened to was pretty much the same - "You stupid fools, of course we are not going to do [fill in the blank]! How silly. Now go drink your koolaid" I say this again, I honestly thought they were going to make an effort to actually respond with facts! That is how one dispels "misinformation", isn't it? "Trust Me" is not a fact, but then we know that.

CrispyRice said...

Bev, I'm going to DC, too! I have a friend out there who keeps saying, "I don't think it's going to be that big - I haven't heard a thing in the local papers." Well duh! I think DC is in for a rude surprise on Saturday. :D

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