PolitiFact: The top 16 myths about Obamacare

Ok so I was responding to an another thread and one of my source materials ended up being this link and I upon reading it I learned that there are many things that are repeated here on ATS about Obamacare that are just flat out lies or made up partisan nonsense (so lies). I figured that this should be posted to dispel some of these myths. Now don't get me wrong, a quick search of my post history will show that I am no fan of Obamacare, but I also do not condone misrepresenting the facts to get your way (ends justify the means). Below is the link to the article and a few of the more major "facts" I've seen circulating around here.

PolitiFact: The top 16 myths about Obamacare

The health care law has "death panels."

Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor, Aug. 7, 2009, in a message posted on Facebook

Back in 2009, it was a popular talking point to claim that the health care law had "death panels" to determine if individuals are worthy of receiving health care coverage. The claim was widely debunked and named PolitiFact's Lie of the Year.

Sorry no death panels. Lawmakers are going to have amend Obamacare to put them in (this sentence is for the inevitable rebuttal that just because they aren't there now they won't be there in the future)

Because of Obamacare, health care premiums have "gone up slower than any time in the last 50 years."

President Barack Obama, Oct. 3, 2012, in a presidential debate

The historical data for health care premiums only goes back 14 years; there's no evidence to support the idea that premiums are at a 50-year low. Overall health care costs have slowed down, but even there, Obama exaggerated the impact of his health care law. Experts say slowing costs are due to a variety of reasons, including the recent recession. Giving all the credit to the new law overstates the case. We rated the statement False.

I put this one in to show that there are lies from both sides of the aisle. We all know that now that Obamacare is live, premiums are going up now anyways. Just wanted to be clear that I am not trying to make this a partisan thread.

Congress is exempt from Obamacare.

Chain email, Jan. 6, 2013

Even a few sitting lawmakers have repeated this claim, but it's not true. Congress is not exempt from Obamacare. Like everyone else, lawmakers are required to have health insurance. They're also required to buy insurance through the marketplaces.

This one has been getting on my nerves ever since I first heard how it was a lie. Even Congressional members are repeating this as truth (like the quoted text says).

"All non-U.S. citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free health care services."

Chain email, July 28, 2009

The law does not provide free health care to anyone, and especially not to people in the United States illegally. Illegal immigrants cannot enroll in Medicaid; nor are they eligible to shop in the marketplace for health insurance. Permanent legal residents are eligible for health insurance subsidies in the marketplace, as are U.S. citizens. Current law says that hospital emergency rooms must stabilize illegal immigrants with medical emergencies, but that law predates Obamacare. We rated this claim Pants on Fire.

I've seen some of our more notorious members repeat this "truth" a few times. Of course now that the Government shutdown is over, Obama is trying to legalize 30 million illegals. So this could end up being true through a roundabout way.

"Obamacare is … the largest tax increase in the history of the world."

Rush Limbaugh, June 28, 2012, on his radio show

The radio host and others have claimed that the health care law includes historically high tax increases. While there are new taxes in the health care law — representing the first significant federal tax increases since 1993 — they are not the largest increases in the history of the United States, much less the world.

Interesting. I gotta say I believed this one until this article. Anyone care to crunch the numbers to verify the veracity of this?

An Obamacare provision will allow "forced home inspections" by government agents.

Bloggers, Aug. 15, 2013

State lawmakers in South Carolina got this one going by saying they were concerned that the health care law allowed forced home inspections. People can relax, though: There are no forced home inspections.

Ok this is the one that caused me to post this article to begin with. This lie is getting old and needs to stop circulating.

As you can see there are lies from both sides of the aisle and both sides are responsible for misrepresenting the facts. So fellow ATSers please do some more fact checking before spewing some random thing you read off of some partisan blog. Deny ignorance, it's more than just the site motto.

What? No one cares about learning the truth about Obamacare and just want to keep spewing the lies and slander?

Krazysh0t
What? No one cares about learning the truth about Obamacare and just want to keep spewing the lies and slander?

It goes beyond political leanings, partisanship, ideology, etc.

It is a manner of thinking where upon the truth and facts take a back-seat to feelings.

Reality is subjugated to emotion.

What first drew me to ATS was the "Deny Ignorance" motto...Where claims could be tested and only the truth would survive...now I see that motto as a sad irony.

It always seems sad to me that real people would so willingly sacrifice their own integrity when asked to by their ideological leaders.

When all else fails...remove the referee...In the beginning the news outlets became the "Liberal left Wing Media"...and those outlets were defined as anyone that called BS.

Then the "fact-checkers"...

Then it moved on to science, math, statistics et al.

I think AHC is a big distraction, and what isn't a myth is that is a big gimme to the private health insurrance corporations. I knew that both sides were skewing information about it from the getgo, especially with the death pannels. They don't need that. They'll just do what they've done with medicare all along, and that's if doctors and providers decide its not worth it to keep spending money to save your life, they'll send you to hospice. It wouldn't be much different (at least in principle) with completely private healthcare either. If you run out of money, you die in that case. Its all about the economics of keeping someone alive.

All the while, while people are complaining about real and imaginary problems in the AHC act, they completely look the other way at congress, senate, and president (both parties) being in complete lockstep over expanding the surveillence state with the NDAA, CISPA, superjudicial drone strike kill lists, allowing somestic use of drones, etc. If the media focused on the latter, rather than Obamacare, they couldn't divide the public against itself on partisan lines, because people would realize how screwed up both parties are and wouldn't side with teams.

reply to post by Indigo5


Personally, I'm at the point where if Obamacare is as bad as everyone is saying, then I want to see it fail on its own merits. Not make up some random nonsense and pass it off as fact. That is just the ends justifying the means and is never an acceptable excuse for anyone's actions.

I'm sure you are aware that I am no supporter of Obamacare as we've gone back and forth a few times in other threads about this bill. Yet, I don't like fighting my arguments with known falsehoods and don't like to see people on my side of the argument doing that either, it just creates unnecessary confusion. Of course I did post one lie in there perpetuated by Obama, so this is clearly not just a right wing issue.

I, as a member of the federal government's workforce, have spent way too much time trying to explain the fact that Congress was not exempt from the ACA, even going as far as to provide information received from our own internal sources, to no avail.

Those who believe that Congress is exempt have no interest in reading anything which contradicts those views, no matter how legitimate. In January, when Congress and their staffers are all on plans through the healthcare exchanges, I will be vindicated!!!!!!!!!!!

And I agree, there is plenty of legitimate issues to debate and discuss with the PPACA without the repetitive lies that are spread about it.

I also have decided that Congressional Republicans are scared to hell that this thing will actually work. Otherwise, why not let it go into effect and fail? That has to be an easy vote getter, to campaign on the failure of the ACA? Instead we have them all fighting their damnedest to keep it from even getting off the ground. Me think they doth protest too much...

Krazysh0t
I don't like fighting my arguments with known falsehoods and don't like to see people on my side of the argument doing that either, it just creates unnecessary confusion. Of course I did post one lie in there perpetuated by Obama, so this is clearly not just a right wing issue.

No...it is not "just a right-wing issue"...but by a HUGE margin it happens on the Right more than the left....Obama might dishonestly spin some number and the right retorts that folks are going to be micro-chipped and lined up in front of death panels. Just saying...false equivalence is a method of dishonesty also.

Obamacare...and for that matter the entire Obama Administration...has it's warts, and it is doubly frustrating that the tonnage of BS coming out of the Right-Wing discredits legitimate criticism and those that want to take the Administration to account on the facts.

Hell...I spend my time here combatting outright lies, when I'd rather be debating and even supporting some of the Obama critics.

But when that criticism begins with...He was born in Kenya!! Microchips!! Death Panels!! I am obligated to fight for the facts first, before we can move on to legitimate debate.

And I agree, there is plenty of legitimate issues to debate and discuss with the PPACA without the repetitive lies that are spread about it.

That's how I feel about Obama in general. There's a lot of real issues to discuss about his policies, but there's too many racists that make up fake problems about him (you know, him being a muslim, Al Qaeda terrorist from Kenya) that cloud real discussion. If the real issues were discussed, it would indite Republicans as well. Politics is like religion, in that people will follow the doctrine of their ideological leaders as gospel and view the world whole heartedly through a narrow set of blinders.

reply to post by JNathanK


Well said. I've been saying since I jumped into reading the Political Madness Forum that Republicans and Democrats are two heads of the same monster. To say that one is being dishonest while defending the other is beyond stupid. Just because the Democrats are in the spotlight and it is easy to call them out for their mishaps, doesn't excuse the Republicans from their own mishaps. To be truly unbiased, one must look at their own party as objectively as the opposite one. The problem is with the hardcore divisiveness going on in the country right now. It is making it hard to stay objective and unaffiliated. You start calling out one side and before you know it, you are excusing the other side's problems or overlooking them. The name calling isn't helping either. When a Democrat calls someone who doesn't support Obama a terrorist, it pretty much cements that person's position against the Democrat. When a Republican calls someone who does support Obama a shill or fascist, it doesn't make them want to change their opinion, but rather argue against you even more.

People need to dislodge themselves from a set party. Neither party has your best interests at heart and neither of them is 100% correct for the majority of the American population. They both do the same nonsense when they are in charge and when they aren't. They both make problems worse with their solutions as well since they need to placate their political backers. If Americans would truly wake up and smell the cow feces that the government is shoveling, I'm sure there would be FAR more independents than there are now.

Wonder if people will get upset when they are required to show their health card to vote?? It's going to be funny

Obamacare...and for that matter the entire Obama Administration...has it's warts, and it is doubly frustrating that the tonnage of BS coming out of the Right-Wing discredits legitimate criticism and those that want to take the Administration to account on the facts.

The Republicans act like there was no clear reason why Obama won two terms, but people voted for him, because he promised "change", and most of the country was sick of Bush for the war on terror and hoped to go into a different direction from trying to subdue the whole middle east under US millitary control. For die hard Republicans they have amnesia from the 8 years of Bush, now view their selves as the underdog, and want the Republicans in office again to right all the insanity of Obama (when in fact people voted for Obama to begin with because they were sick of the Republicans). If honest criticism was the highest priority in public discourse, people would come to the conclusion that both parties are bad and that we need to create a new multi-party system. this whole false, Republican-Democrat duality is just insanity that keeps repeating itself, and continuing to believe in it will only run us into the ground of a domestic, corporate millitary dictatorship, which is ultimately the real agenda of the same corporations and families that have their hands in both puppet parties.

I do think they do use the two parties to gauge where the public is at, and that may be the only value in voting. I voted for Obama a second time, because Paul Rayan's objectivism and devotion to Ayn Rand's radical individualism freaked me out, but I don't really have a lot of emotion invested in my choice. I didn't want to let the masters know my heart was, in some way, aligned with the ideals of a godless whore who simultaneously looked down on handicapped people and believed in euthanasia. ...not a good combination.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


Here's the only god-damned fact that I care about.

I'm being forced to purchase health insurance.

reply to post by beezzer


But see that is a legitimate concern that is worth complaining about and debating about. I don't want to be forced to buy health insurance either, especially since I cannot afford the insurance that I qualify for (I checked).

usernameconspiracy
I, as a member of the federal government's workforce, have spent way too much time trying to explain the fact that Congress was not exempt from the ACA, even going as far as to provide information received from our own internal sources, to no avail.

Those who believe that Congress is exempt have no interest in reading anything which contradicts those views, no matter how legitimate. In January, when Congress and their staffers are all on plans through the healthcare exchanges, I will be vindicated!!!!!!!!!!!

And I agree, there is plenty of legitimate issues to debate and discuss with the PPACA without the repetitive lies that are spread about it.

I also have decided that Congressional Republicans are scared to hell that this thing will actually work. Otherwise, why not let it go into effect and fail? That has to be an easy vote getter, to campaign on the failure of the ACA? Instead we have them all fighting their damnedest to keep it from even getting off the ground. Me think they doth protest too much...

edit on 23-10-2013 by usernameconspiracy because: (no reason given)

So congress is on Obamacare? Could have [snip] fooled me.

From now on when someone uses semantics or technicalities to ignore the valuable arguments of someone else I should just call them what they are

GARBAGE

beezzer
reply to post by Krazysh0t

 

Here's the only god-damned fact that I care about.

I'm being forced to purchase health insurance.

Do you have a car?.........

JNathanK

And I agree, there is plenty of legitimate issues to debate and discuss with the PPACA without the repetitive lies that are spread about it.

That's how I feel about Obama in general. There's a lot of real issues to discuss about his policies, but there's too many racists that make up fake problems about him (you know, him being a muslim, Al Qaeda terrorist from Kenya) that cloud real discussion. If the real issues were discussed, it would indite Republicans as well. Politics is like religion, in that people will follow the doctrine of their ideological leaders as gospel and view the world whole heartedly through a narrow set of blinders.

Did Obama support Muslim terrorists in Libya, Egypt and Syria?

Yes or no?

yorkshirelad

beezzer
reply to post by Krazysh0t

 

Here's the only god-damned fact that I care about.

I'm being forced to purchase health insurance.

Do you have a car?.........

Since when do you HAVE to buy a car?

Question: Is Obamacare a TAX? Yes or no

reply to post by FreeMason


Yep. Starting Jan 1, 2014.

Krazysh0t
Ok so I was responding to an another thread and one of my source materials ended up being this link and I upon reading it I learned that there are many things that are repeated here on ATS about Obamacare that are just flat out lies or made up partisan nonsense (so lies). I figured that this should be posted to dispel some of these myths. Now don't get me wrong, a quick search of my post history will show that I am no fan of Obamacare, but I also do not condone misrepresenting the facts to get your way (ends justify the means). Below is the link to the article and a few of the more major "facts" I've seen circulating around here.

Good for you. I just wish everyone on ATS had your attitude. It's bad enough having to unpick lies by those outside of ATS!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I think Obamacare is a halfway house to a civilised modern healthcare system......you know like the ones every western economy EXCEPT the US has ! But they are far too "socialist" for comfort for the US religious right.....

reply to post by Krazysh0t


Good thread, and it educated me on a few things. America's GOP, imnho, know that OCare will be a huge success, and they are trying to muddy it up as much as possible so the mud sticks into the 2014 elections. I think that it will be happily accepted by the U.S. long before then, when the facts take shape and emerge, and November 2014 is too far away for the mud to cling.