Whopper of the Week:
AARP lays out the myths and facts about health reform
Many of us have strong views on health care reform. Disturbingly, however, some of the strongest views seem to be based on myths.
America can’t strengthen its broken health system unless we can have a productive discussion about what’s wrong and what’s right with American health care. If the health-care debate is to be productive, it’s got to be based on accurate information.
To help us all move forward, AARP Florida’s “Whopper of the Week” details the latest myths about health reform and gives you the facts.
To share your thoughts on health reform, pro or con, please call 1-866-AARP-449. To learn more about the issue, please go to www.aarp.org/fl . To share your story of how our health system is affecting you, please go to www.healthactionnow.org .
Now for this week’s Whopper:
Myth! Health reform means a government “death panel” of bureaucrats will ration your health care based on your “productivity to society.” For example, no one age 60 or older would qualify for an operation to implant a stent to prevent a heart attack.
Fact: Nothing in the legislative proposals before Congress would prohibit stent implants for people age 60 or older or impose any other form of government health rationing.
First, none of the Congressional proposals would give government officials the power to deny you treatment or to control your doctor’s treatment decisions. There would be no “death panels.” None of the legislation allows government officials to make treatment decisions based on your “productivity to society.” (See what the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Politifact.com has to say about this Whopper, which got the “Pants On Fire” rating reserved for the most outrageous political lies.) http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/10/sarah-palin/sarah-palin-barack-obama-death-panel/
In fact, health-care reform proposals before Congress would eliminate some forms of health-care “rationing” the private insurance market engages in now. Congress’s health-care reform proposals would prohibit insurers from denying care based on pre-existing conditions, ban lifetime benefit caps and require that insurers allow you to renew your policy if you get sick in the middle of a year. (Read what Consumer Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, says about consumer protections in Congressional proposals.) http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/2009/07/post_33.html
Think about this: The cost of treating some forms of cancer can easily exceed $1 million. Today’s health-insurance laws let insurers cap lifetime benefits. If you need extra care after that point, you’re on your own. By that time, cancer patients are often exhausted, financially and physically, by their battles against their illness.
Health-reform proposals would ban both annual and lifetime caps on health-care benefits, stop insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, and stop insurers from blocking you from renewing your policy if you get sick in mid-year.
Health-care proposals now before Congress also guarantee free preventive care under Medicare, eliminating copayments and deductibles you must pay now. (See the Kaiser Family Foundation’s point-by-point comparison of major bills.) http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm
Some opponents of health-care reform base their claims about rationing on proposals to use “comparative effectiveness” research. This research looks at the effectiveness and cost of various treatment options – for example, does Pill A treat Disease X better than Pill B? The truth is, nothing in the health-reform legislation before Congress would require your doctor to use less-expensive treatments or to deny you care. Doctors can suggest better treatments for patients if they have full information about treatment options. (Read what the New England Journal of Medicine had to say about comparative effectiveness research.) http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/360/19/1927
As the health reform debate progresses, AARP Florida will do everything it can to help you stay informed. Please visit our website, www.aarp.org/fl , often for updates or call 1-866-AARP-449 to share your thoughts on health care.
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