Fact Checking the Health Care Myths

It is regularly stated by news pundits and journalists that August is a slow month for news. Luckily for them, August 2009 is proving to be quite the aberration from this norm.

But the excess of real news (the Congressional health care reform efforts) comes an excess of not-so-real news such as the heavy media coverage that anti-health care protesters have received.

Among these not-so-real news stories have been well-noted myths about what the proposed reforms would do and how they would affect the American citizen. These myths have been perpetuated by both the news media as well as prominent Republicans.

For our part, the DPNM is going to synthesize many of these myths and provide the truth as it relates to health care reform.

Frighteningly, 45% of respondents to a NBC News Poll responded that health care reforms would choose when to end elderly care (i.e.: death panels) -- the truth is that nothing the bill would allow the government to ration care, nor would end-of-life counseling sessions be allowed to suggest suicide or assisted suicide as a viable option for patients.

The reforms will not offer health coverage to illegal immigrants to this country.

Abortions would not be funded with federal funds -- in fact, President Obama has stated that the United States should continue to deny federal funds for abortions.

Another website, FactCheck.org, lists seven additional myths ranging from cutting Medicare benefits to rationing of health care are thoroughly explained/debunked.

Although many of these myths are ludicrous in nature, it does not stop them from being perpetuated -- either from lack of complete information or as part of a coordinated attempt to mis-inform those Americans who could benefit most from health care reform.

This issue is particularly important to New Mexicans as a new study by Gallup Polls shows that states with the highest number of those uninsured (for those keeping track, New Mexico is #2 in the nation for uninsured.) are more likely to believe that health care reforms are an effort of the government to take over health care completely and ration care.

New Mexicans must remain vigilant in the coming weeks at Town Halls across the state to combat this campaign of mis-information and inform their friends and neighbors the true story of health care reform. (For example, you can send this blog posting to all your contacts!)