Politifact's Health Care Reform Greatest Hits

Non-partisan fact-check website Politifact.com lists the greatest falsehoods by both sides in the health care debate.

False statements by opponents of HRC:

1) HRC means a "government takeover of health care." This was named Politifact's "Lie of the Year" for 2010 "because it was so pervasive in the debate over the bill last winter and it played an important role in the fall campaign."

Yet the facts are that the law leaves the current system of private insurance in place while increasing regulation for insurance companies, requiring everyone to buy health insurance, and providing more subsidies for low-income people. That's far short of a government takeover. We've examined several different versions of the takeover claim and found them to be False or Pants on Fire.

2) No "death panels" for Granny. This claim by Sarah Palin was named the 2009 "Lie of the Year" by Politifact.

The new rule said Medicare would pay for a doctor's visit for the purpose of end-of-life planning, such as discussions of living wills or hospice care. Opponents equated that with lessons in how to kill yourself, but every expert on health care for the elderly that we consulted said the idea was ridiculous...We rated that Pants on Fire.

3) No new benefits for illegal immigrants.

4) No taxpayer subsidies for abortion.

Falsehoods by proponents of HRC:

1) Exaggerated claims about savings. The Congressional Budget Office has ruled that the Affordable Care Act as passed and signed into law does decrease the deficit. However, there have been exaggerated claims made about how much.

2) Exaggerated portrayal of "villians" in health insurance industry in terms of insurance company profits (which are up) and the rate of denial of claims.

--Ballard Burgher