Recently, a family member sent me a copy of a document that purportedly examines the Obama health care reform legislation. This document was apparently prepared and issued by the Liberty Counsel, which advertises itself as “A nationwide public interest religious law firm.”

The problem with the document is that is contains either lies or serious misinterpretations of fact. Oh, I know that saying a law firm may have lied may be an invitation to a court room, but…

Facts are facts, and English is English. If the emperor wears no clothes, it isn’t unreasonable to expect someone to say, “My God, the man is naked!” I read through the first page of this document and compared its claims against the text of the bill cited, and found that there is no correlation between the two for any of the statements made on that page. Well, that amazed me.

I’ll put this up-front: I am concerned about the health care reform bills presented in the US House of Representatives and Senate. I’m concerned about:

• The costs involved
• Why the medical insurance industry gets off so lightly
• Whether an insurance scheme will do the job

This blog, however, is not about promoting the bill (HR 3200) submitted in the House of Representatives. Instead, it’s about honesty, honest discourse, and the use of lies to frighten those who the authors must believe are sheep.

By the way, the legislation that the Liberty Counsel’s diatribe examines is the unamended version submitted to the House. There have been changes and there will be more changes. That’s what happens in a Republic.

Lie:

Commentary

There is no requirement for the government to “audit the books of all employers that self-insure.” This section clearly expresses the need to establish standards so that loopholes do not exist where an employer might claim to “self-insure” without actually having the financial resources to do so. If such a loophole is permitted, companies will be able to bail out of the plan by claiming they are self-insured when they do not have the ability to cover their employees. Employees would think that they are covered by their employer who is “self-insured,” only to find that they must carry the complete financial burden. In which case the employees will not, in fact, be insured and government might have to step in and provide, after the fact, what the company should have provided. Whether this requirement is good or evil may be debated; in any case, there is no mandate to examine the books of all employers. There simply isn’t that many government auditors to accomplish this. The accusation is a bald-faced lie.

What the unamended Bill says…

Lie:

Commentary

The accusation is another bald-faced lie. The lines cited, instead of "rationing" health care, place limitations on the ability of insurance companies to force “cost-sharing” upon the insured.

What the unamended Bill says…

Lie:

Commentary

Horse manure. Yes, the government will establish a committee made up “…of medical and other experts.” This is an advisory committee whose task is to recommend benefits for essential (basic) plans, enhanced plans, and premium plans. This committee will not decide for you and your doctor what treatment and benefits you will get. Let’s look at what goes on today: insurance companies bring in their actuarial experts and decide what they will offer; they don’t often take the advice of medical doctors. Otherwise, more insurance plans would cover physicals—which they most emphatically do not—today.

What the unamended Bill says…

Lie:

Commentary

Nothing in this section of the Bill requires the Commissioner to “choose your benefits for you.” This section is all about enforcement of general standards of insurance. For instance, private insurers will be unable to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

What the unamended Bill says…

Lie:

Commentary

This accusation is almost funny. There is no statement in this section regarding the provision of health care insurance to any, or all, non-US citizens. Even the accusation is poorly worded: do the authors claim that the government will provide coverage to everyone on Earth, wherever she or he lives? (That's what “ALL NON-US citizens” means, after all!) It’s just another lie, dependent upon the assumption that you won’t read the text. The section says that insurance cannot be denied based on “…extraneous personal characteristics.” Characteristics such as ethnicity, skin color, gender, and so forth.

What the unamended Bill says…

Further, HR 3200 specifically prohibits federal payments for undocumented aliens.

What the unamended Bill says…

Lie:

Commentary

This accusation is another lie. The text says that those payments required of an insured person can be made electronically by “permitting” electronic fund transfers. Each time you use your Discover card to purchase groceries or withdraw cash from an ATM, you’re executing an electronic transfer of funds. This section does not say that “government will have direct access to your bank accounts.”

In fact, federal and state governments can access your bank accounts. All they need is a court order or subpoena.

What the unamended Bill says…

Lie:

Commentary

Another lie; one that raises the specter of “unions” and “ACORN.” This section deals with the problem of retiree health coverage. When Enron folded, employees and retirees lost huge amounts because their retirement plans went out with Enron. The federal agency that assumed the retirement plan (the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, established under President Ford in 1974, could not provide all that had been “guaranteed” employees under the company retirement plans. The PBGC did, and does, provide retirement benefits on a sliding scale, funded by employer contributions or assessment. This is a reinsurance plan. There is nothing now to provide retirees the health benefits many companies have promised them if the company folds or goes into bankruptcy. Most importantly, the provisions of this section cover all retirees who have qualified plans, not just those who retire who are union members or who may have worked for ACORN. (Actually, ACORN employs very few people; most are volunteers.

Oh, and what is a “payoff subsidized plan,” anyway?

What the unamended Bill says…

Lie:

Commentary

Government will not control each and every health plan insurance provider. If this Act is passed, the non-partisan committee of experts will set minimum standards for coverages at the basic, enhanced, and premium levels. The federal government will provide a public-option health care plan that is based on the analyses and recommendations made by the Health Benefits Advisory Council.

What the unamended Bill says…