The Truth About Health Care

This week, Moms across the blogosphere are firing up their keyboards and speaking out about our country's #1 issue -- health care.

I wrote my own post about it on Deep South Moms for the SV Moms Virtual Town Hall on Health Care. And the Momsrising Truth Squad is busting out its myth-busting super powers, urging us to spread the word about the top 5 Myths & Truths about Health care Reform. Here's their 411.

MOTHERS KNOW BEST-MYTHS & FACTS ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM

MYTH #1: Health care reform will create rationing of health care?

THE TRUTH ON #1: Just the opposite! Health care reform will end many practices that insurance companies currently use to ration health care, including: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, canceling coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.

Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage.

MYTH # 2: Health care reform will create "death panels"?

THE TRUTH ON #2: These accusations of "death panels" and forced euthanasia are completely untrue. What's the real story? Reform legislation would allow Medicare to pay doctors to counsel patients about end-of-life issues, including preparing a living will. This is supported by AARP and is completely voluntary.

MYTH #3: Health care reform is just a government takeover of our health care system?

THE TRUTH ON #3: Under health care reform, choices for health care coverage will increase, not decrease, and the private market will still be the backbone of our health care system. Health reform will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options. Private health insurers will be able to participate in these exchanges if they meet certain basic standards of coverage and could operate outside of the exchange if they choose to. A public option, like Medicare, would be just one available option in the insurance exchange.

MYTH #4: Health care reform will cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits?

THE TRUTH ON #4: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits. In fact, health care reform will benefit seniors in many ways, including creating a pathway for the approval of generic biologic drugs, and strengthening preventive care under Medicare. Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.

MYTH #5: Health care reform is too expensive and will hurt our economy?

THE TRUTH ON #5: Fixing our health care system will strengthen the economy by keeping more Americans healthy and by making coverage more affordable for families and businesses.

Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care. The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses. Small businesses are struggling to compete because they cannot find affordable health insurance for their employees.

I thank Momsrising for helping to crystalize the issues and correct the misinformation that is being spread. The administration has also created its own Web site to set the record straight on health care reform.

All of this misinformation has clearly stirred up a whole lot of crazy all across our country and with all the technology available today, we get to witness it all first-hand. Watch this clip of crazy:



Obama as Hitler? Disagree with the policies, the details of the plan, but get a grip people. The man just wants to help you out.

Whether you are for health care reform or against it, as arguably the biggest consumers of the health care system, Moms need to 1) educate themselves about the issues -- the real issues, not the skewed ones and then 2) speak out. We can't afford to let this opportunity to go by.

The Truth About Health Care