(h/t Shoq Value)
This incident is a perfect illustration of how the right's noise machine is fooling the American people all over again, using easily debunked lies and misinformation, and how this very kind of irresponsible broadcasting—which they so often pretend is "journalism"—is empowering them to do it.
We came thisclose from having an honest discussion of health care reform this morning on Morning Joe. Not surprisingly, the "journalists" at the table dropped the ball, instead allowing two Republican congresspeople free airtime to lie to the American people once again. Hey GOP, where's your alternative plan again?
Republican Representatives Tom Price (MD--he's a doctor, you should listen to him!) and Dave Camp--having no constructive things to do to address Americans' health care concerns--appear on the Morning Joe show to field concern trolling, er...questions from no less than four "journalists" on health care. And Mike Barnicle gets the closest to actually digging for the truth when Rep. Price drops the name of The Lewin Group and Barnicle asks who funds The Lewin Group. Price deflects it with a mealy-mouthed answer about their foundation, but since he's a Republican and he's moving his lips, you gotta know he's a big fat liar:
The political battle over health-care reform is waged largely with numbers, and few number-crunchers have shaped the debate as much as the Lewin Group, a consulting firm whose research has been widely cited by opponents of a public insurance option.
To Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House Republican whip, it is "the nonpartisan Lewin Group." To Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, it is an "independent research firm." To Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the second-ranking Republican on the pivotal Finance Committee, it is "well known as one of the most nonpartisan groups in the country."
Generally left unsaid amid all the citations is that the Lewin Group is wholly owned by UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation's largest insurers.
More specifically, the Lewin Group is part of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth subsidiary that was accused by the New York attorney general and the American Medical Association, a physician's group, of helping insurers shift medical expenses to consumers by distributing skewed data. Ingenix supplied its parent company and other insurers with data that allegedly understated the "usual and customary" doctor fees that insurers use to determine how much they will reimburse consumers for out-of-network care.[..]
Lewin's clients include the government and private groups with a variety of perspectives, including the Commonwealth Fund and the Heritage Foundation. A February report contained information that could be used to argue for a single-payer system, the approach most threatening to private insurers, Sheils noted.
But not all of the firm's reports see the light of day. For example, a study for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association was never released, Sheils said.
"Let's just say, sometimes studies come out that don't show exactly what the client wants to see. And in those instances, they have [the] option to bury the study -- to not release it, rather," Sheils said.
Well, they might not be partisan, but they sure as hell ARE biased--they are paid by the LARGEST health insurer in the nation (remember when Elizabeth Edwards said that $1 out of every $700 spent in healthcare went in the pocket of United Health's CEO?) and bury reports that are unfavorable? Where's that report on single payer? Why aren't the Republicans quoting that one?
Price also spews out another patented Luntz-crafted lie about the House bill, claiming that the bill states that in five years, all insurance will have to look the same, claiming this is proof of government intervention into your well-being. Price isn't the only one to give this zombie lie:
(G)reat message discipline! That's always been their forte. But it makes a tiresome chore to smack down all the odd lies they come up with, again and again, just like in the old zombie movies. You give it both barrels of a 10-gauge, but it shambles forward mindlessly. "Braaaiinssss..."
The one I have seem pop up most recently is the odd lie that the House Tri-Com bill (HR 3200) will "outlaw individual private coverage."
Huh? I thought that's what the National Insurance Exchange was for?! Where did that come from?
I remembered that I had seen some crazy rant from Rep Michelle Bachmann (R-Loon) along these lines:
It’s over 1,000 pages long. On the 16th page, it says whatever health care you have now, it’s going to be gone within five years. So your current health care plan, you’re not going to have in five years. What you’re going to have is a government plan and a federal bureau is going to decide what you get or if you get anything at all.
And some commenters on Kevin's blog linked to this unsigned opinion piece from Investors.com:
It didn't take long to run into an "uh-oh" moment when reading the House's "health care for all Americans" bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal.
How odd that they both cite "page 16" in their rants, both of which were published on the same day. It's almost as if this were somehow coordinated... Nah. I must be getting paranoid.
The provision they are referring to, by the way, is this [..]
So what does this mean in the real world?
- Individual health insurance policies already in effect may continue but may not be altered.
- Employer-sponsored plans have five years to get in compliance with the new regulations.
- New individual health insurance policies will only be available through the National Insurance Exchange (NIE).
Remember, the NIE is where the private insurers will be competing against one another as well as against a possible public plan, if it survives. It is not synonymous with a "government plan," though I hope that consumers will have the choice of a government-sponsored insurance policy. The new regulations referred to are simply those I've outlined many times before -- community rating, guaranteed issue, and a minimum benefits floor.
Ezra Klein has more on the disingenuousness of the Republican talking points.
Brilliant AND very very scary!
... is that this is a failure that should be in a high-school debate class.
You have to be prepared for what the other guys are bringing to the table. It's not 'balanced' to let them spew anything they want while you nod with conviction and look serious.
You can never trust the corporate media. All tv is biased, villager infused content. You want the truth seek it out on the internet. Obama was right to ask bloggers for help in health care. The msm meme factory is trying to control the language with concepts they never fully explain like "public option" and "health care reform". To win Americans have to use the internet to keep informed on universal healthcare.
Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity. Albert Einstein
First, I work for a CBS owned-and-operated station. I *wish* there were Republicans queued up waiting to hand me cash for what I do, but that's stuff and nonsense.
The concept of the 'mainstream media' is a myth pushed by the likes of Rush Limbaugh. It is part and parcel of his anti-Fairness Doctrine 'marketplace of ideas' horseshit. (Note that the Fairness Doctrine has been dead and gone for two decades, and Rush is still bitching about media bias.)
Until progressives recognize the root cause of the 'MSM' meme, it will continue to blindside them.
And, really .... the internet is not the end-all cure-all. You're going to find the same homogenous mess of news - even Huffington Post uses wire services and cites local television stations.
It will take no less than a resurgence and a belief in critical thinking. We have to teach it to our kids, we have to expect it in our daily lives, and - above all - at the level of media and public policy.
This blog and many others recognize that media ownership by a handful of giant corporations are a threat not just to honesty in journalism but to democracy itself.
Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity. Albert Einstein
What would be that root cause you speak of? Corporatism, plutocratic elitism, stupidity?
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
they have no plan at all, so they kibitz and ridicule. that poster they made shows you exactly how a republican mind "works".
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
... just like they should all be asked to say yay/nay on the birther stupidity.
I would like to ask these sociopath's how they sleep at night? Knowing that thousands - if not millions of people may die for the purpose of making sure some CEO scumbag makes $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ in bonuses.
Is this the reason for medical care? To make a few pigs rich at other people's peril?
There is nothing more evil than a corporate fascist. The greatest welfare queens in the history of mankind.
The fact that this is even a debate in 2009, is testament to the stupidity of 45% of the people in this country.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
Now there's a pair of bright losers. These repukes are getting deeper and deeper into their pool of NO talent..and these two jerk offs are living proof.
They continue to spin their shallow lies and offer NOTHING substantial, except to say let's help the small business owner. Maybe that should be the new name of their party....?? I'm not going to tackle that one, but they really are a lost bunch of losers. Sorry, but it's FUN to watch!
It is important to note that before the Lewin Group was bought by United Health, it did an extensive review of the proposed Single Payer system for the state of California (at the time, SB-840). The Lewin Group's detailed and thorough analysis showed that Single Payer would be exceedingly efficient for California, saving the state billions AND insuring every single resident, AND showing that the average family would save hundreds of dollars each month.
This is probably why United Health opted to buy the Lewin Group.
I had high hopes for meaningful health care reform but no more . Immanuel has too much influence and a public option was out right from the start which is why Obama " surprisingly " never did push specifically and strongly for it , seems politics and up coming elections are more important . Already right under our noses outrageous concessions and deals have been made with the pharmaceutical industry and protection from generics for instance , obviously this is going to be a big let down and a farce. Combine that with the Rat party conservatives , a dozen or so sold out Rat Dems , all of their lies , misinformation and false advertising , that complicit " liberal " media we always hear about and to top it off an ignorant and dumb public who cannot think and reason their way out of a wet paper bag ... it's hopeless . Evil , greed and the bad guys will win once again , they own DC and our government , we are at their mercy .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
...is the one who brought that Canadian 'plant' Dr. Grasser to the health care single-payer forum (broadcast on c-span) in June, and proceeded to 'question' him about why single-payer won't work in the US. Kucinich grilled Grasser and pointed out his fallacy... if anyone remembers, Dennis asked Grasser how many people in Canada went bankrupt paying their medical bills. Price is up for re-election in 2010, and I'll be working hard to support whoever opposes him.
If you are confused, or you simply do not know what “the allowing” is all about...
Then maybe this link will help?
I so wish the networks and major press would "balance" republican talking points with a disclosure of campaign donors related to the issue being discussed.
What can you do when Scar-Face only has Reslugs on to lie and mislead the country without any over sight or truth?? I suppose he thinks that's fair and balanced too!
Dear C Streeters ( fornicators),
Did you swear an oath on a CHRISTIAN bible before GOD? Did you take an oath of office to serve the citizens or God? C Streeters break covenants with their consituents.
stated this very same "page 16" BS on his show this week on, I believe, Tuesday! In fact, while I believe I heard the entire segment where he talked about this, but am not absolutely certain, it appeared to me that he repeated nearly verbatim the post from Investors.com without referencing it specifically as coming from some other source. It was as if the "research and reading" of the bill leading to this gruesome discovery was the doing of he or his staff. Not surprising in any event, but totally predictable and entirely typical...
...why would a Doctor, with years of medical school under his/her belt and a successful, lucrative practice, decide to run for Congress? I've come to the conclusion that it's either for the money they know they can make from the all the corporate lobby/bribers in and around Washington, and/or, that they can stand in the hospital door to keep any real 'negotiations' to try and get all the unfettered, wind-fall, profits out of our need to stay alive. They don't want the government, and they certainly know that the private sector isn't inclined, to 'play WalMart' and beat the providers over the head to reduce what they charge - and, correspondingly, how much profit they can make - for stuff.
I say get the damn money out of campaigns - since the cost of campaigns is the excuse politicians use to collect (and keep) all that money the industry (along with plenty of others) throws at them - and just maybe we'll have a few more 'statesmen' and a lot less 'conmen' in the Congress (just realized, you can spell Congress without C,O and N)
Demand that they follow the donations and report the facts to the massive audience watching them daily. Example, "It should be noted that Congressman X is funded by "Fundies for Mental Illness". Follow the goddamned money.
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