TEXAS AFT LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE--TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2009
(copyright 2009 Texas AFT)

Combating "Disinformation" on Health-Care Reform

One of the dark arts practiced at a high level in the old days of the Soviet Union was the spreading of "disinformation"--put simply, the deliberate, systematic dissemination of lies to discredit opponents and their ideas. We're now seeing an updated version of that propaganda technique here in the United States as members of Congress heading home to their districts for the August recess run into a barrage of venomous and false attacks against pending health-care reform proposals.

You think that's an exaggeration? Well, one of the hysterical charges leveled against supporters of the key House bill, H.R. 3200, is that they want to encourage euthanasia--or, as one attacker put it, placing "seniors in a position of being put to death by their government." In fact, the bill merely would enable people to get expert advice on advanced directives to make sure their wishes concerning medical treatment are respected if they become incapacitated.

Members of Congress are being shouted down at their town-hall meetings by demonstrators who don't care about the facts, preferring to indulge their fantasies of a supposed "government takeover" of health care allegedly depriving Americans of their choice of physicians. In reality, not one of the alternatives being considered in Congress comes anywhere near matching that description.

Here are some facts that you ought to know but won't hear from the shouters and the ideologues and insurance companies that are behind the current "disinformation" campaign. First, the current situation with health insurance, in case anyone needs reminding, is plain awful, and getting worse. For those who have coverage, benefits are trending downward, while costs soar. Many are denied coverage for pre-existing conditions or lose coverage when they most need it thanks to insurance loopholes. Some 47 million Americans are uninsured--and Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured residents, especially among children.

So what alternative to this disastrous status quo is offered by bills like H.R. 3200? Here's a factual description from Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Democrat of Austin, one of those lawmakers who came under attack from the shouters this week when he tried to have a rational discussion with them:

If you are among the 1 in 4 of our neighbors with no health insurance, the 24,000 additional Texans who lose coverage each month, or the many who have insurance with more exceptions than coverage, you will finally be able to get affordable health care through a new Health Insurance Exchange. An estimated 96% of the coverage available through this new marketplace will be from private insurance carriers subject to new national standards and no longer able to decline those with preexisting conditions. One alternative available through the Exchange is a public plan similar to Medicare but subject to the same standards as the private carriers. Like Medicare, the government would not own health care facilities or employ physicians. You can keep the same doctor, and health decisions will continue to be between you and your doctor.

In fact, the struggle for health-care reform is best understood as a fight to provide some overdue consumer protection to Americans who have been for too long at the mercy of the insurance industry. Key consumer safeguards would include a ban on denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, limits on out-of-pocket costs, and no annual or lifetime caps on coverage. No wonder the insurance industry and its front groups are on the warpath!

This fight will reach a new level of intensity over the next month, as members of the U.S. House and Senate get ready to return to the nation's capital for crucial votes on health-care reform after Labor Day. Texas AFT will provide you with multiple opportunities to get a word in edgewise in this debate yourself during this crucial period. Members of Congress need to know before they vote that the shouters are vastly outnumbered by Americans who can't wait for a better deal on health insurance.