5 Lies Right Wing Uses to Kill Health Care Reform

Conservatives are pulling no punches as they attack health care reform, but their scare tactics rely “on a notably elastic approach to the truth,” writes Mike Madden of Salon. Here are the top myths circulating:

• Obama wants to kill your grandma: The tiny kernel of truth here is that Democrats want Medicare to cover doctor-patient consultations about end of life care for seniors who want them—75% of seniors say they're important, but they're not currently covered.

• Taxpayers will pay for abortions: Some people could get subsidies to buy private plans, and many private plans cover abortion. But lawmakers are looking at compromises to mitigate even that link.
• Obama will ban private insurance: The bill simply forces individual private plans (not larger employer plans) to be bought and sold on a government-run exchange—which makes them part of a larger risk pool, and should reduce premiums for all
• The government’s too inefficient to run health care: Well, Medicare’s doing fine.
• Obama will ration care: Private insurers already do, to maximize their profits by denying care.

(More health care reform stories.)