Rep. Pence:  A Lot Of Wrong In Just A Few Words

Wrong Report To Cite

Rep. Pence: "Estimates have suggested that such 'competition' would encourage employers to reduce costs by eliminating their health benefits for employees. As a result, as many as 119 million Americans will lose their coverage, forcing most of them into the government-run plan." [American Spectator, 6/18/09]

The "119 million" figure is not only inaccurate, but also refers to people who would switch voluntarily to a public option -- not "lose" their insurance as Rep. Pence claims. 

NPR: Lewin Number Quoted "Hardly Represents The Entirety Of The Report."  According to NPR, the 119 million figure "hardly represents the entirety of the report [Lewin Group Vice President John] Sheils and colleague Randy Haught put out in April. The point of the study was to show that the number of people who would eventually join a government-sponsored public insurance plan would vary - dramatically - depending on how that plan is designed." [NPR, All Things Considered, 6/10/09]

Lewin Study Shows That As Few As 10.4 Million People Could Move To The Public Plan.  According to NPR, the Lewin Group's study shows that "if the public plan is limited to fewer people (perhaps only those in small businesses and individuals), or if the plan pays higher rates to doctors and hospitals, fewer people would join, both because fewer would be allowed and because the plan would be less financially attractive. According to the study, the number of people dropping private coverage could be as low as 10.4 million." [NPR, All Things Considered, 6/10/09]

The Lewin Group Is Financed By The Insurance Industry.  NPR reported that "the Lewin Group, [is] a number-crunching consulting group owned by Ingenix, which is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group." [NPR, All Things Considered, 6/10/09]

Freedom FAIL

Rep. Pence: "The truth is, government-run health insurance takes away citizens' freedom, forcing them to accept a government decree about intensely personal health decisions...To make matters worse, it will take away citizens' freedom to choose their doctors-and the freedom to choose, with their doctors, the treatment option that best meets their health needs." [American Spectator, 6/18/09]

President Obama: Public Options Helps "Keep The Private Sector Honest, Because There's Some Competition Out There."  During the Health Care Summit at the White House, President Obama said: "The thinking on the public option has been that it gives consumers more choices, and it helps give -- keep the private sector honest, because there's some competition out there. That's been the thinking." [Health Care Summit, Transcript via Talking Points Memo, 3/5/09]

President Obama: "This Is For People Who Aren't Happy With Their Current Plan... Nobody Is Forcing You" To Leave Your Plan.  In a speech to the American Medical Association, President Obama said: "Again, this is for people who aren't happy with their current plan. If you like what you're getting, keep it. Nobody is forcing you to shift. But if you're not, this gives you some new options. And I believe one of these options needs to be a public option that will give people a broader range of choices -- (applause) -- and inject competition into the health care market so that force -- so that we can force waste out of the system and keep the insurance companies honest." [Remarks by the President, 6/15/09; emphasis added]

Currently, Americans Cannot Afford Health Care - Where's The Freedom In That?

Rather Than Waiting In Line, Americans Simply Do Not Get Care. As Ezra Klein argues in the Los Angeles Times, "although Britain and Canada have decided that no one will go without, even if some must occasionally wait, the U.S. has decided that most of us who can't afford care simply won't get it." [Los Angeles Times, 4/7/09, emphasis added]

Many Americans Have Been Priced Out Of Health Care.  As Ezra Klein points out on his blog: "If you look at waiting times, you'll see that relatively few Americans wait more than four months for surgery, which helps folks claim that America doesn't ration care, and makes our system look pretty good on the waiting times metric. Here's what they don't tell you: When you look at who foregoes care, the international comparisons reverse themselves. About 23% of Americans report that they didn't receive care, or get a test due to cost. In Canada, that number is 5.5%." [Ezra Klein blog, The American Prospect, 12/5/08, emphasis added]

...Arguing Against Something That Has Existed For Years? And Is Beneficial?

Rep. Pence: "Democrats have admitted both their desire for government to control health carew [sic] and the effect of such control on ordinary Americans. A provision in the recent 'stimulus' bill will spend $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research." [American Spectator, 6/18/09]

CER Supplements Physicians' Knowledge To Ensure The Best Treatment Is Provided To The Patient.  David Dale, MD of the American College of Physicians testified in a House Ways and Means Committee hearing: "The availability of valid, comparative effectiveness data supplemented by the physician's clinical experience and professional knowledge, helps ensure that an effective treatment choice is made-one that meets the unique needs and preferences of the patient." [American College Of Physicians' Statement for the Record, 6/12/07]

Funding Comparative Effectiveness Research Is NOT A New Practice

NIH Had A Budget Of $335 Million For Comparative Effectiveness Research Last Year.  According to Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post, "there's nothing particularly new about comparative effectiveness research -- the National Institutes of Health, along with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, have been doing it for years, with a budget last year of about $335 million." [Washington Post, 2/13/09]

Rep. Pence Is Wrong On Individual Purchasing Power

Rep. Pence: "Allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines would increase consumer choice while expanding insurance coverage for as many as 12 million individuals." [American Spectator, 6/18/09]

Buying Insurance As An Individual Or Family Increases Risk Of Coverage Rejection.  According to the New York Times, "individual insurance differs sharply from the group coverage with which most people are familiar. Group policies generally require that the insurer cover everybody in the group, and charge the same rates for all. But with individual coverage, insurers in many states can vary their prices based on medical history, exclude certain services or reject anyone they consider a bad risk." [New York Times, 6/1/08, emphasis added]

After Caesarean Section, Company Told Woman She Would Be Insurable If She Had Been Sterilized.  The New York Times reported on a woman who was turned down for private health insurance because her first child was delivered via caesarean section: "Having the operation once increases the odds that it will be performed again, and if she became pregnant and needed another Caesarean, [the insurance company] did not want to pay for it. A letter from the company explained that if she had been sterilized after the Caesarean, or if she were over 40 and had given birth two or more years before applying, she might have qualified." [New York Times, 6/1/08]

Insurance Applicants Rejected Based On Height And Weight.  In an article offering advice on what to do when you lose your health care, the Washington Post reported: "Insurers can decline to offer you a policy, exclude coverage for certain conditions or charge you high premiums...'In the past four or five years, I've had people turned down just because of height and weight,' says Jerry Patt, an independent agent in Gaithersburg who has been in the business for more than 35 years. 'They could be having no medical problems whatsoever, but their build was not acceptable.'" [Washington Post, 6/22/08, emphasis added]

Rep. Pence Is Wrong On Medicare's Efficiency

Rep. Pence: "While Democrats argue that a government-run plan is more 'efficient,' I strongly believe that the nationalized plan would look a lot like Medicaid does today-cheap, broken, and government-rationed coverage..." [American Spectator, 6/18/09]

Government-Administered Medicare Is Actually More Efficient Than Private Insurance. The Council for Affordable Health Insurance, "a research and advocacy association of insurance carriers," published a report stating: "Administrative costs are lower under Medicare than for private health insurance." The report added, "our best estimates indicate Medicare at slightly above 5% of total Medicare cost in 2003, whereas the government currently reports about 2%... The private market administrative costs are expected to remain at about 9% of total private insurance cost, excluding premium taxes, commissions, and profit. With such items, private costs would be slightly under 17%." [CAHI, Medicare versus Private Health Insurace: The Cost of Administration, 1/6/06]

Which Americans, Exactly?

Rep. Pence: "...that most Americans do not want. The American people want to keep their health care freedom-and Republicans need to respond to their call."  [American Spectator, 6/18/09]

More Than 70% Of Americans Polled Want An Increased Governmental Role In Health Care.  According to CNN, "seventy-two percent of those questioned in recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey say they favor increasing the federal government's influence over the country's health care system in an attempt to lower costs and provide health care coverage to more Americans, with 27 percent opposing such a move." [CNN.com, 3/5/09]

More Than 60% Of Americans Think The Federal Government "Should Guarantee" Health Care For All Americans.  When asked, "Do you think the federal government should guarantee health care for all Americans, or don't you think so?" during a CNN/Opinion Research poll, a majority of Americans, 62 %, said "should guarantee," 38% said "don't think so," and 1% "unsure." [CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll, 5/14-17/09]

Plurality of Americans Polled Think Health Care Is The Most Pressing Issue For Congress And The President.  According to a New York Times/CBS News Poll, when asked "Beside the economy, which of these domestic policy areas do you want the President and Congress to concentrate on MOST right now - health care, global warming, education, or Social Security?" the respondents answers were: 40% Health Care, 5% Global Warming, 27% Education, 22% Social Security, 4% Something Else/Combination, and 1% Didn't Know.  [New York Times/CBS Poll, 2/09]

The Majority Of Americans Want An Obama-style Mix Of Public And Private. According to a poll conducted by Lake Research:

• 60% of Americans favor "providing access to affordable, quality health care for all Americans even if it means raising taxes."
• 71% of Americans favor "providing access to affordable, quality health care for all Americans even if it means a major role for the federal government."
• 73% of Americans prefer "having a choice of private health insurance or a public health insurance plan." [Lake Research poll, 01/09]