February 22, 2010 8:49 am ET
On yesterday's political talk shows, Republican elected officials used their camera time to continue issuing the standard GOP talking points. Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) made numerous false claims about Democratic health care reform and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) wrongly asserted "the stimulus bill has failed."
GOV. HALEY BARBOUR: [Americans'] idea of health care reform is: the costs should go down, and in this one, CBO says the costs will go up.
FACT: Democratic Health Care Reform Will Lower Costs And Reduce The Deficit
CBO: House Bill Will Result In Lower Costs For American Families. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that in 2016, premiums will be $5,300 for an individual and $15,000 for a family of four in the Exchange. Without reform, the average family premium is expected to grow to $24,000. [CBO, 11/2/09; House Education and Labor Committee, 11/2/09]
CBO: Democratic Bill Would Cut Deficit By $109 Billion. According to the Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the Democratic health care plan: "CBO and the staff of JCT now estimate that, on balance, the direct spending and revenue effects of enacting H.R. 3962...would yield a net reduction in federal budget deficits of $109 billion over the 2010-2019 period." [CBO, 11/6/09; emphasis added]
GOV. HALEY BARBOUR: So this is a system that is very bad for jobs because it clobbers small business - the biggest job creators that we have.
FACT: Democratic Health Care Reform Exempts Many Small Businesses
Bill Exempts Many Businesses From Shared Responsibility Requirement. The House health reform bill exempts "firms with a payroll of less than $500,000" from fines for not offering health insurance to their employees. In fact, "86% of America's businesses are exempt from the shared responsibility requirement." [Wall Street Journal, 10/30/09; House Education and Labor Committee, accessed 11/3/09]
Health Care Reform Could Create Up To 400,000 Jobs Within The Next 10 Years. According to the Center for American Progress:
In this paper, however, we demonstrate a less emphasized point about the health care reform legislation currently before Congress-if successful, its provisions can lower the costs of business and increase both the number of jobs by 250,000 to 400,000 annually over the next decade and increase wage growth. [Center for American Progress, New Jobs Through Better Health Care, January 2010; emphasis added]
REP. MIKE PENCE: "The stimulus bill has failed."
FACT: The Recovery Act Has Created Up To 2.4 Million American Jobs
CBO: The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Has Created Up To 2.4 Million American Jobs. According to CNN: "The Congressional Budget Office attributes between 800,000 to 2.4 million jobs and 1.2 to 3.1 percentage points of economic growth to stimulus." [CNN, 1/13/10]
Top Economic Research Firms Agree That The Recovery Act Created Jobs. As reported by the New York Times, "Just look at the outside evaluations of the stimulus. Perhaps the best-known economic research firms are IHS Global Insight, Macroeconomic Advisers and Moody's Economy.com. They all estimate that the bill has added 1.6 million to 1.8 million jobs so far and that its ultimate impact will be roughly 2.5 million jobs. The Congressional Budget Office, an independent agency, considers these estimates to be conservative." [New York Times, 2/16/10; emphasis added]
FACT: The Recovery Act Cut Taxes For 95% Of Working Families
The Recovery Act Cut Taxes For 95% Of Working Families. According to PolitiFact.com:
Under the stimulus bill, single workers got $400, and working couples got $800. The Internal Revenue Service issued new guidelines to reduce withholdings for income tax, so many workers saw a small increase in their checks in April 2009.
The tax cut was part of Obama's campaign promises. During the campaign, Obama said he wanted $500 for each worker and $1,000 for working couples. Since the final number was a bit less than he promised, we rated his promise a Compromise on our Obameter, where we rate Obama's campaign promises for fulfillment.
During the campaign, the independent Tax Policy Center researched how Obama's tax proposals would affect workers. It concluded 94.3 percent of workers would receive a tax cut under Obama's plan based on the tax credit to offset payroll taxes. According to the analysis, the people who wouldn't get a tax cut are those who make more than $250,000 for couples or $200,000 for a single person. [PolitiFact.com, accessed 2/17/10]
For a more detailed account of the Recovery Act is working, CLICK HERE.
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