Wauwatosa Republicans

The AP has a fact check article out today, and on the big issues, President Obama is not being very truthful.

The entire package (as we know it) will billions of dollars.   Non-partisan congressional budget scorers say something like $240 billion.  In addition,

CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf had this to say in July: “We do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount.”

In other words, the non-partisan budget scorers do not see this program as solving the major problem that reform is supposed solve–skyrocketing costs.

What’s more, on the public option (and Obama and left’s past strategy of using it swallow private health insurance), no one is making any promises:

OBAMA: “Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.”

THE FACTS: That’s correct, as far as it goes. But neither can the plan guarantee that people can keep their current coverage. Employers sponsor coverage for most families, and they’d be free to change their health plans in ways that workers may not like, or drop insurance altogether. The Congressional Budget Office analyzed the health care bill written by House Democrats and said that by 2016 some 3 million people who now have employer-based care would lose it because their employers would decide to stop offering it.

In the past Obama repeatedly said, “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period.” Now he’s stopping short of that unconditional guarantee by saying nothing in the plan “requires” any change.

That’s lawyer-speak.  Obama is limiting himself and being very careful.  But if the public option is subsidized, it will compete with private plans and (because it is subsidized) will eventually chip away at private plans.

and further, on the cost savings:

OBAMA: “Don’t pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut. … That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.”

THE FACTS: Obama and congressional Democrats want to pay for their health care plans in part by reducing Medicare payments to providers by more than $500 billion over 10 years. The cuts would largely hit hospitals and Medicare Advantage, the part of the Medicare program operated through private insurance companies.

So, in other words, the Democrats will simply just pay people less and save $500 billion.  What a great plan!  Yes, it would be good if government and government contractors were more efficient.  In other words, Obama will just shift these costs over to others in order to pay for his plan.