HEALTH REFORM: The Truth Will Set You Free

On Saturday, President Obama used his weekly address to clear the air around about health reform:

So, let me explain what reform will mean for you.  And let me start by dispelling the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia, cut Medicaid, or bring about a government takeover of health care. That's simply not true. This isn't about putting government in charge of your health insurance; it's about putting you in charge of your health insurance. Under the reforms we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.

The address comes as part of a broader effort from the White House to counter the slew of misinformation and misleading claims being thrown at reform proposals. Last week, Linda Douglass, the communications director of the White House Office of Health Reform, addressed claims that health reform would force you to change your doctor or insurance, reiterating the administration's commitment that if you like what you've got in health care, you can keep it.

That video and others can be found at the White House's new site: Health Reform Reality Check. The site features a collection of videos in which White House staffers address some of the frequently asked questions and concerns about health reform -- like how will it affect small business or what it will mean for Medicare? Particularly good was Kavita Purtel, M.D.'s explanation (below) of how health reform will stop rationing, not increase it.

Meanwhile, Organizing for America, Obama's political arm at the DNC, has asked its supporters to make office visits to their local Congressperson, asking them to support health reform. In the House, The Hill reports that Democratic Leadership has set up a "health care war room" designed to help members answer policy questions and stay in contact over this August recess. Elsewhere, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer take to the op-ed pages of The Nation's Newspaper to stress the facts about health reform:

The first fact is that health insurance reform will mean more patient choice. It will allow every American who likes his or her current plan to keep it. And it will free doctors and patients to make the health decisions that make the most sense, not the most profits for insurance companies.

Reform will mean stability and peace of mind for the middle class. Never again will medical bills drive Americans into bankruptcy; never again will Americans be in danger of losing coverage if they lose their jobs or if they become sick; never again will insurance companies be allowed to deny patients coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Reform will mean affordable coverage for all Americans. Our plan's cost-lowering measures include a public health insurance option to bring competitive pressure to bear on rapidly consolidating private insurers, research on health outcomes to better inform the decisions of patients and doctors, and electronic medical records to help doctors save money by working together.