It’s really amazing how proponents of health “insurance” reform are attempting to demonize those who oppose it. Sure, not everything done to protest the move toward the government’s trillion dollar healthcare takeover is perfectly tasteful (are things ever at protests?), but the protests do show the legitimate concern that millions of Americans feel witnessing this government power grab. Those attending town hall meetings aren’t members of a mob or paid props. And indeed polls show that it’s not a small fraction, but a majority of Americans who are concerned about the direction of health care reform.
In this oped, subtly titled “‘Un-American’ attacks can’t derail health care debate,” Speaker Pelosi and Steny Hoyer write as if there is an absolute consensus that we all want government-provided health insurance and complain about those who distort the facts…before they go on to themselves grossly distort the facts.
For example, they write: “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.” Sure, the legislation doesn’t require any America to drop their health care and join a different plan (though if the final legislation requires an individual mandate then those who like their current “no plan” option will be forced into something different). Yet we all know that the effect of the legislation will be to send millions (whether you believe its the 100 million estimated by the Lewin Group or closer to 10 million estimated by CBO or the somewhere in between of the Urban Institute) from private insurance to public insurance — some may want to make that move, but many others will be forced to do so as employers drop their plans and private insurers are undercut by the government subsidizes plans.
Pelosi and Hoyer can complain all they want, but the public knows that all their promises of better care, more choices, and lower costs simply don’t add up, no matter how many times they repeat them. That’s why people are protesting. It isn’t un-American, and it’s not going to stop until people get really answers.