Health Care Reform: Fact v. Fiction

Misinformation, fear and outright lies are being spread about what health care reform will mean for American families.

MYTH: Health care reform will ruin my health care benefits because I have great coverage under my CWA-negotiated contract.

REALITY:Our current health care benefits are simply not sustainable. Health care reform that incorporates the priorities supported by CWA and our coalition partners will provide real opportunity to improve our coverage. Instead of fighting against employers that want to cut benefits and shift more costs to workers, CWA will be able to negotiate better health care benefits, because all employers will be paying their fair share.

MYTH: The Obama administration wants socialized medicine — just like in Canada.

REALITY: "Socialized medicine" is a scare tactic that health care insurers and other interests are throwing around to block reform and keep their big profits and extreme salaries and bonuses. CWA supports a system that would allow people to keep their current, private health insurance or choose a public plan option. In Canada, just like in the United States, doctors run their own practices.

MYTH: We won't be able to choose our own doctors anymore and we'll have to wait for a long time to see one — just like in Canada and Britain.

REALITY: Health care reform will continue to allow patients to choose their own doctors and wait times wouldn't get any longer. In fact, under a public plan, patients would probably have even more choice than they do now with private insurance. That's because under Medicare, for example, nearly 100 percent of doctors and hospitals participate.

Canada is getting a bum rap and that's just more scare tactics. Canadians pick their doctors, just like we would, and get the same access to the country's top specialists.

MYTH: Many workers have "Cadillac" health plans with lavish benefits. That's what has caused the health care crisis.

REALITY: Many workers are covered by health plans with high costs because private insurance companies have been raising their premiums and providers keep raising the cost of medical treatment and service. This is especially true for workers in smaller companies and for employers with older workforces.

Private insurance companies and drug companies face no competition from a public plan and no restrictions on who they cover — or don't — and what they charge. That's what has caused the health care crisis. As a result, the United States, which spends more than any other country in the world on health care, also has 46 million uninsured people.

And don't forget that the costs of providing health care to the uninsured is passed on to those who have insurance.

MYTH: A public insurance plan option will lead to a government-run health care system.

REALITY: That's the big lie, being spread by private health insurance companies and their front groups. They're hoping to scare Congress away from including a public plan option, but a growing number of Senators and Representatives are on board with the need to provide some competition and standards for the private health care industry. Medicare is a public plan with a successful track record.