This week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce responded to our analysis of three of its recently released television ads.
In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the email we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.
The Chamber of Commerce Responds
We are pleased that FactCheck.org affirms [“Chamber Continues to Mislead on Health Care Law,” May 11] the fact that Obamacare could cause 20 million people to lose their current employer-paid health care coverage according to the [Congressional Budget Office] report (CBO, 3/15/12).
In addition, FactCheck.org acknowledges that it’s “true” parts of Obamacare are unconstitutional (Florida v. HHS (1/31/11); Florida v. HHS (8/12/11)).
Despite acknowledging these two facts in the first two bullets, it takes nearly two pages for FactCheck.org to try to distort these two facts.
However, as FactCheck.org acknowledges, “the truth is that might happen” – 20 million people might lose employer-paid health care coverage.
We agree, as they do, that – as the ad asserts – a federal judge has ruled “parts of Obamacare unconstitutional.” Again, as they say “that’s true.”
Rob Engstrom
Senior vice president and national political director
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
FactCheck.org responds: We did not acknowledge that “parts of Obamacare are unconstitutional.” We said that three federal judges, including one from Florida, had ruled that the health care law’s individual mandate was unconstitutional. However, we also pointed out that three other federal judges had upheld the individual mandate as constitutional.