Lori Robertson, Author at FactCheck.org

Democratic PAC Revisits Old Claims

July 30, 2012

In ads airing in three states, a Democratic PAC repeats familiar, and misleading, attack lines — saying one Republican lawmaker voted to “essentially end Medicare” and another voted for billions in earmarks and turned a surplus “into a massive federal deficit.”
The Majority PAC, a political action committee that aims to “[p]rotect the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate,” launched ads on July 24 criticizing Republican candidates in Senate races in North Dakota, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Biggest Tax Increase in History?

July 24, 2012

Critics of the health care law have claimed that it’s the biggest tax increase in history. But that could only be true in raw dollars. When adjusted for inflation — or better yet, as a percentage of gross domestic product — several other tax increases just since 1968 are larger.
For a fuller explanation, see our July 10 Ask FactCheck, “Biggest Tax Increase in History?“

Twisting Health Care Taxes

July 23, 2012

Republicans are twisting the facts on taxes in the Affordable Care Act, grossly overstating the impact on families or lower-income earners.
In what has become a Republican talking point, several GOP lawmakers have wrongly claimed that a Congressional Budget Office report said that 75 percent of the federal health care law’s taxes would be paid by those earning less than $120,000 a year. That’s not what the CBO said. It found that 76 percent of those who would pay the penalty for not having insurance in 2016 would earn under $120,000.

If You Like Your Plan …

July 18, 2012

After the Supreme Court’s ruling on the federal health care law, President Obama repeated his claim that for Americans “who already have health insurance, you will keep your health insurance.” But Obama can’t make that promise for everyone. At least a few million workers won’t keep their current plans.
Read more about Romney’s and President Obama’s false and misleading claims made after the high court’s ruling in our June 28 article, “Romney, Obama Uphold Health Care Falsehoods.”

No End to ‘End Medicare’ Claim

July 6, 2012

Democrats are still hammering an old, and since replaced, GOP proposal, claiming it would “end Medicare,” and cost seniors $6,000 more a year for their health care. The newest Republican budget, proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, keeps traditional Medicare — unlike his plan from 2011 — and the increased cost claim is no longer applicable to it.
The latest string of “end Medicare” claims comes from the liberal Patriot Majority, a 501(c)(4), a nonprofit advocacy group,

Post-Supreme Court Spin

July 5, 2012

Shortly after the Supreme Court upheld the federal health care law’s constitutionality on June 28, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney wrongly said the law “puts the federal government between you and your doctor.” The law doesn’t create a government-run medical system.
Read more about Romney’s and President Obama’s false and misleading claims made after the high court’s ruling in our June 28 article, “Romney, Obama Uphold Health Care Falsehoods.”

Taxes on ‘Sick Puppies’?

July 5, 2012

The National Republican Congressional Committee claims the federal health care law taxes “sick puppies,” but that’s a big stretch. No puppies are taxed by the law. Instead, the reference is to a tax on medical devices.
For more, see our June 19 story, “NRCC: ‘Obamacare’ Taxes Sick Puppies.”

Romney, Obama Uphold Health Care Falsehoods

June 28, 2012

With the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act on June 28, voters are guaranteed to continue hearing the same old false claims about the law from politicians. And President Barack Obama and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney wasted little time …

No Dialysis Under Health Care Law?

June 20, 2012

A viral email wrongly claims the federal health care law caused a Tennessee hospital to deny dialysis to Medicare patients, and that anyone over 75 would be denied care starting in 2013. The anonymous author fabricated the account.
Read our April 20 Ask FactCheck, ” ‘Death Panels’ Redux,” for more on this viral falsehood.

At It Again

June 15, 2012

The conservative 60 Plus Association is attacking Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio by dredging up old exaggerations we’ve seen plenty of times before. The claims about the health care law are starting to sound like a broken record: The group claims it’s a “health care takeover” (false) and that it “cuts $500 billion from Medicare” (misleading). This also isn’t the first time the group has gone after Brown with misleading material.