President Barack Obama has been hammering away at Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare proposal, misrepresenting what it would mean for seniors.
Since his deficit speech April 13, Obama has continued to claim that the Republican plan would throw Medicare beneficiaries to the open insurance market. But, as we said last week, the plan would create a new Medicare exchange, with rules for participating insurance companies.
Obama, April 20, Facebook town hall: And if the health insurance companies don’t sell [retirees] a policy that covers your illnesses,
Stories by Lori Robertson
Director, FactCheck.org
Fun with Deficit Statistics
Q: Is it true that this year’s deficit is greater than the total taxable income of Americans earning more than $100,000?
A: No, it’s not true. The statistic comes from a Wall Street Journal editorial, which has been corrected.
Planned Parenthood
Q: How much of Planned Parenthood’s services are dedicated to abortions? Does the federal government fund those procedures?
A: Abortions represent 3 percent of total services provided by Planned Parenthood, and roughly 10 percent of its clients received an abortion. The group does receive federal funding, but the money cannot be used for abortions by law.
FactChecking Obama’s Budget Speech
President Barack Obama misrepresented the House Republicans’ budget plan at times and exaggerated its impact on U.S. residents during an April 13 speech on deficit reduction. Obama claimed …
‘RomneyCare’ Facts and Falsehoods
It has been nearly five years since Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signed the state’s landmark health care law amid the political flourish of a fife and drum corps and 300 guests in Boston’s Faneuil Hall. The overhaul is largely seen as a blueprint …
Funding Mosques Overseas
Q: Is President Obama using tax dollars to rebuild mosques around the world?
A: Yes — and to rebuild historic churches and temples as well. The State Department’s program to preserve overseas cultural landmarks started funding projects under President Bush in 2001.
Liberal Ads Oversell Health Care Law
A liberal group has launched several radio ads criticizing House Republicans who voted to repeal the health care law. But some of the claims lack needed context and may give listeners the impression that the law’s benefits are more extensive than they really are.
Americans United for Change produced the ads in conjunction with the liberal blogs the Daily Kos and Blue America, and so far, they target Reps. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Charlie Bass of New Hampshire,
Millions with Preexisting Conditions
Q: Is it true — as the Obama administration claims — that “129 million Americans with a pre-existing condition could be denied coverage without new health reform law”?
A: No. The number who would be truly at risk of losing health insurance or paying more money is much smaller.
Health Care Repeal, Tea Party and Political Discourse
In episode 44 of our podcast, we talk about the misleading claim from Republicans that the health care law is a job-killer. Plus, we caught Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid offering his own exaggerations on the economy and the tea party, and Sen. Rand Paul distorting a well-worn quote from Rahm Emanuel.
For more on the claims discussed in this episode, see:
A ‘Job-Killing’ Law? Jan. 7
Reid Wrong on Jobs, Tea Party Jan. 10
Bum Rap for Rahm Jan.
More Guns, Fewer Murders?
On CNN’s "State of the Union with Candy Crowley," Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah perpetuated a falsehood about gun ownership and lower murder rates.
Lee: And to the contrary, I think there is abundant research suggesting that in cities where more people own guns, the crime rate, especially the murder rate actually goes down.
That’s not true. A causal relationship between prevalence of gun ownership and crime hasn’t been established by researchers. We looked into this subject in 2008 and found that the statistical relationship is the opposite of what Lee said for murder,