Debunk The Myths

Dear Friend,

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper today to help debunk the myths, distortions, and lies about health care reform and the public health plan option!

Write a letter to the editor at
Debunk.CitizensForaPublicOption.com

We were heartbroken to learn of the death of our friend and colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy. Perhaps more than any other Member of Congress, Senator Kennedy dedicated his career to fighting for working families -- and especially to making quality health care affordable and accessible to all.

To honor his memory and his legacy, we are proud to continue the fight for real health care reform. That's why we want to set a few things straight.

Myths, distortions, and bald-faced lies about President Obama's proposed health care reform have been cynically promoted by the insurance industry and right-wing extremists for several weeks now. And to some partisans, killing health care reform by whatever tactics are necessary is simply a way to derail the Obama presidency.

Evidence is now emerging that these falsehoods -- amplified by millions of dollars in special interest advertising and the 24-hour news cycle -- have begun to set in among otherwise conscientious citizens, threatening our reform efforts.

Submit a letter to the editor of your local newspaper today to make sure your neighbors know the cost-reducing FACTS about health care reform and the public option.

A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll uncovered some alarming misconceptions out there:¹

Opponents of reform have twisted a provision of the bill regarding planning living wills into untrue² claims that the government would start making decisions about when to stop providing care to the elderly, and 45% of Americans FALSELY believe them.

Although the public option we support will be just that -- an option that would give Americans more choice and keep private insurance companies honest -- 54% of Americans FALSELY believe health care reform would lead to a "government takeover of the health care system."

The non-partisan accountability group FactCheck.org says President Obama's plan will cover only those who are legally in the U.S.,³ but 55% of Americans FALSELY believe President Obama's plan would extend health insurance coverage to illegal immigrants. In fact, the very Republicans who are demagoguing this idea voted for this same language in President Bush's Medicare part D bill in 2003.

Submit a letter to the editor of your local newspaper now and make sure your neighbors know the choice-expanding FACTS about health care reform and the public option.

The insurance industry lobby and political operatives who are subverting the truth want to erode support for the comprehensive reform we need to fix America's broken health care system.

But here's the good news: polls still show most Americans support President Obama's health care reform plan and the public option once they know the real truth.

That's where you come in.

Submit a letter to the editor today.

We've seen the powerful insurance industry crush efforts to reform health care in the past. We can't let them get away with it again.

Please, debunk the myths and set the record straight in your community by submitting a letter to the editor of your local paper today.

Thank you for working to make 2009 the year we finally pass meaningful health care reform with a public option.

Sincerely,

Senator Chuck Schumer

Senator Dick Durbin

Senator Patrick Leahy

P.S. In addition to fighting to pass real health care reform, we hope you will pay your tributes to Senator Kennedy and his family at TedKennedy.org.

¹ http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Sections/NEWS/NBC-WSJ_Poll.pdf
² http://factcheck.org/2009/04/government-run-health-care/
³ http://factcheck.org/2009/07/misleading-gop-health-care-claims/

Paid for by Friends of Dick Durbin, Leahy for U.S. Senator, and Friends of Schumer