The health care debate is more like the health care divide. (WSBT photo)
Story Created:
Sep 11, 2009 at 6:37 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Sep 15, 2009 at 11:45 AM EDT
SOUTH BEND — There were a lot of claims and promises made during President Obama's speech to Congress Wednesday. So what's fact and what's fiction?
The health care debate is more like the health care divide in the eyes of Saint Mary's College Political Science professor Sean Savage.
"There's such a wide range and diversity of opinions," said Savage.
It was evident locally this week at two different Labor Day rallies.
It all came to a head Wednesday. In his address to Congress, President Obama announced and pushed his plan.
"Now is the time to deliver on health care," the president said in his address.
With the help of Professor Savage, WSBT News is checking the facts.
President Obama said,"Nothing in this plan will require you to change the coverage or the doctor you have."
We found those statements to be true.
But Savage says provisions in the bill could change that.
"Maybe the effect or consequence is that people are going to feel economically pressured to change their private insurance plans," said Savage.
The next topic: Costs
The President said, "I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit now or into the future period."
This statement needs clarification.
"I would say the statement is true if all of Obama's assumptions about the bill turn out to be true in the future," said Savage.
Savage said the track record for social welfare programs like Social Security all exceeded projections.
The president's remarks about the reforms not applying to illegal immigrants brought controversy, as Representative Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, yelled "You lie!" during the address.
So did the president lie? It appears the president's statement is true.
"There is a provision that would prohibit illegal aliens from receiving any new health care benefits," said Savage.
But the Web site Politifact.com says while illegal immigrants would be able to buy insurance, they would have to pay for it themselves without the "affordability credit" subsidy the rest of us would get.
Savage backs up what the Congressional Research Service, a non-partisan research arm of Congress, says about the House bill which does not have a way to verify immigration status.
