It seems that one can't go for more than a week or so before running into yet another falsehood being spread around the internet about President Obama's Health care reform, the Affordable Care Act. Last week I heard the meme that buried within the pages of the Bill's text was the notion that anyone who sold a home would have to pay an additional 3.8% "health care tax" on the transaction. I'd heard it before, but sometimes these things have a life of their own. The claim is FALSE. Its de-bunked here, here and here...So, the next time you hear or see of someone spreading that misinformation around, please correct them.
Here's one I hadn't heard before.
This one focuses on an alleged increase in Medicare Insurance Premiums due to Obamacare. There is a viral email of course that claims the prices are about to skyrocket, mentions buzzwords like "mainstream media" and explains that this information is being kept quiet until the 2008 presidential elections are over. Sigh...
Here's a great write-up on it from John E. McDonough of the "Health Stew Blog" that I've referenced before:
Lots of folks ask me why I think the Affordable Care Act/ObamaCare is so unpopular. I first assert that it's not as unpopular as popularly characterized (see Kaiser Family Foundation monthly tracking polls) and then I refer to the deliberate and false claims about the law being widely circulated around the nation, particularly aimed at senior citizens. I wrote about one particular falsehood last month. Now, my newfound pals at the GE Retirees Association yesterday sent me another they have been receiving in their email inboxes:
Subject: Medicare Premiums ---FYICould I verify or contradict the message, my GE Retiree friends wanted to know. Didn't sound right to me, so I did some investigating. My contacts in the Obama Administration and the U.S. Senate said it's a viral email lie that has been going around for more than one year now.
MEDICARE
Look clearly at the 2014 rate compared to the 2013 rate.
For those of you who are on Medicare, read the following. It's short, but important and you probably haven't heard about it in the Mainstream News:
"The per person Medicare Insurance Premium will increase from the present Monthly Fee of $96.40, rising to:
$104.20 in 2012
$120.20 in 2013
And
$247.00 in 2014."
These are Provisions incorporated in the Obamacare Legislation, purposely delayed so as not to confuse the 2012 Re-Election Campaigns. Send this to all Seniors that you know, so they will know who's throwing them under the bus.
Peggy Riehle
Internal Representative
Network Contracting
205-220-6778
Needless to say, the email is a pure hoax, which the people at Blue Cross Blue Shield Alabama have been trying correct for a while now. Click here to continue reading McDonough's piece...
Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway/2012/04/02/there-is-no-obamacare-tax-on-most-home-sales-really/
http://taxfoundation.org/blog/show/26741.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/realestate.asp
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/health_stew/2012/04/anatomy_of_another_aca_lie.html
You may want to Google this - it is true but very complicated.
ReplyDeleteYou can also go to this site below to read about 3.8% tax -and YES, it IS in the Bill. And we all have a question: What is this type tax doing in a Health Care Bill? And you and so many others wonder why we don't trust this Administration?? Also, will my Comment still be here next time I look or will you, like this Administration and the Lame Stream Media, delete it which I suppose falls under the Left's idea of 'transparency'?
http://www.realtor.org/small_business_health_coverage.nsf/docfiles/government_affairs_invest_inc_tax_broch.pdf/$FILE/government_affairs_invest_inc_tax_broch.pdf
@Anon-I never claimed there was no 3.8% tax on any home sales, just not on ALL home sales as several conservative media outlets, websites have reported.
ReplyDeleteThe information you provided, confirms this.
Thanks for reading...BC