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White House Fires Back at Drudge on Health Care

Responds to video showing Obama discussing 'eliminating' private insurance

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 4, 2009 8:45 AM CDT

(Newser) – The White House released a video response today to a Drudge Report posting labeled “Uncovered Video: Obama Explains How His Health Care Plan Will ‘Eliminate’ Private Insurance.” The communications director for the White House Office of Health Reform says the clip is taken “out of context” and that “nothing can be farther from the truth,” Politico reports.

“The people who always try to scare people whenever you try to bring them health insurance reform are at it again,” says Linda Douglass. They’re “cobbling together” President Obama’s words to create a “very false impression.” Because Obama is “talking to the American people so much,” she adds, people with “a lot of free time” are able to “cherry-pick” to “make it sound like he’s saying something that he didn’t really say.”

President Barack Obama pauses as he talks with Kuwait Amir Shaykh Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah yesterday at the White House.
President Barack Obama pauses as he talks with Kuwait Amir Shaykh Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah yesterday at the White House.   (AP Photo)
A screen shot from the White House video.
A screen shot from the White House video.   (YouTube)
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The video posted by Drudge.   (NakedEmperorNews1)

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 23 comments
chas_m
Aug 5, 2009 6:42 AM CDT
The irony here is that if you expand Medicare to cover everyone, then you are in favour of single payer. Personally, I'm for *anything* that cuts the for-profit insurance companies out of the picture between me and my doctor, which is what the US has now. Don't kid yourselves, your doctor has to CALL THEM and get pre-approval for anything a prescription can't fix.
chas_m
Aug 5, 2009 6:38 AM CDT
1. None of the proposals put forth so far have anything to do with socialised medicine. Again, "single-payer" is not the same thing as "public option," and neither are anything like "socialised medicine." 2. Yeah, the "socialised" police and fire departments are good examples of incompent government ... 3. Hating immigrants as you do, you should be FOR single-payer, not AGAINST. The government can check that you have a real SS# and birth certificate -- an insurance company won't bother because it eats into their profits.
chas_m
Aug 5, 2009 6:35 AM CDT
"Single payer" is not the same thing as "government run." I admit the ReTHUGlicans have confused the terms of the debate, but there's a huge difference. For an example of single payer, look at Canada. For an example of "government run health care aka socialised medicine" look at the UK. Very different systems, but it's worth noting that BOTH have longer lifespans, less illness and higher infant mortality than the US.

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