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	<title>FAIR Blog &#187; Stephen Hess</title>
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		<title>NPR Debate: &#039;False Distortion&#039; vs. &#039;Fact-Based Statement&#039;</title>
		<link>http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/08/05/npr-debate-false-distortion-vs-fact-based-statement/</link>
		<comments>http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/08/05/npr-debate-false-distortion-vs-fact-based-statement/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:19:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gabriel Voiles</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Healthcare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[insurance industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Karen Ignani]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morning Edition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mytwords]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NPR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NPR Check]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scott Horsely]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Hess]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[NPR Check blogger mytwords has taken the time (8/4/09) to closely "consider [Scott] Horsely's verbal sleight of hand" on National Public Radio's August 4 Morning Edition:
He equates a completely false distortion--characterizing the tepid Democratic health reform proposals as "government-run healthcare" in opposition to "the free market"--with a completely fact-based statement--"we have a system today that [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>NPR Check</strong> blogger mytwords has taken the time (<a href="http://nprcheck.blogspot.com/2009/08/bedeviled.html" target="_blank">8/4/09</a>) to closely "consider [Scott] Horsely's verbal sleight of hand" on <strong>National Public Radio</strong>'s <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111527054" target="_blank">August 4</a> <strong>Morning Edition</strong>:</p>
<blockquote><p>He equates a completely false distortion--characterizing the tepid Democratic health reform proposals as "government-run healthcare" in opposition to "the free market"--with a completely fact-based statement--"we have a system today that works well for the insurance industry but it doesn't work well for you [the public]." Yes, the system works well (insurance profits <a href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/healthcare_market_characterized_by_consolidation_n.php?ref=fpblg" target="_blank">more than quadrupled</a> from 2000 to 2007) but not for the public, which pays <a href="http://www.ourfuture.org/report/2009062623/health-insurance-coverage-keeps-shrinking-premiums-family-costs-climb-even-higher" target="_blank">more for less</a> and suffers about <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jul/30/bill-pascrell/pascrell-says-22000-americans-die-yearly-because-t/" target="_blank">22,000 deaths</a> a year from the insurance industry's commitment to not covering people. How could anyone cast them as the villain?<br />
<!--preview-break--><br />
Having set up this falsehood, Horsely turns to health insurance industry <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">vampire</span> representative, Karen Ignani (no stranger at at <strong>NPR</strong>--see <a href="http://nprcheck.blogspot.com/2009/03/smooth-operators.html" target="_blank">March 7, 2009</a> and <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105366952" target="_blank">June 13, 2009</a>), so she can claim how wrong Obama's statement is because <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">the mob</span> her industry supports "reforms."</p></blockquote>
<p>But that's not all--"Horsely ends this report with a bit of moralizing against the Democrats, noting that 'Brookings scholar [Stephen] Hess thinks it's unfortunate the Democrats have chosen to demonize health insurance companies.'" Leading mytwords to ponder: "Demonizing the health insurance companies, now <a href="http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3845">why</a> would anyone do that?"</p>
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