A final round of madness before health reforms pass

With Democrats close to finally passing health-insurance reforms, a cacophony of partisan talking points became a crescendo this week, with opposers making claims ranging from erroneous to ridiculous. Despite all the yelling, it appeared possible that the process could be completed by the end of this week.

Now that everyone has heard the good, bad and ugly about health-care legislation, it will be refreshing to see some of the bill’s provisions put into action, such as limiting insurance companies’ ability to deny coverage and gouge their customers. It will be great to see an expanded pool of Americans receiving coverage and a welcome relief to know insurance companies won’t be able to drop you for getting sick.

The Tea Partyers and partisan spinners have said that government-sponsored health insurance is the beginning of a descent into socialism, which will bring everything from widespread job losses and economic chaos to Nazi stormtroopers ravaging the country. The message has been fueled by a mountain of advertising dollars and extreme partisan rhetoric from the “fair and balanced� Fox News Channel.

Some of the many falsehoods that have been debunked by fact-checkers include claims that there will be mandated audits of employees who self-insure, that health care will be rationed, that a government committee will decide what benefits you get, that illegal aliens will be covered, that everyone will be issued a national health ID card and that the government will have direct access to your checking account to make electronic funds transfers.

If you’ve fallen for the “sky is falling� routine, we feel sorry for you. It is astonishing that people would claim the Obama administration’s effort to help Americans establish affordable health insurance is really a nefarious plan to cause widespread job losses, wreck the economy and strip citizens of their civil liberties. Check the previous administration’s record on that before you accuse this one of failing at something it hasn’t been given a chance to accomplish.

The final point from the anti-reform crowd seems to be that Americans should remember who passed the legislation when the next election comes around. We agree. Remember who passed the legislation and also remember all of the Chicken Littles who ran around screaming that the end of the world was upon us. See if your life is really any worse in the coming months, and then decide who had it right.