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Publlic Policy by fake anecdote.

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 1:04 pm
by rubato
How many times can the Republicans lie about Obamacare, get caught doing it, and not lose their voters? Apparently every time.

It is like apologists for smoking, there is no end to the pure bullshit they will accept once they are motivated to believe a lie. Over and over again they present stories about people they say are hurt by Obamacare and every time they story falls apart the minute anyone looks into it.
http://equitablegrowth.org/2014/02/27/1 ... #more-1972

Kevin Drum: Has Anyone in America Actually Been Harmed by Obamacare?: “I’m beginning to think there’s not actually a single person in America who’s been harmed by Obamacare.

I know that seems unlikely, but… look at the latest AFP ad… [which] features Julie Boonstra… insurance was canceled… diagnosed with leukemia… now, she says, her treatment is unaffordable. “This is serious,” she says. “It’s not a game.” But… Glenn Kessler… found[:]…. Boonstra… found a plan… [that] allowed her to keep her doctor.. [is] s still being treated. Her old plan cost $13,200 per year plus “low” out-of-pocket expenses. Her new plan costs a maximum of $13,202 per year…. Boonstra kept her doctor. Her new plan is… less expensive… presumably she’s no longer required to compromise on the type of chemotherapy she receives…. Boonstra herself is naturally unavailable for comment, and the best an unctuous AFP spokesperson could do to defend this ad is to point out that Boonstra’s costs are a little more variable than in the past. Instead of paying a flat $1,100 per month plus low out-of-pocket costs, she sometimes pays more in a single month until she hits her annual out-of-pocket max. That’s it.


This ad implies that Boonstra… can’t afford coverage… could no longer see her old doctor… Obamacare is killing her. None of this is true. Boonstra’s care is better and cheaper than it was before. The only downside is that her payments are slightly more erratic…. So here’s my question: if this is the best AFP can do, does that mean that no one is truly being harmed by Obamacare?… Why is it that every single hard luck story like this falls apart under the barest scrutiny? Why can’t AFP find someone whose premiums really have doubled and who really did lose her doctor and who really is having a hard time getting the care she used to get? If this is happening to a lot of people, finding a dozen or so of them shouldn’t be hard. But apparently it is. So maybe it’s not actually happening to very many people at all?
yrs,
rubato

Re: Publlic Policy by fake anecdote.

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:20 pm
by dgs49
Not to be anecdotal, but I have been harmed by Obamacare. My premiums went up significantly and my annual out-of-pocket is potentially as much as $4,000. Given my frail medical health, I think I can count on it costing me at least $2,000 this year alone.

A far cry from the $2,500 that Our Beloved President promised I would save.

And O-bi-the-way, I liked my previous policy, but I could not keep it.

Who, exactly, did you say was lying about Obamacare?

You fucking tool.

Re: Publlic Policy by fake anecdote.

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:33 pm
by Joe Guy
I still have the exact same health coverage but it cost much more than it did prior to Obamacare. I know the idea was to help those who had little or no coverage but I didn't realize it was going to affect me so drastically - or at all.

I think Republicans might call that harm.

I'm still hoping for Obamacare to be successful but I haven't seen any indication that it will be beneficial to anyone in my situation.

Re: Publlic Policy by fake anecdote.

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:51 pm
by Lord Jim
It is like apologists for the CDC's second hand smoke statistics; there is no end to the pure bullshit they will accept once they are motivated to believe a lie.
Fixed.

Re: Publlic Policy by fake anecdote.

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 2:27 am
by rubato
Would it have helped If I included an empirical definition of 'fake anecdote'? Probably not. No.


yrs,
rubato

Re: Publlic Policy by fake anecdote.

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:13 pm
by Lord Jim
Would it have helped If I included an empirical definition of 'fake anecdote'?
I doubt it would have helped. There really isn't much that could have been done to help give any real value to the OP, and I don't see how that would have added much.


Perhaps if you had included a couple of knock knock jokes or an article on fly fishing, it might have been an improvement.

Re: Publlic Policy by fake anecdote.

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:43 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
Lord Jim wrote: Perhaps if you had included a coupe of knock knock jokes

Knock knock!
-Who's there?
rubato!
-No-one's home

Image