Washington Post Fact Checker Fails to Check Facts

And Earns an Al Franken’s Book from The Dismal Political Economist

In order to support its position that it is unbiased, the Washington Post, who probably employs more ex-Bush Administration officials than anyone outside of Fox News has a “Fact Checker” who grades the truthfulness of various political statements.  Today the Fact Checker weighed in on

Wasserman Schultz’s bogus claim that the GOP Medicare plan will ‘throw you to the wolves’

Let’s leave aside the fact that you cannot fact check a phrase like “throw you to the wolves”, and that if you tried to fact check hyperbole, well we’d be here all day.  Here are some excerpts from the Fact Checker.

The CBO analysis estimated that by 2030, the government would pay just 32 percent of the health care costs, less than half of what the federal plan currently pays. The other 68 percent of the plan would have to be shouldered by the retiree. (The CBO estimated that if traditional Medicare stayed in place, the government would pay 70 to 75 percent of the costs.)

Now maybe that is not “throwing you to the wolves” but it sure sounds like maybe inviting the wolves to have a ‘come see’ at you.

Again, from the CBO evaluation: “The proposal includes rules that would govern the Medicare exchange — including requiring insurers to issue insurance to all people eligible for Medicare who apply, requiring that each insurer charges the same premium for all enrollees of the same age, and using a risk-adjustment mechanism.

Note the “requiring all insurers to issue insurance to all people eligible” comment.  This is similar to saying that Tiffany’s must sell $500,000 diamonds to all people eligible to pay for them, (even Newt Gingrich).

We checked with Michael Cannon, director of health policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, one of the experts cited by Sevugan as backing up Wasserman Schultz’s claim

Gee, checked with an expert at the Cato Insitute, a hard line Conservative Think Tank, on the Ryan Plan.  We guess Rush Limbaugh wasn’t available.

And here’s one thing Mr. Cannon said

“Ryan’s plan says that insurance companies could not turn away seniors.  I’m not sure whether that means . . .

Yep, the Fact Checker checked with someone who supports the Plan and doesn’t even know what it means.

For failing to fact check the facts, we award the WP Fact Checker a copy of

Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right 

By Al Franken.  Read it in good health sir.

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