First published at WashingtonTimes.com
Vice President Joe Biden starts the week with a renewed health care push, asking supporters to join the White House in its efforts to debunk rumors and imploring Americans to send in their personal stories to showcase the need for reform.
"The biggest myth of all is that our health insurance system is just fine, that there's no serious need for reform," Biden says in this two-minute Web video, linked at WhiteHouse.gov.
Some of the videos will be featured at WhiteHouse.gov, Biden said.
White House health care czar Nancy-Ann DeParle told people signed up for presidential emails they can take a quiz to find out what health care will mean for their families.
"Help the Vice President debunk this myth," was the subject line of the message.
She wrote:
Our latest Reality Check video features Vice President Joe Biden addressing the biggest whopper of all: that our health insurance system works just fine and Americans don’t care about reform. Nothing could be further from the truth.
So we’re trying something new. You can help the Vice President debunk this myth by uploading your own video on why reform matters to you. This is an opportunity for Americans of all backgrounds and situations to make the case for reform in your own words.
Watch the Vice President’s video and then respond with your own.
Need some help? We also have a new online quiz to help set the record straight about health insurance reform. Find out what’s in reform for somebody like you by answering a few questions.
What does reform mean if you already have insurance? What if you don’t? What does it mean if you’re young? If you’re a senior? If you have children?
Take the quiz and then share it — simple tools like this are a great way to cut through the noise and get the facts about reform: www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/quiz
Thank you,
Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform
P.S. No matter your age, where you work, whether you have insurance or not, you’ll be surprised at how much you’ll get out of health insurance reform. But don’t just take my word for it — take the quiz:www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/quiz
I took the quiz and here's what the White House tells me:
Here's What You Will Get Out of Health Insurance Reform
Reform will bring down costs generally and make insurance more affordable and accessible, ensuring more choices for quality coverage
Reform will allow you to keep the coverage you have if you want to
Reform will streamline and simplify paperwork and cut the bureaucracy for you and your doctor
Reform will be accompanied by an agreement to end the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D, dramatically reducing both the costs and anxieties associated with purchasing prescription drugs
Reform will end discrimination based on gender - a healthy 22 year old female can be charged premiums 150% higher than a healthy 22 year old male under the status quo
Reform will ensure you always have choices of quality, affordable health insurance no matter how often you move or change jobs
Reform puts a cap on what insurance companies can force you to pay in out of pocket expenses, co-pays and deductibles
Reform will prevent insurance companies from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive
In case voters are worried about the president collecting personal info through the Web site, the Web team notes on the quiz: "The White House will not retain or store any of the information volunteered through this quiz."
— Christina Bellantoni, White House correspondent, The Washington Times
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