Media Matters - "Fox News runs with faulty industry-funded "study" of Baucus bill"

[TomCADem]

Rachel Maddow's Show Had Clips Of Republican Citing The AHIP Report, But Anyone Else? I don't see any stories on CNN, MSNBC and definitely nothing on Fox about folks like Chuck Grassley, John Kyl, and Mike Enzi referring to the report as thought it were the god given truth. Indeed, Fox repeatedly cites the AHIP report as fact:

http://mediamatters.org/research/200910130058

###

Stephen Moore: "As the health insurance study showed yesterday," bill will make "insurance more expensive." Fox News contributor Stephen Moore stated on America's Newsroom, "As the health insurance study showed yesterday, for people who have insurance already, the only -- the only repercussion of this bill is it's gonna make their insurance more expensive."

* * *

Fox anchor Brian Kilmeade asserts "many people" agree with PWC report. Kilmeade stated, "he problem is with the insurance companies and the study that came out yesterday. And that study shows that premiums gonna go up $1,500 for an individual and $4,000 for families -- that's if you agree with Pricewaterhouse's review, and many people do, as well as this health study group."

Fox News correspondent Mike Emanuel explains PWC study's "point." Emanuel said of the report, "Senator Baucus went after it pretty hard. But their point was that, you know, any fees or taxes will get passed along to consumers. That will raise your costs. They are also saying that young people may not sign up for health insurance because the fines aren't that substantial. And if you are going to take everybody who has a pre-existing condition, you need young people who would be typically cheap to kind of balance the equation and so they're not convinced that young people will sign up in big numbers for health insurance reform to help balance that equation."

Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr.: PWC study is "very definitive." Johnson stated of the report, "hey say the costs are going to go up 111 percent by 2019, rather than 79 percent. That a plan that would have cost $21,900 will then cost $25,900 for a family. But you know what this is emblematic of, Gretchen? This is emblematic of the corruption and the lack of transparency of this entire six-month process or so that's gone on." Johnson added, "ow we have a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers paid for by the insurance industry that says that there is going to be a monumental increase -- increase -- in health insurance premiums, the exact opposite of what the president talked about at the very beginning as the reason for this plan. And they lay it out in a very definitive 26-page report, 'Potential impact of health reform on the cost of private health insurance coverage.' And it shows that in 24 of our 50 states -- 24 of our 50 states over the next 10 years, there will be plans -- the cheapest plans will, in fact, be considered Cadillac plans and subject to tax."

###