Who Did the Best Job Combating Health Care Myths?

It’s been a good week for BS.

The AP inflated the Congressional Budget Office price tag for the House bill by half a trillion dollars, and then refused to back down even when corrected by the CBO (kudos for not falling for this, Reuters.)  The NY Post ran a hit job on the surtax on the wealthiest 1.2% proposal, conflating a $50 tax increase with a $2,850 increase.  Six senators claimed that the health care reform we’ve been working on non-stop since January was now being rushed, and urged putting the breaks on the process out of concerns for the high costs – despite all but one of them previously voting for cloture for the cost-crazy, deficit-driving and fiscally irresponsible Medicare Modernization Act of 2003.  Seems like everyone had some myth to peddle this week.

So who did the best job deflating some of the rampant misinformation this week?

It wasn’t President Obama, although his weekly YouTube address tackles head-on the myth that health care reform will lead to an increase in the deficit, rationing of care, or socialized medicine gets an honorable mention.  It was Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, who took the occasion of an interview with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to skewer some of the more preposterous notions on health care reform out there.  Along the way, he came up with the best reason for reform to be paid by an increase in revenue from the wealthiest Americans – because it will encourage the wealthy to nag the hell out of people they see being unhealthy.

Continue watching part 2 of the interview with Secretary Sebelius.