The case of Julie Boonstra, a leukemia patient who was featured in an Americans for Prosperity ad against Representative Gary Peters (D-MI) claiming she had lost her doctor and seen her premiums rise as a result of the Affordable Care Act, became controversial last month after politicians and reporters disputed the details of the ad, finding that Obamacare would actually improve her health coverage at lower cost.
Glenn Kessler, Washington Postâs fact checker, originally assigned the story âtwo Pinocchiosâ (on a scale of four) pending further information about Boonstraâs plan (which he said AFP declined to give him). On Tuesday morning, he downgraded AFPâs ad to â3 Pinocchios,â arguing that much of Boonstraâs story had proven to be false, and that the groupâs new ad, which merely says that Boonstraâs plan âisnât right for me,â is a much fuzzier and âmore subjectiveâ claim.
Kessler noted that Boonstraâs new plan allowed her to retain her old doctor, and lowered her premiums by $1,200/year. It also covered all of her prescription medications and all of her out of pocket medical expenses on a bone marrow transplant, contrary to her worries on both.
âOne cannot claim that a plan is âunaffordableâ when over the course of the year it will provide you with substantial savings,â Kessler wrote. âThus we are changing the rating on this ad from Two Pinocchios to Three Pinocchios.â
http://www.mediaite.com/online/wapo-fact-checker-downgrades-obamacare-horror-story-to-3-pinocchios/
Glenn Kessler, Washington Postâs fact checker, originally assigned the story âtwo Pinocchiosâ (on a scale of four) pending further information about Boonstraâs plan (which he said AFP declined to give him). On Tuesday morning, he downgraded AFPâs ad to â3 Pinocchios,â arguing that much of Boonstraâs story had proven to be false, and that the groupâs new ad, which merely says that Boonstraâs plan âisnât right for me,â is a much fuzzier and âmore subjectiveâ claim.
Kessler noted that Boonstraâs new plan allowed her to retain her old doctor, and lowered her premiums by $1,200/year. It also covered all of her prescription medications and all of her out of pocket medical expenses on a bone marrow transplant, contrary to her worries on both.
âOne cannot claim that a plan is âunaffordableâ when over the course of the year it will provide you with substantial savings,â Kessler wrote. âThus we are changing the rating on this ad from Two Pinocchios to Three Pinocchios.â
http://www.mediaite.com/online/wapo-fact-checker-downgrades-obamacare-horror-story-to-3-pinocchios/

