I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of the idea of balance in media. Often, journalists take this as a license to present both sides as equal, no matter if one side is clearly lying. Journalism should strive to present the facts, and that sometimes means one side gets more play than the other.

Still, sometimes there is clear bias in the media, and it deserves to get called out. Take Anna Wilde Mathews' article in today's Wall Street Journal.

In it, Mathews discusses who wins and who loses under Barack Obama and John McCain's health care plans. Complete with fancy graphics, the article makes the case that John McCain's plan would save people more money, touting the statistic that 41% of families making less than $100,000 a year would save $2,500. Under Obama's plan, Mathews says, most families would see "little effect."

The problem is where Mathews gets her numbers. She relies almost exclusively on a report released by the Lewin Group. Kudos to Mathews for explaining the extreme conflict of interest this group represents:

Lewin Group, a unit of insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc., said its analysis of the plans was performed with no input from its parent company and wasn't solicited by either campaign.

Let's get this straight, shall we? Mathews relies on a report from an insurance company that comes to the conclusion McCain's tax credits and insurance industry deregulation are better for America than Obama's expanded coverage. Who saw that one coming?

Now, there are problems with the Lewin Group's analysis, but that's not quite the issue here. The real issue is that many other studies have been done on the effects of the Obama and McCain health care plans, but Mathews doesn't mention them. The Economic Policy Institute has released a report showing state by state how much McCain's health care plan would cost and how many people would lose coverage. The Center for American Progress Action Fund has a report detailing the cuts McCain will have to make to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for his plan, as well as the increased cost to families. Health Affairs has detailed the 20 million that would lose coverage under the McCain plan. Why did none of these reports make it into Mathews piece?

The only caveats thrown into Mathews' Lewin Group stenography is to briefly mention that McCain's plan is better for the young and healthy (and that the elderly or sick will have trouble). And the only outside expert quoted in the piece is from the American Enterprise Institute, so you know exactly where he stands.

It's pretty astounding that Mathews drew almost exclusively on right-wing sources to write this hit piece. No effort was made for competing information, even when it comes from clearly non-partisan sources like Health Affairs.

It's too bad this article gets presented as journalism. It's not. It's clearly biased. The American people deserve better.

NEWS

Health-Care Fixes: Plan vs. Plan - Wall Street Journal

Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have each offered sweeping, and contrasting, prescriptions for how to reform the health-care system. In last week's presidential debate, the two clashed over how their policies would affect the Ohio plumber, whom Sen. McCain has showcased as a sort of Everyman American. But the two health plans would have very different effects on various groups. The impact depends on factors such as your income, health status and what kind of insurance you currently have, if any.

Reporting on McCain health-care plan, USA Today left out projection that progress on uninsured will decline after 2013 - Media Matters

Summary: USA Today reported that under Sen. John McCain's health-care plan, "[a]bout 4.6 million more people would gain coverage by 2013, the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center say," but it did not point out that the TPC also reported that after 2013, "the number of uninsured would creep upward." According to the TPC analysis, by 2018, the number of people covered would be only 2 million more than would have been covered that year without McCain's plan.

Experts: Healthcare Reform is Needed, but What to Do? - Miami Herald

Saying she still had "marks on my back from healthcare reform," University of Miami President Donna Shalala told 100 South Florida healthcare leaders Wednesday morning that the key to making major changes was not only reaching agreement that major changes are needed but also having a consensus on what should be done.

Medical School Entrants Increase 2% to Record 18,036 in U.S. - Bloomberg

Enrollment of entry-level students at U.S. medical schools climbed 1.6 percent to 18,036, the biggest class in history, with the number of Latinos increasing 10 percent.

The folks in Oregon sure are creative:

And they're right.

For months now, the insurance industry has been on tour, pushing for further deregulation of their industry. As if coverage wasn't bare-bones enough now, they want the ability to set up show in states with favorable regulations, regulations which allow them to deny more coverage to us, even though we've paid our premiums.

The American people, of course, want change. We want quality, affordable health care for all.

Today, Health Care for America Now has asked all our partners, all 439 organizations in our coalition (groups like SEIU, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, UFCW, Campaign for America's Future, Planned Parenthood, and others), and all our affiliates in the states to get their members to call Congress today and demand quality, affordable health care for all. It's a nationally coordinated push, an effort designed to make it unmistakeably clear to Members of Congress that this is a priority in America today, and that something must be done in 2009.

So, even if you've called already, pick up the phone and give your elected officials a call. Do it right now, from your computer, using our click-to-call tool. Be part of our national day of action and help us make this momentum real.

NEWS

On Health Plans, the Numbers Fly - New York Times

Economics, it is said, is the dismal science. Anyone paying close attention to the campaign debate over the economics of health care might wonder about the science part.

Study tries to debunk myths of ERs, uninsured - USA Today

The uninsured are not responsible for overcrowding in the nation's hospital emergency departments, despite conventional wisdom to the contrary, a study out Tuesday says.

Bailout seen hitting Obama, McCain health plans - Reuters

The U.S. government's $700 billion plan to bail out Wall Street will likely take a toll on both presidential candidates' plans to reform health care in America, Lancet Oncology reported on Tuesday.

Patients Seek Financial Aid to Buy Medicine - Wall Street Journal

Layoffs Drive Rise in Interest In Programs Aimed at Poor; Help Navigating the Choices

Jonathan Martin picks up early on the meme:

One of the great untold stories of this race so far is just how much McCain is being damaged on health care.

…

So many, many voters now are concerned about what will happen to their healthcare were McCain to be president.

According to a NYT/CBS poll earlier this month, 54% of voters surveyed said they were not confident McCain would "make the right decisions on health care."   Only 10% said they were very confident he'd do so.

Further, there is anecdotal evidence that Obama's paid media onslaught has gotten people thinking about health care.

There is almost no way to underestimate the importance of this point. One of the clearest policy differences between Obama and McCain is on health care. And Obama is highlighting it over and over, in multiple ads, at all the debates, and in his stump speeches. If there is one issue that puts Obama over the top, it's going to be health care.

And it's not just in the Presidential. The pushback we're getting from some of the Congressional candidates who got called out on their health care plan is substantial, and it makes sense. People are talking about health care. People know there is a clear difference between conservative and progressive health care plans. Candidates are scared.

They should be. Taking money from the poor and giving it to rich corporations (the conservative kind of wealth redistribution) has utterly failed to make America stronger, more productive, or happier. It's not surprise that people are turning against health care schemes that do just that.

It's time for the American people to get what they pay for when it comes to health care. It's time to stop propping up inefficient businesses who only care about their bottom line.

People will be thinking about their health this year when they go to the polls. We're doing our best to make it even more so.

NEWS

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 — October 2008 - Kaiser Family Foundation

The final Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008 finds more people are reporting problems with health care bills, and paying for health care retains a solid hold on the public’s list of their top economic concerns.

Medicaid Costs Projected To Grow by 7.9% Annually, According to CMS Report - Kaiser Family Foundation

The CMS Office of the Actuary on Friday projected that state and federal spending on Medicaid will total about $339 billion in 2008 and will rise at a rate of 7.9% annually to $674 billion by 2017, CQ HealthBeat reports. According to the report, Medicaid spending growth is expected to increase at a faster rate over the next decade than the economy in general, which is expected to increase by 4.8% annually, and health care spending in general, which is expected to rise by 6.7% annually. The report found that in 2017, Medicaid will comprise 3% of the gross domestic product, and Medicaid and Medicare combined will make up 6.9% of GDP. Medicare spending is expected to increase by about 7.4% annually through 2017, according to CMS.

An eroding model for health insurance - Los Angeles Times

Working Americans once could rely on employer-based benefits. But more people are being forced into the individual market, where coverage is costly, bare-bones and precarious.

A racial divide - Chicago Sun Times

Blacks, Hispanics more likely to die after getting treatment for head injuries, other trauma, a new study finds

On Thursday at public events around the country, more Members of Congress (and other leaders around the country) signed on to Health Care for America Now's vision for change. For just a few examples, here is Rose Marie Greco, Director of PA Governor Rendell's Office of Health Care Reform signing on:

And here's West Virginia Representative Nick Rahall signing on as well:

All in all, we've got 107 Members of Congress signed on to support quality, affordable health care for all.

On the other side, those who are against health care reform are resorting to more and more desperate tactics to hold back this wave of change that they know is coming. Some of the candidates we've run ads against have complained to television stations asking to take our ads off the air. We've provided factual backup to our claims and so far, no ads have been pulled.

And then there are candidates like Frank Wolf down in Virginia's 10th district, who put out this mailer with attacks that are simply untrue (click for a slightly bigger version):

Our Director of Online Campaigns, Levana Layendecker, was interviewed about Health Care for America Now and the position of health care in the upcoming election and into next year by Heather from Care2.

Head over there and check it out!

NEWS

Your mom and dad are right: Good health = better grades - Minnesota Star Tribune

Clean, stress-free living pays off for college students, a University of Minnesota study finds.

Baucus says he will lead health-care reform effort - The Montana Standard

Sen. Max Baucus offered a frank assessment Friday of what ails the nation's health-care system, calling it overpriced and lacking in consistent quality — and vowed to lead the effort to reform it.

Obama Attacks McCain on Health Care and Medicare, in Some Ways Inaccurately - New York Times

In a coordinated air and ground attack, Senator Barack Obama is charging that his Republican rival for the presidency, Senator John McCain, would make $882 billion in “drastic cuts to Medicare” to pay for his health care proposal.

Fewer Americans Getting Health Insurance Via Work - Forbes

Fewer American workers are getting health insurance through their jobs, either their own or that of a family member. A new study by Elise Gould, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute, finds that more than 3 million fewer Americans under 65 had employer-sponsored health insurance in 2007 than in 2000.

Hawaii ending universal child health care - Miami Herald

Hawaii is dropping the only state universal child health care program in the country just seven months after it launched.

From the podium the speakers who signed on the "Which Side are You On?" statement could see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Rep. Bob Brady couldn't help but ponder in his speech, "Why isn't health care considered a fundamental human right in our Constitution?" At the event, Rep. Bob Brady, Rep. Allyson Schwartz, and Rose Marie Greco, Gov. Ed Rendell's representative all signed on to our side for quality, affordable health care. Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Chaka Fattah also signed on to the statement that day.

(You can add your photos to our slide show by tagging them with the tag: pahealthcareforamericanowrally)

Hundreds of Philadelphians cheered all the speakers demanding a guarantee of quality affordable health care for all. The hall blazed with brightly colored t-shirts from UFCW, ACORN, AFSCME, SEIU, Philadelphia Unemployment Project, and many other groups. Spontaneous chants rang out:

What do we want?

HEALTH CARE!

When do we want it?

NOW!!!

It was apparent at the scene that people from all walks of life aren't going to wait any longer for change. Thank you so much to all of the groups who helped with the rally in Philadelphia yesterday — you are an inspiration and reason why we will finally win the real health care reform we deserve.

Watch the video of the rally.