Romney used the number $90 billion five times in the first presidential debate, claiming, In one year, (Obama) provided $90 billion in breaks to the green energy world ... into solar and wind, to Solyndra and Fisker and Tesla and Ener1. That $90 billion, in a report provided by the Romney campaign, wasnt provided in one year, wasnt distributed primarily via tax breaks, wasnt primarily provided directly to companies, wasnt primarily spent on solar and wind, and wasnt spent at all on Fisker or Tesla. 60 percent of it was directed to state and local governments and utility companies for energy efficiency, transportation and electrical infrastructure.
Romney said, Right now, the Congressional Budget Office says up to 20 million people will lose their insurance as Obamacare goes into effect next year. That number is cherry-picked, and many of those 20 million will be leaving employer coverage voluntarily for better options. Romney also ignores that under the status quo, many more people today lose coverage than even the highest, cherry-picked CBO estimate.
Obama said that by repealing Obamacare, youre looking at 50 million people losing health insurance. The figure is based on projections for a decade down the road. If Romney repeals Obamacare, 30 million to 32.9 million people would lose coverage by 2022. 18 million additional people might lose coverage if Romney achieves his plan of converting Medicaid to a block grant.
Romney said that Obama has doubled the deficit. The debt held by the public rose from $6.3 trillion on Jan. 20, 2009, to $11.3 trillion on the day of the debate, an increase of 79 percent. The total federal debt, which includes debt the government holds itself, rose by a smaller amount over that period, 53 percent. In reality, using the most appropriate comparison, Obama and Congress have actually decreased the deficit slightly.
Romney said his health care proposals include protections for pre-existing conditions. What he didnt say at the debate but which his website states and advisers confirmed after the debate is that people would be protected from denial only if they have been continuously insured. Obamacare offers protections whether people have current coverage or not.
Obama said that under Gov. Romneys definition ... Donald Trump is a small business. But any tax cuts Trump would get from Romney would have nothing to do with whether hes a small business or not.
Obama said health care premiums have gone up slower than any time in the last 50 years because of the Affordable Care Act. He mistakenly referred to premiums, not all health care spending for 50 years. The historical data for premiums is generally consistent with his claim, but they only go back 14 years. He also vastly exaggerated the impact of his health care law on the costs. Experts say thats due to the recession, not the law.
President Obama said Mitt Romney seeks a $5 trillion tax cut. The $5 trillion figure accounts for only half of Romneys plan and its cumulative over 10 years. The governor says he will offset those lost revenues by reducing tax deductions and eliminating loopholes. He has never said what those changes would be. The president made a misleading statement about an incomplete plan, but he did describe what the plan was missing and Romney would not fill in the gaps.
Romney said Obama put in place a board that can tell people ultimately what treatments theyre going to receive.The board can reduce how much the government pays health care providers for services, reduce payments to hospitals with very high rates of re-admissions or recommend innovations that cut wasteful spending. Its forbidden from submitting any recommendation to ration health care, as Section 3403 of the health care law states. It may not raise premiums for Medicare beneficiaries or increase deductibles, coinsurance or co-payments. The Board cannot change who is eligible for Medicare, restrict benefits or make recommendations that would raise revenue.
Source:http://www.politifact.com/
