Hillary Clinton: 'We now have driven costs down to the lowest they've been in 50 years'

[Loudestlib]

We rate her claim as False.

Clinton said during the debate, "We now have driven costs down to the lowest they've been in 50 years."

When we contacted the Clinton campaign, spokesman Nick Merrill said what Clinton was actually talking about was the rate at which health care costs have been going up.

But we did find, more to the point that Clinton's campaign says Clinton was trying to make, that health care spending at the time had grown slower than at any time in the previous 50 years. Those data come from 2009 and 2010, and preliminary estimates from 2011 were showing a similar trend.

However, that may not be true anymore.

Although the rate of growth has been at historic lows, the actual per-person cost of health care has increased steadily over the last half century. Only the rate of decline has slowed, a very different measure. The Clinton campaign acknowledges that the candidate misspoke.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jan/18/hillary-clinton/hillary-clinton-we-now-have-driven-costs-down-tgo-/

[Avalux]

1. I yelled at the TV when she said that.

Personally, I have a good job and employer provided health insurance. I am paying MORE this year than the past several years. A lot more, to the tune of around $1500.

Hillary says things with such conviction, even though she knows it's not true. I don't trust her and never will.

[hopemountain]

24. yes. due to the greedy medical health facility and

pharmaceutical corportations, aarp, and the medical professional organizations. this is why single payer is going to be the only way to bring down medical costs. providers have too much power and say on medical charges and speak only for their boards and ceo's.

[EndElectoral]

2. Not sure who's paying her premiums.

[CorporatistNation]

6. I am Quite Certain We Are! At Worst as A 68 Y/o She IS Medicare Pt. Someone Should Ask Her

It would be funny... She does not want Medicare for All , yet she is on Medicare....

[uponit7771]

3. Grown slower, is lower, yada yada... they accomplished a lot with it no matter what category

... she decides to laud.

Word smithing for the most part cause this doesn't change the over all message that there's no since in starting that whole fight over again, building on the imperfect ACA makes more sense

[kenfrequed]

4. She thought no one would look up the numbers

But the odd thing is that most people KNOW that healthcare costs have gone up.

I honestly think that this "misstatement" might cause her a lot of trouble.

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. "candidate misspoke" = Candidate KNOWINGLY LIED.

Misspoke, my arse.

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[Doctor_J]

7. I usually assume that everything she says is a lie

If it turns out that she said something that's true, I am pleasantly surprised. If I had a chance to ask her a question, it would be, "what do you feel is so bad about Medicare that it should not be available for everyone"?

[dsc]

8. clearly she misspoke

No one thinks that the cost of health care is lower now than it was in 1965. But the rate of increase, which is what any rational person knows she meant is lower. But the rate of increase, which is what she clearly meant, she was 100 percent right.

[Motown_Johnny]

14. If you base that on a 2013 report from the White House, you are way out of date.

Odds are, you are trying to pass this information off as evidence to support Hillary:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/healthcostreport_final_noembargo_v2.pdf



Sorry, that is out of date.

Hillary was either lying or doesn't know what the fuck she is talking about. Or possibly both. 20 years, not 50, 20.


http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2015/11/12/388800.htm


^snip^

U.S. Health Care Cost Increases at Lowest Rate in Nearly 20 years:


After plan design changes and vendor negotiations, the average health care rate increase for mid-size and large companies was 3.2 percent in 2015, marking the lowest rate increase since 1996, according to a new analysis by Aon.

Aon projects average premium increases will jump to 4.1 percent in 2016.

[dsc]

15. I haven't done the math for the entire time since the ADA

but I think there is a very good probability that those years had the lowest health care inflation rate since the 60's. Health care inflation has been historically low and the ACA had a great deal to do with that.

[Motown_Johnny]

16. You can't just make unsubstantiated claims and expect to be taken seriously.

You said that Hillary is 100% right when she is dead wrong.

There is a word for that.
Propaganda.

[dsc]

17. Here from the wall street journal

The jump comes after five consecutive years of average spending growth of less than 4% annually—a rate touted by the Obama administration as the lowest since the government began tracking health spending in the 1960s and a sign that the health law’s Medicare provisions were helping rein in health costs

Five consecutive years of 4 percent followed by one of 5.5. So that is six years.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-health-spending-growth-jumped-to-5-5-in-2014-1438114020

There is no comprible period since the 1960's not even close. The ADA doesn't deserve all the credit but it deserves a good bit of it. Even the 5.5 which is the highest since 2010, is, in historical terms, on the low side.

[Motown_Johnny]

18. You sure are trying hard, but failing miserably ....

From your own link, the very first paragraph.

WASHINGTON—Growth in national health spending, which had dropped to historic lows in recent years, has snapped back and is set to continue at a faster pace over the next decade, federal actuaries said Tuesday.




Her exact quote was " 'We now have driven costs down to the lowest they've been in 50 years''.

Even if we assume she misspoke and really meant that we have driven down the increase in costs to the lowest they've been in 50 years, she would still be wrong. As you admitted, it has jumped back up to 5.5% and as your link says it is set to continue at a faster pace over the next decade.

There just isn't any way to put her statement into the present tense and make it correct. You can only refer to a short period when we did see a few years when the cost increases were slower. That time has passed. Her statement would need to be in the past tense, referring specifically to those few years, to be correct.


It looks like she both misspoke by not saying "increase in costs" and is wrong by not realizing that costs are again rising at a higher rate than is acceptable to most Americans.

Terrible candidate. Getting facts wrong and misspeaking when presenting them too. I honestly don't see how anyone can want her as our nominee.

[Odin2005]

20. SHE LIED

[dsc]

23. that is ridiculous

no one on earth believes the cost of health care hasn't risen since 1965. She meant that costs are rising slower than they have been since the 1960's and if one looks at the complete time frame and not just last year, she is right.

[CorporatistNation]

9. Hillary IS The Grand Marshall For Preserving The Status Quo...

Not good enough...

[Runningdawg]

10. Cost lower? nope

In 1992 I had an MRI after a car accident. Insurance paid the bill after my $500 deducible was met.
I'm facing abdominal surgery and my Dr has asked for an MRI. The deductible is now $3000 and the testing center has told me I need to pay the deductible before scheduling the test. If I don't have the money, but good credit, they will loan me the money at 22% interest. After discussing this with my Dr she made a few suggestions: 1)Borrow the money from a bank for lower interest. 2) If you don't have good credit sell your car, move to a smaller cheaper apartment, get a third job 3)Don't have the test at all, wait until my issue becomes a true emergency, because in an emergency, they won't ask for the deductible upfront.
So hear I sit, having chosen option #3 wondering how the odds will play out for me.

[Motown_Johnny]

11. Didn't she just prove that she either knows nothing about this subject...

or she will say absolutely anything to gain a few political points?

[libdem4life]

12. She does that on a pretty regular basis....as to both of your comments.

[kath]

13. ANOTHER LIE.

[Odin2005]

19. Clinton is a professional liar for the 1%.

[jfern]

21. Yeah, I knew that was false as soon as she said it

She can't help but lie lie lie lie lie.

[forest444]

22. While I'm sure she meant 'health care inflation'

and while, according to official data, her claim would be true if that's what she meant, even giving her that benefit of he doubt her claim would be preposterous.

Because official health care inflation data is preposterous.

Here's what she's basing the claim on:



Who on earth believes health care prices in the U.S. have been going up by 2 to 4% a year since 1995, as the official data claim. If anyone did they'd be in lonely company, I promise you that.

[Bernblu]

25. Who does she think she is fooling? Does she take us for fools and suckers?

[djean111]

26. Yes, she does. n/t