Fox host Ainsley Earhardt gave a nice wet kiss to Republicans this week by completely handing over all responsibility for facts in a discussion about the American Health Care Act (“Trumpcare”) to an AHCA-supporting doctor who just happens to be running for office.
The guest, Dr. Nicole Saphier, is a radiologist who believes that under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) too many people have health insurance!
Earhardt didn’t bother to tell the “we report, you decide” network’s viewers that Saphier is a Republican candidate for a seat on the Morris (NJ)Township Committee.
Earhardt pretended that the premise for the discussion was to “separate fact from fiction” in a New York Times op-ed which asserted that the AHCA will be “disastrous” for many Americans, especially women. Earhardt asked if “that is really true.”
Then Earhardt palmed off all the work in getting answers to her Republican office-seeking guest, one who, during a past appearance on Fox & Friends, showered lots of love on Health And Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
In setting up her “facts,” Earhardt asked if women’s health is “in danger” under the GOP bill.
Saphier provided the perfect scripted and predictable response: “These scare tactics on women are criminal and they really have to stop.” She noted that a “concern” is that “no federal dollars will be able to be used by Planned Parenthood across the nation on any services.” She acknowledged that, for rural communities, Planned Parenthood is the only service provider for women and “this is concerning.” So far, so good - but wait.
Saphier went on to lament, “Unfortunately, abortion services and Planned Parenthood are synonymous in most family households and that’s the fault of Planned Parenthood.” She recommended that Planned Parenthood separate its routine gynecological care from abortion services because “That would avoid some of the religious and emotional discord there.” (Nobody mentioned that clinics could still be the target of threats.)
Carefully avoiding the FACT that, under the Hyde Amendment, no public funds are used for abortion (with very narrow exceptions), Saphier, argued that not all politicians want to provide funding for abortion. She again suggested that Planned Parenthood “separate” out abortion services in order to maintain its other “great” services.
Earhardt, who couldn’t be bothered to fact check, found time to praise Saphier’s “compromise.” There are “so many taxpayers that don’t want to give money to Planned Parenthood for religious reasons,” Earhardt said. “They don’t want to support abortions.” (Again, taxpayer money is not spent on abortion.)
While acknowledging that not all Planned Parenthoods perform abortions, Saphier repeated her call for a separation in order to get bipartisan support for funding. Nobody pointed out the perils to women’s health in such a conservative-feel-good measure.
The rest of the discussion supposedly debunked other “myths” about Trumpcare.
Earhardt appeared to be reading from the Times article when she commented, "All who received coverage under the ACA Medicaid expansion will lose coverage, according to this article, under the AHCA.” But THERE IS NO SUCH QUOTE. The article discusses how, “by cutting $880 billion from Medicaid over 10 years, the House bill removes a crucial source of coverage for many women’s health services.”
Saphier dismissed concerns about Medicaid cuts by claiming that the rollback will mostly affect “able-bodied adults without children who are actually able to work.”
But the FACT is that, as the article explains, Medicaid covers childbirth costs for poor women, so cutting Medicaid would be devastating for these women. But not a problem for Saphier who said that budget cutting is the main priority.
Earhardt claimed that the Times article states that “essential health benefits are no longer covered.” She added, “That sounds like a myth to me.” But the Times actually states that the AHCA “puts essential services at risk” by removing the mandate for ACA-defined essential services for women.
Saphier praised the AHCA for addressing concerns of people who don’t want to pay for women’s health care when they are not using it themselves and allowing people to craft their own health plans.
So ladies, don’t worry about losing your healthcare because a Fox doctor says that Trumpcare is awesome. Seriously, talk about myth making. Seriously, talk about “criminal.”
Watch the spinning below, from the May 15, 2017 Fox & Friends.