� ���""a tsunami of rumors, myths, fear-mongering and misinformation about the proposals that surges around the internet"� �� �What we're seeing is a flood of viral content that distorts the Obama effort to reform health care,� �� � says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, who runs www.factcheck.org, a website that examines specious claims from all sides of the political spectrum. � ���"Extremists and people who are so locked into their own ideology that they'll distort anything have been out there forever,� �� � she adds"it would be useful if as many people as possible actually understood what the proposals are about,� �� � Jamieson says. But the rise of the Internet and the decline of the mainstream press as a prime source of information, she adds, put that prospect at risk"Could the rumor-mongering affect the outcome? Recent violent interruptions at lawmakers' town hall meetings suggest it might.� �� �
That article continues with a kind FAQ section:
� ���"Will the government take over health care so we end up with socialized medicine?
No. Neither the president nor the congressional committees have suggested anything remotely resembling a government takeover of health care"Opponents of reform constantly use the term � ���"government-run health care� �� � to disparage the reform proposals, despite the popularity and success of existing government-run programs like Medicare. The tactic often works. Even some Medicare beneficiaries say they're worried about a � ���"government takeover� �� � of Medicare.� �� �
� ���"Will private insurance be outlawed or wither on the vine?
No"Fears of a mass exodus from employer insurance � ���"are overblown,� �� � the study found. � ���"Millions of workers will keep the employer-sponsored insurance they have today.� �� �
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