In his latest video as part of our fact-checking partnership, CNN’s Jake Tapper highlights four claims we wrote about from President Obama’s final State of the Union to the nation.
Video: FactChecking Obama’s Address
Issues: health care
Clinton’s Shaky Cost-Shifting Claim
Hillary Clinton claimed that private insurance premiums have “gone up so much” in some states that didn’t expand Medicaid because hospitals shifted their costs for providing emergency care for the uninsured. But we have found no data to support that claim, and the idea that such cost shifting occurs is debated.
Fiorina’s Unsupported Claim about VA Deaths
Carly Fiorina has said 307,000 veterans have died while waiting for care from the Veterans Health Administration. In one instance, she said all of those veterans “died in the last year,” citing a recent inspector general’s report. But that’s not what the report says.
Rubio’s Shaky ACA Hypothetical
Sen. Marco Rubio described a hypothetical Detroit business owner with 10 employees as facing higher costs under the Affordable Care Act, saying the man was considering moving one employee to part time to “save … a significant amount under Obamacare.”
Jeb Bush Attacks Planned Parenthood
Jeb Bush claims Planned Parenthood should not receive federal funding because “they’re not actually doing women’s health issues.” That’s simply false.
Sanders Hypes Health Spending
Sen. Bernie Sanders said that the United States spends “almost twice as much per capita on health care as do the people of any other country.” He’s wrong about that.
Fiorina’s Unverified ER Stat
Carly Fiorina claims that “emergency room visits are up over 50 percent” under the Affordable Care Act. Her campaign did not respond when we asked where she got that figure, but there is no evidence we could find to support it.
Reid Wrong on Planned Parenthood
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid claimed in a floor speech that 30 percent of U.S. women get their health care from Planned Parenthood. That’s false. By one measure, the number is less than 3 percent.
Is Medicaid Bad for Your Health?
Under the Affordable Care Act, millions of the uninsured have gained Medicaid coverage. But is Medicaid good for their health, bad for their health, or does it make no difference?
SCOTUS Ruling Fallout
Reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling in the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act was swift — and included comments that strayed from the facts.