U.S. President Barack Obama says critics of his health care reformproposals are circulating "outrageous myths." Opposition Republicans counter that it is Mr.Obama who does not have his facts straight.
As President Obamaloses ground in the debate on overhauling health care, he is using hisweekly Internet address to challenge what he calls "phony claims" byhis critics.
"But it also should be an honest debate, not onedominated by willful misrepresentations and outright distortions,spread by the very folks who would benefit the most by keeping thingsexactly as they are," he said.
The president is refuting claimsmade by critics at public meetings with lawmakers. He says taxpayerswould not be required to fund abortions, he does not intend agovernment takeover of health care, and his plan would not coverillegal immigrants.
"Let's start with the false claim thatillegal immigrants will get health insurance under reform," said thepresident. "That's not true. Illegal immigrants would not becovered. That idea has never even been on the table."
Mr. Obamais specifically targeting the notion of so-called "death panels," whichformer Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said on the Internet would decidewhether terminally ill senior citizens would live or die.
"Andas every credible person who has looked into it has said, there are noso-called 'death panels'-an offensive notion to me and to the Americanpeople. These are phony claims meant to divide us," he said.
Inthe Republican Party response, Congressman Tom Price from the Southernstate of Georgia says Mr. Obama is not telling the exact truth abouthealth care.
"As opposition to the Democrats' government-runplan is mounting, the president has said he would like to stamp outsome of the disinformation floating around out there," he said. "Theproblem is, the president himself plays fast and loose with the facts."
CongressmanPrice, who is also a medical doctor, rejects the president's claim thathis initiative would not put excessive power to make medical decisionsin the hands of the government.
"Unfortunately, the plan beingpromoted by the White House would give Washington the power to makehighly personal medical decisions on behalf of patients, on behalf ofyou," he said.
The United States is the only major industrialnation that does not have a comprehensive national health care plan forall its people.
Mr. Obama and his family will spend the nextweek on vacation, at the Camp David presidential retreat in Marylandand on the Atlantic resort island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.