http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/c3134f0324e647d5b380933f9b9b3bc8/ap-fact-check-many-claims-some-warpedAP FACT CHECK: Many claims, some warped
By CALVIN WOODWARD and CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
Jul. 28, 2016 3:29 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's hot out there, politically speaking, with Hillary Clinton's convention going full steam and Donald Trump refusing to stay quiet while Democrats put on their big show. Reality is sometimes getting warped in the process.
A look at some claims Wednesday and how they compare with the facts, on a day packed with a lengthy news conference by Trump and evening convention speeches by high-powered Democrats, capped by President Barack Obama:
OBAMA: "After a century of trying, we declared that health care in America is not a privilege for a few, but a right for everybody."
THE FACTS: Obama's health care overhaul does guarantee that people with pre-existing medical conditions can no longer be denied health insurance, but it also made coverage an obligation for everybody. People must have coverage or face fines from the IRS. That mandate remains highly unpopular.
The law provides subsidies to help low- to middle-income people purchase a private plan. But even so, some find their premiums too high. And nearly 29 million remain uninsured, according to government estimates. Health care as a "right for everybody" may better describe Bernie Sanders' idea of a government-run system for all. That system also entails obligations: the higher taxes that would be collected to pay for it.
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