In the World

Two more fun health-care reform links

The first is wonky fun: the Kaiser Family Foundation has a simple, ten-question quiz that measures how well you understand how the 2010 health-care reform bill works. I missed two questions, though I think one of them was poorly worded: "Will the health reform law expand the existing Medicaid program to cover low-income, uninsured adults regardless of whether they have children?"

I went with no—not because, thanks to the Supreme Court's ruling, some states might decline to expand their Medicaid rolls, but because "low-income" normally means up to 200 percent of the poverty line. The new law expands Medicaid eligibility, but only to 133 percent. But apparently the question meant to say some low-income, uninsured adults. (I also missed a question about Medicare, for which I have no excuse.)

It's particularly interesting to see your own quiz results alongside percentages of Americans who got the same questions right in a Kaiser survey (from last winter). Only 27 percent knew that the law does not "create a new government run insurance plan to be offered along with private plans." It's astonishing what a systematic disinformation plan—the endless and nonsensical cries of government "takeover"—can accomplish.

The second link is just the regular kind of fun: Affordable Care Cat, a headline-typo-inspired Tumblr. Amazing.

Steve Thorngate

The Century managing editor is also a church musician and songwriter.

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