Reporter Knows Best: ‘Sir, I Grew Up in Canada’
U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) got smacked down by an MSNBC reporter after falsely claiming that Canadians flock to the U.S. for treatment because they hate universal health care.
After trashing ObamaCare for stopping insurance companies from selling cheap health insurance policies that were nearly worthless, Rep. Jordan decided to go one step further, disagreeing with reporter Ali Velshi.
“In all the developed countries that have single-payer systems or universal health care happiness about health care is actually substantially greater than it is in the United States,” Velshi assured Jordan.
The Ohio Congressman wasn’t willing to move from the false talking points Republicans have been spreading for years.
“Then why do they all come here for treatment?” Jordan insisted.
“They don’t all come here,” Velshi, who has the advantage of being the Chief Business Correspondent for NBC News, responded. “Republicans say that all the time, they don’t all come here,” Velshi repeated.
Jordan wasn’t having it, and talked over his host. “For major surgery they come here.”
“People in Canada, people in Norway, people in the United Kingdom, people in Sweden, people in Denmark, they don’t all come to the United States for health care. Why do you say that?” Velshi demanded to know.
“Well because you see it all the time. People in Canada come here for extensive surgery, they get it done in the United States,” Jordan claimed.
“Sir, I grew up in Canada, I lived in Canada, my entire family is in Canada. Nobody I know ever came to the United States – I’m sure you have a handful of stories like that. It’s not accurate or statistically true.”
The argument not quite done, Velshi challenged Jordan more: “Just name me one country where the free market system for health care works.”
Vox last month put the issue to rest after Sen. Ted Cruz made the same false claim. “No, Canadians do not flee en masse for US health care.”