Hannity omits question, crops Orszag to falsely claim he admitted that “it may be a while before you see any changes” from health reform

From the December 3 edition of Fox News' Hannity:

HANNITY: And finally in “Hannity's America,” the director of the Office for Management and Budget, Peter Orszag, made a stunning admission earlier today about the administration's health care plan.

Now, according to Orszag, in the event of a government health care takeover, it may be a while before you see any changes.

ORSZAG [video clip]: It will be years to decades to -- but a -- but just continuous improvement.

HANNITY: All right, yes, I'm sure with the government at the helm things will magically improve for the better. You know, in a few decades, when we're all bankrupt.

In fact, Orszag was responding to question about a time frame for "a system that will be more efficient and pay for quality, not quantity"

Orszag was not discussing when Americans will “see any changes” from health care reform. During a December 2 Health Affairs media breakfast, a reporter asked Orszag about a time frame “for a system that will be more efficient and pay for quality, not quantity.” Orszag responded, "[T]here's not a, sort of, demarcation point where we declare 'mission accomplished.' It is a gradual process that, you know, that we'll -- we'll be moving forward. And that is -- it will be years to decades to -- but a -- but just continuous improvement, and that is the point":

SHERYL STOLBERG (New York Times reporter): You've talked about laying the foundation for a system that will be more efficient and pay for quality, not quantity. And I think a lot of Americans would like to know over what time frame do you envision this system emerging? When will we be able to say in this country that we have a health care system that is efficient, that works properly?

ORSZAG: Well, I think it's not -- there's not a, sort of, demarcation point where we declare “mission accomplished.” It is a gradual process that, you know, that we're -- we'll be moving forward. And that is -- it will be years to decades to -- but a -- but just continuous improvement, and that is the point. There are some key missing pieces that do not exist today. Your doctor in too many cases today does not have any basis, doesn't have the evidence, to know whether this approach or that approach is better. And we need to be reducing the number of situations in which that's the case.

Orszag: Health IT funding, comparative effectiveness research in recovery act “occurring much sooner” than 2015. Responding to Stolberg, Orszag further stated that health IT funding and comparative effectiveness research provisions included in the recovery act are “going to be occurring much sooner than 2015.”

ORSZAG: We have the health IT funding, and we have the comparative effectiveness research that's in the recovery act. That's going to be occurring much sooner than 2015. But this is -- this is not -- I think this is the key thing, this is not -- improving the quality of health care, it's more like a lifelong nutrition or diet, not a -- studying for an exam. You don't just, you know, study for the exam and you're done with it. It requires continuous effort. And what you are doing in this legislation is putting in place a system that will make that easier to do and a more auspicious approach than what we have now.

Numerous benefits from Senate health care bill would “be available in the first year after enactment” of the bill

Senate Democrats note “Immediate Benefits” of health care bill. According to a document put forth by Senate Democrats summarizing the “Immediate Benefits” of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the bill includes numerous benefits that would “be available in the first year after enactment” of the bill. Indeed, WashingtonPost.com blogger Ezra Klein published the following list of benefits that the Senate bill would provide “before 2014”:

1) Eliminating lifetime limits, and cap annual limits, on health-care benefits. In other words, if you get an aggressive cancer and your treatment costs an extraordinary amount, your insurer can't suddenly remind you that subparagraph 15 limited your yearly expenses to $30,000, and they're not responsible for anything above that.

2) No more rescissions.

3) Some interim help for people who have preexisting conditions, though the bill does not instantly ban discrimination on preexisting conditions.

4) Requiring insurers to cover preventive care and immunizations.

5) Allowing young adults to stay on their parent's insurance plan until age 26.

6) Developing uniform coverage documents so people can compare different insurance policies in an apples-to-apples fashion.

7) Forcing insurers to spend 80 percent of all premium dollars on medical care (75 percent in the individual market), thus capping the money that can go toward administration, profits, etc.

8) Creating an appeals process and consumer advocate for insurance customers.

9) Developing a temporary re-insurance program to help early retirees (folks over 55) afford coverage.

10) Creating an internet portal to help people shop for and compare coverage.

11) Miscellaneous administrative simplification stuff.

12) Banning discrimination based on salary (i.e., where a company that's not self-insured makes only some full-time workers eligible for coverage.