An April 10 CNSNews.com article by Edwin Mora uncritically touts an analysis by Charles Blahous of George Mason University’s Mercatus Center claiming that “President Obama’s health care legislation, contrary to promises made by proponents, will add up to $530 billion to federal deficits and boost government spending by at least $1.15 trillion over the next decade.” Mora went on to claim that “Blahous explained that the fiscal crisis generated by Obamacare, formally known as The Affordable Care Act, is fueled by a gimmick contained in the law that involves double-counting of funding.”
Mora ignored the fact that the Mercatus Center is funded in part by foundations controlled by the Koch family, generous funder of right-wing causes.
While Mora noted that the White House “accused Blahous of making erroneous claims about the fiscal ramifications of the health care law,” he failed to note that economic and health care experts, as well as Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler, have also criticized Blahous’ analysis and called his accusation of double-counting an “old, discredited argument.”
Meanwhile, an April 10 MRC item by Scott Whitlock also highlighted the Blahous report. Whitlock conceded that Blahous is a “conservative economist,” but he did not mention the Mercatus Center’s link to the Kochs, nor did he acknowledge any criticism of the report, even as he criticized non-coverage of it in the media.