The New Republic has a fascinating article about how the Heritage Foundation has moved away from its think-tank roots into a political activism machine. Not surprisingly, these folks helped fuel the futile "defund ObamaCare" demands that led to the government shutdown. It's hard to think of any organization that could be less "fair and balanced." But at least, unlike Fox News, Heritage does not pretend to be. Yet, when Heritage blogged about a California couple who claim their premiums are skyrocketing thanks to ObamaCare, the Kelly File regurgitated the post and presented it as a news report. UPDATED

Trace Gallagher "in the west coast newsroom" gave us the Kelly File scoop that could have been phoned in directly from Heritage. For example, the Heritage blog post is called, "See Everything This Mom's Cutting to Pay for Obamacare." It begins:

The holiday season is looming, but this year Kate Joy and her husband aren’t budgeting for gifts or saving for a vacation. They’re figuring out how to afford the 150 percent premium increases they’ll face in the New Year, thanks to Obamacare. Joy and her husband live in Sonora, California, and help support their 19- and 21-year-old sons, who both work part-time and attend a local community college.

Gallagher began his so-called reporting with the following:

Kay Joy and her husband have come up with a very extensive Christmas list - and yes, they have checked it more than twice. Only this is not a list about things they hope to get for the holidays. Instead, it's what they plan to give up to pay for their new health care plan. The Joys live in northern California. They help support their 19- and 21-year old sons who work part time and go to college.

Gallagher's report mimicked most of the rest of the Heritage article, too. He recited the premium increase and offered some examples of what the Joy family plans to give up, just like Heritage did.

One thing Gallagher did not report? Whether or not Joy really has to pay so much more and struggle to pay it. Heritage says:

Desperate for more affordable options, Joy made an account on the California Exchange website. She said the cheapest, best option for her family was only $100 less than the plan Anthem offered and since they live off her husband’s retirement salary, the family does not qualify for any subsidies.

If this family is struggling to get by to the point that they have to give up dental treatments (as both reports stated), it's hard to believe they wouldn't qualify for any subsidies. Considering that the Kelly File has come up with many of Fox's even more numerous bogus ObamaCare victims, there's good reason to be skeptical. It's also suspect that Gallagher didn't discuss it. After all, it's a major component of the Affordable Care Act. Did Gallagher not want to sully a good (Republican) talking point with a possible falsehood? Was he afraid to delve into the truth? Or was he just lazy about verifying the Joys' claim? Gallagher also gave no sign of having done any fact-checking whatsoever into whether there might really have been another viable plan for the family at a lower cost.

In short, all indications point to Gallagher doing a light rewrite of a post from a partisan source and presenting it as "fair and balanced" news.

UPDATE: Just as suspected, the Joy family IS entitled to subsidies. In fact, under ObamaCare, they can probably get a new plan for $4 a month.



