A recent television ad being aired by the campaign to re-elect Republican Mike Bishop to the 8th District seat in Congress has been labeled as false by a fact-checking website.

PolitiFact on Wednesday weighed in on the ad, which is aimed at his opponent, Democrat Elissa Slotkin and her stance on health care. In the ad, a senior couple from Brighton identified only as Ann and Richard, recount how Medicare saved them when she was in the hospital and then accuse Slotkin of backing a policy to take away their Medicare coverage. PolitiFact noted that the ad, “contains no onscreen sources, recordings by Slotkin, or links to offer evidence or context” and that no evidence was found, “to suggest that any of Slotkin’s positions on health care would result in taking away coverage for current seniors.”

In response, Bishop consultant Stu Sandler, questioned the veracity of PolitiFact, pointing out that in 2008 the website, “called "If you like your plan you can keep your plan" the truth before labeling it the Lie of the Year in 2013.” Sandler added that, “Mike Bishop is comfortable standing with the Mercatus Center and AARP as both have shown the risks” brought about by what he called Slotkin's “risky scheme to change Medicare as we know it.” He finished by saying that, “Mike Bishop will stand up against this false reporting because he cares far more about the protection of Medicare than he does the opinion of Politifact."

But the report from the Mercatus Center he cited is critical of a single-payer health care system, something Slotkin has actually advocated against. Instead, PolitiFact says Slotkin has supported a voluntary Medicare “buy-in” option. And while Sandler told PolitiFact that a buy-in option would risk higher premiums, reduce senior access and threaten the solvency of Medicare, the website’s analysis determined it would likely not impact the program as long as a separate risk pool was created for those under 65.

But it rated the Bishop ad as “False” for claiming Slotkin’s plan is to, “take Medicare away from current senior recipients” a position based on a single-payer health care system, which she does not support. (JK)