Risch Health Care Math and Values All Wrong
Newswire Services
November 03, 2008
BOISE, IDAHO – "No wonder Jim Risch doesn´t have a health care plan," Larry LaRocco said today. "He doesn´t know there´s a problem, and he´s out of touch."
LaRocco was referring to an interview Risch did in which he claimed that 83 percent of Americans have private health insurance and the rest are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and emergency rooms.
The actual figure for private insurance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 67.5 percent, including 59.3 percent who are covered by employer-based insurance. Almost 46 million Americans – 15.3 percent -- have no health insurance at all. Click here to read the full story: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/boise/archive/?postID=8714#more
"Idaho statistics generally track the national statistics," LaRocco said. "About 218,000 Idahoans – 14.6 percent of our population -- have no health insurance at all. Jim Risch obviously doesn´t care about these people – in fact, he denies they even exist. And for him to suggest that emergency rooms are an adequate solution to people´s health care needs is just unbelievable."
LaRocco also criticized Risch for suggesting that it´s acceptable for people to have to make employment decisions based on the availability of health care benefits.
"Health insurance must be portable – people must be able to carry it from job to job," LaRocco said. "That´s the only way people will be able to base job decisions on their interests and skills rather than the benefits."
LaRocco has a detailed health care plan that he plans to push in the U.S. Senate. To read his plan, go to www.laroccoforsenate.com and click on "issues."
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, who was in Idaho today to campaign for LaRocco and to meet with health care professionals, is one of the original sponsors of the Healthy Americans Act, which incorporates many of the features of LaRocco´s plan.
"Jim Risch is completely out of touch with average Idahoans," LaRocco said. "He obviously lives in his own little world, in which everyone has money and everyone has health care. If he´d been out working with Idahoans as I have, he´d know better."
LaRocco was referring to an interview Risch did in which he claimed that 83 percent of Americans have private health insurance and the rest are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and emergency rooms.
The actual figure for private insurance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 67.5 percent, including 59.3 percent who are covered by employer-based insurance. Almost 46 million Americans – 15.3 percent -- have no health insurance at all. Click here to read the full story: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/boise/archive/?postID=8714#more
"Idaho statistics generally track the national statistics," LaRocco said. "About 218,000 Idahoans – 14.6 percent of our population -- have no health insurance at all. Jim Risch obviously doesn´t care about these people – in fact, he denies they even exist. And for him to suggest that emergency rooms are an adequate solution to people´s health care needs is just unbelievable."
LaRocco also criticized Risch for suggesting that it´s acceptable for people to have to make employment decisions based on the availability of health care benefits.
"Health insurance must be portable – people must be able to carry it from job to job," LaRocco said. "That´s the only way people will be able to base job decisions on their interests and skills rather than the benefits."
LaRocco has a detailed health care plan that he plans to push in the U.S. Senate. To read his plan, go to www.laroccoforsenate.com and click on "issues."
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, who was in Idaho today to campaign for LaRocco and to meet with health care professionals, is one of the original sponsors of the Healthy Americans Act, which incorporates many of the features of LaRocco´s plan.
"Jim Risch is completely out of touch with average Idahoans," LaRocco said. "He obviously lives in his own little world, in which everyone has money and everyone has health care. If he´d been out working with Idahoans as I have, he´d know better."
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