Kerry Attacks Bush Over Ties to Health Industry

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) warned on Tuesday that health-care costs were crippling small businesses and criticized President Bush (news - web sites) for taking campaign money from companies picked to administer new prescription drug cards for seniors.

Despite the uproar over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, Kerry stayed focused on delivering his week-long message: that the nation's health system is "badly broken" and that Bush stood by as the cost of care and drugs soared.

Kerry said health insurance premiums for small businesses had risen 47 percent in just three years, putting jobs at risk in what he called "the most inefficient, ineffective delivery of service you can possibly have."

"For four years, President Bush has been in office, and for four years the situation has gotten worse," Kerry told small business owners at a local pottery factory in Louisville.

He then flew to Jacksonville, Florida, where he mingled with patrons at "Jenkin's Bar-B-Q," whose 60 employees have no health care. "I have a plan. We have a plan. It's our turn to provide health care," Kerry declared at a noisy open-air rally in the battleground state, which he vowed to turn into "Kerry country" by the November election.

Kerry has seized on Bush's campaign contributions from companies chosen to offer the new Medicare-endorsed drug discount cards, include pharmacy benefit managers Medco Health Solutions Inc. and health insurer Aetna Inc.

"What we're going to do is break this cycle and start putting the worker, the individual citizen, the people, in front of the campaign contributions," Kerry said in Louisville.

The Kerry campaign said Medco gave $5,750 to Bush's campaigns in 2000 and 2004; Aetna gave $25,925, with another $510,000 for the Republican National Committee (news - web sites) between 1999 and 2002. Medco and Aetna executives also rank among Bush's top fund-raisers.

Under pressure from Republican critics to detail Kerry's own family finances, the campaign later disclosed that his wife's income last year totaled more than $5 million -- 13 times what the candidate earned.

But Teresa Heinz Kerry rejected calls for the release of her full federal income tax returns, promising only to make public two summary pages when they are filed in October.

Kerry came under fire on Tuesday for missing a Senate vote on extending unemployment benefits. "Today he had the chance to actually vote on that question but was too busy playing politics," said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt.

Kerry countered that Republicans "are playing a game" and that the outcome of the vote would not have changed.

The Massachusetts senator wants to offer tax credits of up to 50 percent to help small businesses provide coverage for their low- and moderate-income employees. This credit would cover up to 50 percent of the cost of employees' premiums.

Bush is backing the so-called Association Health Plans, a concept that would let small businesses or other groups join together to purchase insurance.

Kerry said those plans would only make matters worse by increasing costs and removing consumer protections.

His push on health care comes in a week when much of the public's attention has been focused on the widening Iraqi prison abuse scandal. Despite the interest in Iraq (news - web sites), polls show that when asked what issues they want politicians to discuss, voters put health care at the top or near the top of the list.

Pressed to comment about the prison scandal, Kerry said, "The important thing is for the country now to get its path in Iraq correct. And we need to come together and I'm hopeful that we will."

In Jacksonville, Kerry returned to the issue of Iraq, albeit indirectly, saying U.S. forces were overextended and urging voters to "stand up and ask questions about the direction of our nation."

In a widely anticipated boost to Kerry's campaign, he picked up the endorsement of the Sierra Club (news - web sites), the nation's oldest, largest and most influential environmental group. It promised to mobilize its 700,000 members on Kerry's behalf.

Take a look at Ketchupman's flip flopping on health care.

Flip-Flopped On Federal Health Benefits

In 1993, Kerry Expressed Doubts That Federal Employees Health Benefits System Worked Well. “Hillary Rodham Clinton today offered a fresh description of one of the most confusing elements of the Administration health care plan, the health insurance purchasing alliances, saying they would let all Americans choose coverage in the way members of Congress do. … Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said he was not sure that the Federal program worked all that well.” (Adam Clymer, “Hillary Clinton Says Health Plan Will Be Familiar,” The New York Times, 12/8/93)

Kerry Expressed Personal Dissatisfaction With His Coverage Through Federal Program. “Earlier this month, when Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Boston and vowed that average Americans would get as good coverage as that enjoyed by their senators and representatives, Sen. John F. Kerry told Clinton that he thought the country could do better. The Massachusetts Democrat said he was thinking, among other recent disasters, of his $500 dental bill for treatment of an abscessed tooth. ‘Because it was done in the dentist’s office, rather than the hospital, they didn’t cover it. So they were urging me to go spend twice as much in a hospital,’ said Kerry, who is covered by BACE, the Beneficial Association of Capitol Employees.” (Ana Puga, “Lawmakers Talk Health Care,” The Boston Globe, 12/19/93)

Now, On Campaign Trail, Kerry Is Enthusiastic About Health Care He Receives As Senator. “As a U.S. Senator, I could get the best health care in the world. Most people aren’t so lucky, and we need to change that. That’s why my plan gives every American access to the same kind of health care that members of Congress give themselves. … Because your family’s health care is just as important as any politicians’ in Washington.” (Sen. John Kerry, “Affordable Health Care For All Americans,” Remarks At Mercy Medical, Cedar Rapids, IA, 12/14/03)

Kerry: “I’m Going To Make Available To Every American The Same Health Care Plan That Senators And Congressmen Give Themselves …” (Sen. John Kerry, AARP Democrat Candidate Debate, Bedford, NH, 11/18/03)

Flip-Flopped On Tax Credits For Small Business Health

In 2001, Kerry Voted Against Amendment Providing $70 Billion For Tax Credits For Small Business To Purchase Health Insurance. (H. Con. Res. 83, CQ Vote #83: Rejected 49-51: R 48-2; D 1-49, 4/5/01, Kerry Voted Nay)

Now, Kerry Promises Refundable Tax Credits To Small Businesses For Health Coverage. “Refundable tax credits for up to 50 percent of the cost of coverage will be offered to small businesses and their employees to make health care more affordable.” (“John Kerry’s Plan To Make Health Care Affordable To Every American,” John Kerry For President Website, www.johnkerry.com, Accessed 1/21/04)

Flip-Flopped On Health Coverage

In 1994, Kerry Said Democrats Push Health Care Too Much. “[Kerry] said Kennedy and Clinton’s insistence on pushing health care reform was a major cause of the Democratic Party’s problems at the polls.” (Joe Battenfeld, “Jenny Craig Hit With Sex Harassment Complaint - By Men,” Boston Herald, 11/30/94)

But Now Kerry Calls Health Care His “Passion.” “Sen. John Kerry says expanding coverage is ‘my passion.’” (Susan Page, “Health Specifics Could Backfire On Candidates,” USA Today, 6/2/03)

WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN EXPOSED BEFORE???? Bush has ties to the HEALTH industry- that does nothing but make MONEY by making people HEALTHIER? They actually charge money to give people a longer, better quality life?

I knew the Bush Crime Family had some shady underhanded dealings before, but this just takes the cake!

We must STOP the Bush Crime Family from making money off of HEALTH! Buy only UNHEALTHY foods, such as Heinz products that are loaded with sodium, preservatives and artificial ingredients! If everyone in America ate one box of Jalepeno Cream Cheese Poppers, one jar of Wyler's bullion cubes and one bottle of Jack Daniels Grilling Sauce per day (all manufactured by Heinz), it would counteract all of the healthful benefits of George W. Bush's unholy ties to the HEALTH industry.

What we're going to do is break this cycle and start putting the worker, the individual citizen, the people, in front of the campaign contributions," Kerry said in Louisville.

Political donations by workers of companies that can provide prescription cards overwhelmingly favored Bush _ at least $280,000 of their contributions went to the president's campaign, compared to about $60,000 for Kerry's, Federal Election Commission records show. Among the donations:

_UnitedHealthcare employees donated roughly $59,000 to Bush, $5,500 to Kerry.

_Employees of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan or its parent, Kaiser Permanente, have given about $17,000 to Bush and roughly $21,000 to Kerry.

_WellCare employees gave roughly $22,000 to Bush's campaign and no money to Kerry.

_Aetna workers gave at least $16,000 to Bush and $1,000 to Kerry.

_Medco or Merck employees donated at least $12,000 to Bush and $10,000 to Kerry.

Kerry got less money from the same people that gave to Pres. Bush.
Getting less makes Kerry pure as Ceasar's wife ?

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