GMA 'Gets it Done' for Kucinich-Care

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

ABC News apparently sees its role not merely as reporting the news, but acting as advocates on a highly-charged political issue being promoted by a left-wing Democratic presidential candidate.

Check out the graphic from this morning's Good Morning America: "GMA Gets It Done: Taking on Medicaid. Fighting to Treat Tooth Decay."

The screencap shows a palpably emotional GMA co-host Chris Cuomo literally pointing his finger at the head of the federal Medicaid program. The moment came during the course of a segment this morning recounting the sad case of 12-year old Deamonte Driver, who died after infection from an abcessed tooth spread to his brain. The boy and his family were in fact covered by Medicaid, the government health care insurance program for poor people. But the boy's mother [pictured below] had never before taken him to a dentist, and when the abcess occurred it was reportedly difficult to find a dentist willing to provide care, given Medicaid reimbursement rates.

GMA CO-HOST CHRIS Cuomo to the Medicaid official: Why am I wrong to place the blame on the federal government? We give you our tax dollars to take care of kids exactly like Deamonte Driver: the most vulnerable, the most at risk, make sure they get care, and you didn't. This is your fault, don't pass the buck.

View video here.

GMA aired the segment at 7:10 EDT this morning, just hours before a hearing on the issue of Medicaid coverage of dental care is to be convened by . . . presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich [D-OH], who has made nationalized health care a centerpiece of his campaign.

GMA CO-HOST DIANE SAWYER, introudcing the segment: One in three American children have no access to any form of dental insurance, and the consequences can be truly tragic.

CUOMO: You put your finger right on it. People talk about health care all the time, but they ignore dental care. But here is the reality: while eight million kids in this country lack health care, three times as many, over 25 million, don't have dental care.

Sawyer and Cuomo misled on two counts: as with health care in general, not having dental insurance does not mean not having dental care. In any case, as mentioned, young Deamante did in fact have insurance: Medicaid.

It's one thing for a local news station to go to bat for a guy who got a bad muffler job at the auto shop. But is it ABC's role to thrust itself into presidential politics in this way? Of course when it did, it predictably did so in favor of expanding government.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

ABC-advocates-for-Kucinich-care ping to Today show list.

[Mercat]

Maybe mom should have taken him to a free clinic or a dental school or maybe saved the money instead of buying him video games. But no, next it will be manditory government funded dental checks at school. grrrrr.

[Puppage]

Is this before or after he creates a Dept of Rainbows & Unicorns?

[Fintan]

But the boy's mother [pictured below] had never before taken him to a dentist, and when the abcess occurred it was reportedly difficult to find a dentist willing to provide care, given Medicaid reimbursement rates.

 

'Nuff said.

[EagleUSA]

The purpose of our government is not to make up for STUPIDITY AND NEGLIGENCE. But the libs would have you thinking otherwise — the government is your nanny...

IT IS ALL ABOUT POWER AND CONTROL -—

[LibLieSlayer]

abc is ALL commie... except for one libertarian.

LLS

[TrebleRebel]

Horse Hockey! Every state in this country provides dental care thru their state health agency SCHIP program, for families who make at the minimum of 135% of the federal poverty level. Some states are as high as 300% FPL! And most states have such low utilization that their children’s health budgets are being cut back.

[massgopguy]

If a Christian Scientist did this, they’d be prosecuted.

[TrebleRebel]

Of course, there are drawbacks....you have to get your lazy bohonkus out of the chair and get your kid to a dentist....sorry, but this victim whining just makes my head explode.

[cdcdawg]

Newsbusters says “...it was reportedly difficult to find a dentist willing to provide care, given Medicaid reimbursement rates.”

I wonder if GMA even ran down this important part of the story. If there is a dentist who will take Medicaid anywhere in the area, this mother let her son die.

[cdcdawg]

actually, in his March 4, 2007, National Review Online blog entry, David Frum claims he found a dentist almost immediately.

[TrebleRebel]

http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0501-04.htm

This kid lived in Maryland, which provides dental care for kids in families that live at or below 200% of the FPL. They have one of the finest state CHIP programs in the nation.

http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/mma/mchp/

[cyphergirl]

I can actually say first-hand that Maryland’s public dental system is top-notch. Both of my parents were disabled — one by cancer, the other by a devastating work injury. As a child, all of my dental care was provided by the county health department. The care I got was excellent; the only thing they didn’t fully cover was orthodontics but they referred us to an orthodontist who gave my parents a price break due to their income level.

No Medicaid required, no co-pays, no costs; they literally just took me to the county Health Department building every six months for my checkups.

[an amused spectator]

Hey! Don’t try and obfuscate the issue with the facts! ;-)

[ru4liberty]

I saw this yesterday morning and was stunned. I’m hoping O’Reilly will expose this on his show. He’s been relentless about exposing NBC’s left-leaning slant. Time to take on ABC.

[Sybeck1]

I hear these stories and I wonder how often Momma might have gone to the casino or bought lottery tickets with her money.

[Vinnie]

The mother should be prosecuted for manslaughter.

Can you imagine how much pain this boy was in?

[N. Theknow]

Nationalized healthcare = The DMV with the power of life and death.