Ron Kind Thinks He's Better than You
FYI, a version of the release below went out to the following districts: Ron Kind (WI-03); Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL); and John Tanner (TN-08).
Ron Kind Thinks He’s Better than You
Government-Run Health Plan is Good Enough for Everyone Else, Just Not Good Enough for Ron Kind
Washington- Ron Kind struck a decidedly ‘holier-than-thou’ tone today when he voted against a measure that would force members of Congress and administration officials to enroll in the same government-run healthcare plan that his party is forcing on the American public. If the Democrats’ plan is so great, shouldn’t Ron Kind be stuck with it too?
Unfortunately for Wisconsin families, they will be stuck with skyrocketing unemployment, higher costs, and second-rate medical care as they deal with the fallout from Ron Kind’s healthcare takeover. And clearly, the Wisconsin Democrat supports these consequences – as long as they don’t apply to him.
“Ron Kind’s refusal to put himself on the same government-run plan that he is forcing on Wisconsin families is as hypocritical as it is arrogant,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “It’s clear that Ron Kind understands the disastrous results of a government healthcare takeover, but he is either unwilling or unable to stand up to Nancy Pelosi and his party bosses on behalf of Wisconsin families.”
Background:
Even Democrats admit that their government healthcare takeover will kill private health insurance and force Americans from their current coverage: “Next to me was a guy from the insurance company who then argued against the public health insurance options, saying ‘it wouldn’t let private insurance compete’ – that a public option would put the private insurance industry out of business and lead to single-payer. My single payer friends – he was right.” (Rep. Jan Schakowsky speech on healthcare reform, 4/18/09)
Similar systems in foreign countries force patients to wait for treatment – costing them valuable time and money: “The average wait time for a Canadian awaiting surgery or other medical treatment is now 18.3 weeks, a new high, according to a report released Monday.
“That’s an increase of 97 per cent over 14 years, the report says.
“‘Canadians wait longer than Americans, Germans, and Swedes for cardiac care, although not as long as New Zealanders or the British,’ it reads. ‘Economists attempting to quantify the cost of this waiting time have estimated it to amount to $1,100 to $5,600 annually per patient.’” (“Wait Times for Surgery, Medical Treatments at All-Time High: Report,” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 8/15/07)
Government-run healthcare has ugly consequences: “This has medical consequences. The Concord study published in 2008 showed that cancer survival rates in Britain are among the worst in Europe. Five-year survival rates among U.S. cancer patients are also significantly higher than in Europe: 84% vs. 73% for breast cancer, 92% vs. 57% for prostate cancer. While there is more than one reason for this difference, surely one is medical innovation and the greater U.S. willingness to reimburse for it. (“Of NICE and Men,” Wall Street Journal, 7/08/09)
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