State Sen. Andrew Rice (D-Oklahoma City) is asking Oklahomans to send him their stories about today’s broken health care system after he recently volunteered one of his own as he continues to draw a sharp contrast with U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe
Rice, 34, is running for the U.S. Senate against the 73-year-old Republican incumbent this year. Many vital issues, such as health care, divide the two. Rice supports an expanded health care system for Oklahomans and others in the country. Inhofe votes against most health care proposals that would help individuals. He does so apparently because these proposals might threaten to bite into the staggering profits of insurance and medical companies that make money off people’s misery.
All hyperbole aside, no matter what your party affiliation or political leanings, this is a huge and truthful distinction. Will the corporate media outlets here cover it? A vote for Rice, whose wife is a physician, is a vote for expanded, accessible and sensible health care for Oklahomans. Our system is broken. We need to do something different. A vote for Inhofe is a vote for the same corporate system that forces Americans to spend the most money on medical problems and get some of the worst care of all industrialized nations in the world. These are facts, not spin. If you vote for Inhofe, you are voting to deny yourself and your children and grandchildren decent health care.
Rice told his own story recently in an email to supporters. His 11-month-old son, Parker, was hospitalized with pneumonia. Fortunately, his son recovered with no complications, but the way Rice and his wife, Apple, were treated by their health insurance company is a perfect example of what has gone wrong with our health care system. Read Rice’s story here.
Inhofe, according to Ontheissues.org, has voted (1) no on expanding government health care insurance coverage for children, (2) no on requiring the government to negotiate cheaper prices for Medicare Part D drugs, (3) yes on limiting medical liability lawsuit awards, (4) no on expanding the enrollment period for Medicare Part D, (5) no on increasing the Medicaid rebate for producing generics, (6) no on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drugs, (7) no on allowing patients to sue HMO’s and collect punitive damages, (8) no on including prescription drugs under Medicare, (9) yes on limiting self employment health deduction, (10) yes on Medicare means-testing, (11) no on medical savings accounts. (I have directly quoted and summarized some of the ontheissues.org language about Inhofe’s votes in the above paragraph for clarity. You can find Inhofe’s full record here. Scroll down to "James Inhofe on Health Care".)
According to Ontheissues.org, Inhofe has a 0% ranking from the American Public Health Association, "indicating an anti-public health voting record."
So we know where Inhofe stands when it comes to health care for Oklahomans. He is apparently against expanding any government program, such as Medicare, related to health care. He is against using basic common sense to lower prescription drug prices for everyone. He is against individuals and in favor of insurance companies and HMO's. He is against patients’ rights. I do not think it is just political rhetoric to claim Inhofe could care less about the uninsured and the under-insured, or sick people and the elderly, or those fighting cancer and heart disease. His record proves it.
In his email, Rice makes it clear where he stands: "I want to be your U.S. Senator so I can take some Oklahoma common sense and values to Washington and change the culture of special interests that see everyday Americans as numbers and obstacles to their priorities. My background in Asia and Africa helping the poor and people suffering from HIV and as a divinity school student has guided my principles to stand up for the common good and be a voice for those who are invisible to the interests who think they own Washington.
"I am dedicated to reducing the cost of health care and improving access. When Washington failed to pass S-CHIP into law that would have expanded health insurance coverage for low income children, I worked in the Oklahoma State Senate to expand health coverage to 38,000 children from low-income families. In the U.S. Senate, I will continue this work and make health care more affordable for all."
Here is Rice’s campaign Web site. Let him know your health care story.