“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace on Sunday pressed former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) on his decision not to embrace Obamacare.
Wallace noted that Texas had the highest uninsured rate in the country.
“More than 1 in 5 Texans didn’t have health coverage,” Wallace noted. “And yet, you refused to set up a state exchange under Obamacare, you refused to expand Medicaid. I mean, is that looking out for the little guy, when 21 percent of Texans didn’t have health insurance?”
“If how you keep score is how many people you force to buy insurance, well, then I would say that that’s how you keep score,” Perry responded.
“We make access to health care the real issue, we passed the most sweeping tort reform in the nation,” he continued. “It’s not about whether you force somebody to buy insurance, it’s whether Texans have access to good health care.”
Wallace asked Perry again if he felt bad not embracing the Affordable Care Act.
“I understand that, sir, but don’t you, as the governor for 14 years, don’t you feel some responsibility when 21 percent of the people in your state didn’t have health insurance?” Wallace asked.
“But that’s not how we keep score. I think it’s a fallacy to say access to health care is all about insurance. What we happen to say in the state of Texas is we’re going to try to make as accessible as we can good quality health care,” Perry answered.
Watch the clip courtesy of Raw Story:
What is the point of having good quality health care if almost a quarter of your people can’t access it w/o insurance? And tort reform isn’t going to pay for my colonoscopy. I predict Gove. Perry the Platypus will be the first to leave the race. Goodness, if the guy can’t answer a straight question from Republican-friendly Fox Propaganda Channel, how’s he going to fare against real journalists?
No, access to healthcare isn’t all about insurance – but it is most certainly an integral part of the equation. This isn’t an all or nothing little game. There are several moving components – and all you seem to be worried about is that some aggrieved person can’t sue a provider or marketer, etc., for something that went terribly wrong. There’s definitely a need for strong but fair legal remedies, but you seem to want to remove any and all such avenues – avenues that historically have played an important part of keeping the numerous players playing fairer and more honest in our capitalist model. Good god, man, you are very ill-informed or just hard-hearted.
Please don’t grill Perry – The aroma would spoil the picnic –
Remember Chris, it’s not about PEOPLE having access to health care, it’s all about KEEPING SCORE!
(and remember, you “keep score” by counting your campaign donations.)
“Access to health care isn’t all about insurance.” So Texas has set up a network of clinics and hospitals that provide first-rate care to the uninsured, then? Oh, they haven’t? Why not, then?