Gina Jones is clueless
Gina Jones is currently feigning outrage that rural hospitals have closed in Texas.
But what Jones leaves out is that she supports Medicare For All policies that would close the remaining rural hospitals and put care at risk for thousands of 23rd District residents.
NRCC Comment: “Either Gina Jones is clueless when it comes to health care policy or she’s intentionally misleading voters. Jones’ socialist Medicare For All system would decimate rural hospitals in Texas and make health care inaccessible to thousands of families in the 23rd District.” – NRCC Spokesman Bob Salera
Background:
VIDEO: Jones Supports Medicare For All. JONES: “So, that’s why it’s important to me that, one, should I be fortunate enough to represent this district, I’ll fight to protect the ACA. These Republicans have shown us that they are intent on repealing it and have no replacement. Two, immediately pushing for the ability to negotiate, for the government to negotiate prescription drug prices. This is one of the fastest growing aspects of health are so we can immediately address that. This is one of the fastest growing aspects of healthcare, so we can immediately address that. Also though, looking to, we do need to move to a healthcare system where everybody is covered, right? Which is why I support a way to do that which is Medicare for all.” (Gina Ortiz Jones, Remarks At A Democratic Forum For TX-23 Forum, 2/27/18) Minute 29:49 – 30:21
AUDIO: In An April 2018 Interview, Jones Said She Supports A Medicare For All Healthcare System. JONES:“As Rick has heard me say numerous times, as it pertains to health care, I think immediately we have to protect the ACA. We have to understand the reality that we are in so protect the ACA. Are there ways to improve it? Certainly, but Republicans are intent on repealing it with no replacement. I think there are some immediate steps, also, we can take, for example, negotiating on pharma prices. But, I think ultimately in the long term economic and national security interests of this country, we need to move to a system that covers everybody, right? Medicare for All is a system that does that, and that’s why I support it.” (Gina Ortiz Jones, Remarks On Texas Public Radio, 4/2/18) Minute 11:05-11:38
Medicare For All Could Force Hundreds Of Rural Hospitals In Texas To Close
As Of 2017, There Were 163 Rural Hospitals In Texas That Cover 85% Of The State And Directly Provide For 15% Of The Population (More Than 4 Million People). (“Twenty-Five Things To Know About Texas Rural Hospitals,” Texas Organization Of Rural & Community Hospitals, February 2017)
Experts On Rural Hospitals Across The Country – Including In Texas – Report That Medicare For All Would Force Them To Close Their Doors:
WBUR Headline: “Rural Hospitals Say ‘Medicare For All’ Would End Up ‘Closing Our Doors’” (Peter O’Dowd, “Rural Hospitals Say ‘Medicare For All’ Would End Up ‘Closing Our Doors’,” WBUR, 8/16/19)
Hospital Administrators From Texas To Maine Reported That A Single-Payer Government Healthcare Program Would Force Rural Hospitals To Close. “Adopting a single-payer government healthcare program that covers all Americans would force more rural hospitals to close, according to hospital administrators from Texas to Maine.” (Peter O’Dowd, “Rural Hospitals Say ‘Medicare For All’ Would End Up ‘Closing Our Doors’,” WBUR, 8/16/19)
John Henderson, Head Of A Texas Organization That Represents Rural Hospitals, Said At Least 23 More Hospitals In Texas Could Close Under Medicare For All. “John Henderson, who runs Torch, a group that represents rural and community hospitals in Texas, says no state has been hit harder by rural hospital closures. ‘We now count 23 hospital closures since 2013 and another 40% to 45% with negative operating margins,’ he says. ‘So there could be at least that many more if something doesn’t improve.’ Henderson adds that forcing patients to move off of lucrative private insurance plans and into Medicare will only make the problem worse. ‘The problem with Medicare For All is that we aren’t just talking about trying to get people without coverage into a program that covers them,’ he says. ‘You can’t make it up on volume.’” (Peter O’Dowd, “Rural Hospitals Say ‘Medicare For All’ Would End Up ‘Closing Our Doors’,” WBUR, 8/16/19)
Tom Nickels, An Executive Vice President Of The American Hospital Association, Said Medicare For All Would Have A “Devastating Effect On Hospitals And The System Overall” With Rural Hospitals Hit Hardest Because They Lack The Financial Cushion Of The Larger Systems. “The American Hospital Association, an industry trade group, is starting to lobby against the Medicare For All proposals. Unlike the doctors’ groups, hospitals are not divided. ‘There is total unanimity,’ said Tom Nickels, an Executive Vice President for the association. ‘We agree with their intent to expand coverage to more people,’ he said. ‘We don’t think this is the way to do it. It would have a devastating effect on hospitals and on the system over all.’ Rural hospitals, which have been closing around the country as patient numbers dwindle, would be hit hard, he said, because they lack the financial cushion of larger systems.” (Reed Abelson, “Hospitals Stand To Lose Billions Under ‘Medicare For All,” New York Times, 4/21/19)