Health Care

An entire week has passed since congressional candidate Tyler Gernant asked his primary opponent to join him in uniting with President Obama on the issue of health care reform. Since that request, Mr. McDonald has refused to publicly state whether or not he would join Gernant and the President. What the public did receive was a late night fundraising appeal from Mr. McDonald that made a thin attempt to associate himself with the President without actually changing his previous stance on health care reform, a position that is far from the Obama administration’s plan.

As reported in the Flathead Beacon (Sept. 14), Mr. McDonald staked out a position last June that is far from what Democrats in Congress would support. Three months later, in a fundraising appeal sent via email at 11:15 p.m. on Sept, 13, McDonald used President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress to make vague references about supporting health care reform. Has McDonald switched his position on health care reform? Has McDonald decided to unite with Tyler Gernant and support President Obama's plan for health care reform? Seven days have passed and there is still no clear answer.

In joining President Obama’s call for Congress to unite with him, Gernant has also requested that Rep. Dennis Rehberg commit to working in a bi-partisan effort on health care reform. Rehberg has not responded to that request.

What the public has heard from Rehberg is a denial to address the issue of health care affordability. During a press conference held after Rehberg was released from a Kalispell hospital following a boating accident on Flathead Lake, a reporter asked about whether the experience had given him any new perspectives or appreciation for the cost of care he received (see below for Sept. 9 transcript). Mr. Rehberg, a multimillionaire who receives taxpayer funded health care and was recently reported (Roll Call, Sept. 14) as one of the richest members of Congress, had nothing to say about the skyrocketing cost of health care in America.

“I am running against one Dennis who will say anything about health care to raise money for his campaign and another Dennis who is worth so much money that he doesn’t even care about what the rest of us have to pay for a hospital stay,” said Gernant. “This is just more of the same Washington-style politics that Montanans are fed up with. Money controls every decision that Dennis and Dennis make and the rest of us pay the price.

“The system in Washington is broken and Dennis and Dennis aren’t offering anything to fix it. If we are ever going to change the way Washington works, we have to change who we send there. And that is why I am running for Congress,” concluded Gernant.

Check out Tyler's stance on Health Care.