Ann Kornblut of Washington Post verifies Hillary's Hospital Story

[notundecided]

[Hawkeye-X]

1. and?

*crickets chirping*

Forgot something?

[JeffR]

4. Heck, good enough for me.

I'm not even gonna go to the googles fer this. It sounds right. So it must be right.

[babylonsister]

I too am convinced. nt

[berni_mccoy]

63. LOL!

[notundecided]

16. Link to Ann Kornblut

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/07/clinton_told_true_tale_of

[berni_mccoy]

64. LOL! Broken Link! ROFL!

[cbayer]

2. I would suggest you add this (with link) to your other OP. nt.

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

3. KO is reporting it as well

But the damage has been done. It's unfortunate that she's been labeled already as someone who twists the truth, otherwise this story never would have gotten legs.

[Skittles]

5. OMG THE CORPORATE MEDIA TRASHES CLINTONS!

AND MOST OF DU FALLS FOR IT! UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE

[lastliberalintexas]

91. On behalf of a medical provider who possibly committed malpractice

and another who is now potentially violating privacy laws by even discussing the case in specifics. I mean, there is no possible motive for the hospital to destroy the story, is there? Because none of us knows anyone who has been denied medical care because of money or given substandard care because of the crap insurance they have, right?


I don't even like either of the candidates, and even I am appalled at the way each is treated here. The site should have a warning that critical thinking skills must be checked at the door before one is allowed to regularly post.

[Beaverhausen]

95. thank you

it's like some people here care more about trashing Clinton than the important issue of getting healthcare improved in this country.

[lastliberalintexas]

97. I'm not a fan myself

But I can divorce Clinton from this incident and see it for what it is. It just disappoints me that so many others can't. It's amazing how little real discourse exists on this site anymore.

[emilyg]

8. The clowns on DU loved it.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

23. Yup ... they couldn't suck it up, and spew it out, fast enough.

DU-P ... pigs wallowing in slop, only dirtier.

[rodeodance]

84. and many adding their own sick twists to it.

[jenmito]

6. Not quite. She said it's not as false a story as we now believe. There's some mix-up or something

that, when revealed, will lend some credibility to her story.

[OzarkDem]

17. Its revealed, read the linked article

snip

"The aunt of a young pregnant woman who died after a hospital told her she needed to pay $100 up front for care said in an interview on Monday that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been telling the story accurately on the campaign trail -- following claims by a different Ohio hospital that it did not turn the patient away."

Anything to draw attention away from the ongoing Rezko trial...

[JayFredMuggs]

24. The Rezko trial is all about Obama, according to you?

Please draw us a diagram, never mind..........you're just glad there's a crook in Ill that Obama knows.

I'm just glad there's crooks in the USA that the Clintons took money from, too.

Now let's deal with the facts on both of them, shall we? No more insinuations, either charge Obama and Hillary of a crime or get off your high horse.

Then let's get back to the issues.

[Hamlette]

101. She is NOT "telling the story accurately on the campaign trail"

from the link, the woman owed a hospital money, she got a letter from the hospital saying we won't provide you with care unless you leave a $100 deposit. So, when she needed care, she DID NOT go to that hospital. She went to another hospital and was not turned away.

Doesn't make such a riveting story when you know the facts.

She got a letter. She didn't get turned away.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/07/clinton_told_true_tale_of_woe.html#more

Read the full article. The headline and quote from the aunt (in the post above) are misleading

[rodeodance]

74. suck on it

[crankychatter]

7. while screening through shit, I found this piece of corn

ho hum

[Yael]

10. Eeeeeew

:rofl:

[Skittles]

11. while screening through corn, I found THIS SHIT POST n/t

[QC]

20. It's a pity that sophomoric mockery doesn't win elections. n/t

[Yael]

9. Did you leave the link in your bookbag?

[OzarkDem]

18. BTW, where did the bookbag smear originate?

Just curious. Where did you Obama supporters first read that malarkey?

[SaveOurDemocracy]

25. They manufactured it right here.

[OzarkDem]

28. Interesting...

DU's GDP has become the laboratory for smear campaigns against Hillary....

[SaveOurDemocracy]

34. They have perfected the art. Karl Rove would applaud them.

[OzarkDem]

45. He's probably consulting for them

[LisaL]

51. They probably could teach him a few tricks.

[rodeodance]

71. yes, DU has its RW smear machine

[City Lights]

12. Didja forget a link or something? eom

[Tatiana]

13. Here's the link:

Clinton Told True Tale of Woe, Says Kin

By Anne E. Kornblut

The aunt of a young pregnant woman who died after a hospital told her she needed to pay $100 up front for care said in an interview on Monday that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been telling the story accurately on the campaign trail -- following claims by a different Ohio hospital that it did not turn the patient away.

For weeks, Clinton repeated an anecdote she heard in Ohio on Feb. 28 involving a young woman who lost her baby and later died because she lacked health insurance and did not have $100 to gain access to a nearby hospital.

But over the weekend, Clinton came under fire when officials at O'Bleness Memorial Hospital, after reading about her remarks, demanded that she stop recounting it because the patient, Trina Bechtel, was admitted there and did have insurance.

That part, it turns out, is true. But so is Clinton's claim that Bechtel did not get care at another hospital that wanted a $100 pre-payment before seeing her, according to the young woman's aunt, Lisa Casto. "It's a true story," said Casto, 53.

Casto added some details that were not part -- or differed from -- the Clinton anecdote: She said her niece had previously been in debt to a local hospital that later sent her a letter informing her that she could only be treated there in the future if she gave them a $100 deposit. At the time she went into debt to that hospital, Casto said, Bechtel was uninsured, though she later obtained health insurance and was insured at the time of her death.

Casto said she did not want to give the name of the offending hospital because the flood of calls over the incident has overwhelmed her and Meigs County deputy sheriff Bryan Holman, a friend of hers who retold the story to Clinton when she campaigned in southern Ohio.

(more...)

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/07/clinton_told_true_tale_of_woe.html

Looks like a different hospital was the one that refused to treat the woman without the up-front deposit. Keith Olbermann reported on this, but of course Hillary supporters have already thrown him under the bus. He's the only one I've seen so far correcting the record.

[DUyellow]

22. nah, KO, no way

[gal]

96. She still told the story in parts untrue.

She was not turned away from the hospital, according to the aunt she did not go there. Hillary told the story that she was turned away 2x because she did not have $100. She also implies the girl died from not being treated because she had no insurance.
I'm sorry but the story as it was told is still untrue.

[suston96]

14. Washington Post? Just won 6 Pulitzers. That must mean something. Try this....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/07/AR2008040701942.html

"Clinton's Tale Part Truth, Part Errors

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., pauses while she campaigns at Missoula County Airport in Missoula,
The Associated Press
Monday, April 7, 2008; 8:42 PM

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has stopped telling a story of a pregnant woman's medical tragedy after an Ohio hospital challenged its accuracy last weekend.

But recent accounts of the episode have omitted key details that suggest there was more truth in the essence of Clinton's tale than her critics, and even her presidential campaign, have acknowledged."

[OzarkDem]

15. Operation Swiftboat Hillary is in full swing

The news media trumpets lies, quietly retracts them later.

[anamandujano]

19. .

:nuke:

[JayFredMuggs]

27. No, you have it backwards........Hillary LIES and the media reports it!

Then when Hillary doesn't clarify, the media does.

It's really simple...........imagine bullets flying while you land........

[OzarkDem]

32. So you didn't read the story

[MonkeyFunk]

48. I wonder if they believe

the Clintons trashed the White House and stole the silverware off Air Force One, too.

[Arkansas Granny]

58. And stole all the "W" keys from the keyboards. Don't forget that part!!!

[MonkeyFunk]

60. It's just amazing to me that

so many people here saw those stories as ugly lies immediately, but suspend all disbelief now, and believe every cheap smear put out about the Clintons.

[QC]

81. And the porno bombs! Don't forget the porno bombs! n/t

[stillcool]

80. I don't get it...

The only part that is true about this story is that things did not happen as Mrs. Clinton says they did. They never contacted the hospital to find out the real story. The only 'truth' that is now being spun is by an aunt who says that at some point her niece was turned away. And yet, she has nothing to back up her claims either.

The AP then spoke with Bachtel's aunt, Susie Casto of Middleport, who helped raise the woman. She said Bachtel, who worked at a pizza parlor, did in fact have health insurance when she and her baby died.

But at an earlier time, Casto said, Bachtel lacked health insurance and ran up unpaid bills when treated at a clinic near her home in Middleport. When she returned for treatment when pregnant, the clinic demanded $100 per visit to help retire the outstanding debt, Casto said. Because Bachtel could not afford the fees and found it difficult to travel, her aunt said, she postponed receiving treatment.

Bachtel eventually went to O'Bleness, about 30 miles to the north, for attention.

Casto declined to name the clinics or hospitals involved, and said she felt medical professionals did all they could to save Bachtel and her unborn child.

Pomeroy has about 2,000 residents and two medical clinics. One is affiliated with O'Bleness, the other is the Holzer Clinic, part of a nine-facility chain.

O'Bleness Health System spokeswoman Lynn Anastos said Monday that Bachtel was not a patient at their Pomeroy facility and "she would not have been turned away for lack of payment" if she had sought treatment there.

Holzer associate administrator Jim Blevins said his company has no record of Bachtel being a patient for the past five years. About half of Holzer's patients are "charity cases," he said, and the company tries to work out payment schedules with those who fall behind on their bills.

In some cases, Blevins said, Holzer clinics place "credit restrictions" on patients believed to be able but unwilling to pay their bills. That would not apply to patients needing immediate or emergency care, he said.

Clinton erred in telling audiences that the Ohio woman lacked insurance when seeking help for her troubled pregnancy. But according to Casto's account, Bachtel's medical tragedy began with circumstances very close to the essence of Clinton's now-abandoned account: the lack of insurance created a $100 barrier to needed medical attention close to home.

Ohio Hospital Contests a Story Clinton Tells
By DEBORAH SONTAG
Published: April 5, 2008

Linda M. Weiss, a spokeswoman for the not-for-profit hospital, said the Clinton campaign had never contacted the hospital to check the accuracy of the story, which Mrs. Clinton had first heard from a Meigs County, Ohio, sheriff’s deputy in late February.

A Clinton spokesman, Mo Elleithee, said candidates would frequently retell stories relayed to them, vetting them when possible. “In this case, we did try but were not able to fully vet it,” Mr. Elleithee said. “If the hospital claims it did not happen that way, we respect that.”

The sheriff’s deputy, Bryan Holman, had played host to Mrs. Clinton in his home before the Ohio primary. Deputy Holman said in a telephone interview that a conversation about health care led him to relate the story of Ms. Bachtel. He never mentioned the name of the hospital that supposedly turned her away because he did not know it, he said.
------------------------------------------------------------

Mrs. Clinton does not name Ms. Bachtel or the hospital in her speeches. As she tells it, the woman was turned away twice by a local hospital when she was experiencing difficulty with her pregnancy. “The hospital said, ‘Well, you don’t have insurance.’ She said, ‘No, I don’t.’ They said, ‘Well, we can’t see you until you give $100.’ She said, ‘Where am I going to get $100?’

“The next time she came back to the hospital, she came in an ambulance,” Mrs. Clinton continued. “She was in distress. The doctors and the nurses worked on her and couldn’t save the baby.”

Since Ms. Bachtel’s baby died at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, the story implicitly and inaccurately accuses that hospital of turning her away, said Ms. Weiss, the spokeswoman for O’Bleness Memorial said. Instead, the O’Bleness health care system treated her, both at the hospital and at the affiliated River Rose Obstetrics and Gynecology practice, Ms. Weiss said.

The hospital would not provide details about the woman’s case, citing privacy concerns; she died two weeks after the stillbirth at a medical center in Columbus.

“We reviewed the medical and patient account records of this patient,” said Mr. Castrop, the health system’s chief executive. Any implication that the system was “involved in denying care is definitely not true.”

Although Mrs. Clinton has told the story repeatedly, it first came to the attention of the hospital after The Washington Post cited it as a staple of her stump speeches on Thursday. That brought it to the attention of The Daily Sentinel in Pomeroy, Ohio, which published an article on Friday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/us/politics/05woman.html?em&ex=1207540800&en=5d218d83e4cccf15&ei=5087%0A

[rodeodance]

72. your comments are sick

[Dinger]

52. Sad To See : (

It's not like there's anything we can do about it. It's frustrating to say the least.

:-(

[rodeodance]

78. sick world we live in.

[Madam Mossfern]

21. It still appears

that Hillary's story makes different inferences than what actually happened. The demand for the $100 up front seems to have had nothing to do with the loss of the baby or the woman's death.

[Beaverhausen]

26. So what? Healthcare in this country is fucked up

could we focus on the important issue here, please?

[JayFredMuggs]

29. We cannot "focus on" healthcare, until...............

Hillary pulls out of the race, she simply has no credibility to lead on this issue any more.

Got the point?

[madmom]

73. Why can't we focus on health care with Hillary in the race? Why can't Obama lead on this issue?

[QC]

94. Obama does not support universal healthcare.

That will make it a bit hard for him to lead on that issue.

[rodeodance]

86. no, I point I get is that you are willing to spread and manufacture smear jobs on Hillary

[SaveOurDemocracy]

30. It ain't about issues ... it's about trashing HRC!!

Get with the PROGRAM, damnit!!

[JayFredMuggs]

33. WRONG AGAIN

It's about Hillary inspiring and leading the American public, who all want the FACTS and no inaccuracies!

Please make your beloved candidate speak the truth! The WHOLE truth, and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH!

Is THAT too much to ask of a President?

[SaveOurDemocracy]

37. hmmmm ... Why not ask that liar, Barack Obama??

[Madam Mossfern]

35. Yes, you're right

and her campaign could have done a bit of research and come up with a story that could be verified easily.

[JayFredMuggs]

38. That seems to be TOO MUCH TO ASK of Hillary campaign supporters

We are supposed to take everything that comes out of Hillary's mouth as gospel....she is the female truth-teller, how could she ever be wrong?

[Beaverhausen]

39. Why? What difference would it make?

She relayed a story as it was told to her. That story is an example that unfortunatetly happens often in this country, with small differences in the details. why is is so important to people that she have all the details exact?

Don't you think we need healthcare reform?

[LisaL]

41. Hillary is getting attacked for everything, even this story, which

turns out was pretty much correct.
And Hillary never accused O'Bleness hospital of turning this poor dead woman away.
O'Bleness hospital is the one that come forward saying they did not.
Well, it turns out, another hospital, according to the aunt, demanded a 100 $ from the woman.

[Firespirit]

46. I'm an Obama supporter and I'm with you on this

This particular line of attack against Hillary was a way for the evil, scumsucking corporatist media to trash people who are concerned about the health care crisis. OMG Hillary exaggerated about an event to further her socialized health care agenda! I know that's not what it is for DU, but that was definitely the MSM purpose in pushing this story, to tar people who want health care reform as liars and propagandists who will slander hospitals for their agenda. I have neither forgotten nor forgiven CNN for their pathetic performance bringing on that corporate studio-doc to trash Sicko with lies.

[Beaverhausen]

92. great post - I agree. You should start a thread with this post.

[leftynyc]

106. You are a great credit to

Sen Obama supporters everywhere. Wish more would use their upper level brains and seen they're being taken for a ride by the MSM on so many issues.

[Cha]

47. The important issue is hilary is a Bosnian Sniper Liar and

has been busted many times for lying..that's the bottom line.

Why Hillary’s Lies are Important

By - March 24, 2008, 9:53PM
Hillary Clinton has been caught in a series of lies and misrepresentations during the primary campaign. To some of her supporters, these lies may seem trivial and insignificant and even politics-as-usual. However, please consider the serious impact of these lies by placing them in the context of the past seven years of the Bush Administration and the legacy of expanded executive power that he leaves behind. In particular, consider the dangerous message that the Clinton campaign sends by employing similar tactics to achieve her political goals.

1. The Florida and Michigan Primaries / The Delegate Count
Hillary agreed to honor the DNC’s decision to strip Florida and Michigan of its delegates after their primaries were moved up into January in express violation of the DNC rules. She did not change her position on the validity of these primaries until she found herself unexpectedly behind in the delegate count and desperately needed to claim the delegates that she had won in these unsanctioned contests. As her chances of winning the nomination became increasingly slim in recent weeks, we have been presented with threatening and desperate lines of reasoning for why these primary results should count as is. At the same time, Clinton and her surrogates continue to propose different metrics for determining who should win the nomination even though there is and has been a clearly defined process in place for several decades.

Please think about the implications of changing election rules after the fact. We have suffered through at least one stolen presidential election and the manipulation of untold numbers of Congressional and state elections through various vote tampering and voter intimidation schemes used by the Republicans and their allies. The American people (and especially Democratic voters) have lost faith in the integrity of the election process. The Clinton strategy to continually change the rules for determining the Democratic Party nominee sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to increasingly un-Democratic elections in the future if it is allowed to succeed. If anything, we need more transparency and methods of accountability in our elections in order to repair the damage done in recent years and to restore our confidence in the Government.

2. The Bosnia Fabrication / Exaggerated Experience Claims
Hillary fabricated a story about a dangerous, life-risking visit to Bosnia in order to gain stature as an experienced negotiator in international conflicts and war. While this type of embellishment can seem almost comical, it represents a willingness to distort reality in order to influence the public perception. This is the same type of distortion that the Bush administration used to justify the war in Iraq, although the magnitude of the lie is certainly on a different scale. The Bush administration falsified reports, cherry-picked intelligence, used unreliable sources, and employed fear-mongering tactics to convince the American public that our safety was at risk and as such, you were either with us or with the terrorists. The lies used by President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are impeachable offenses and should be condemned by all Americans. Sadly, the Clinton campaign seems to have shown a shocking willingness to employ the same tactics to create a more favorable reality and to rely on divide-and-conquer rhetoric to weaken opposition. Her attempts to frighten the American people by conjuring up 3 AM phone calls are bad enough, but her vote of confidence in John McCain over Barack Obama should be seen as treason against the Democratic Party.

3. NAFTA
Hillary lied about her position on NAFTA and used her lies in a calculated way to influence the Ohio primary. Recently released White House documents confirm that Hillary had been an active proponent of NAFTA prior to its passage, and she has continued to support it publicly in her speeches and memoir. However, while campaigning in Ohio, she claimed to have been privately against NAFTA during the Clinton presidency and believes that it should be rewritten to protect American jobs and workers. This type of maneuvering is reminiscent of the behind-closed-doors policy-making that the Bush administration has used during the past seven years. Specifically, Bush and Cheney have made policy decisions without providing transparency to Congress or the public, and President Bush has repeatedly ignored the rule of law by issuing signing statements and disregarding the parts of the laws that he doesn’t agree with. If we cannot trust Hillary to be truthful about her positions on critical legislative issues now, how can we trust that she will be truthful as president?

These are just three examples that illustrate the concerns we should have with a candidate who demonstrates a sense of entitlement to the nomination and is willing to lie, misrepresent, threaten, and divide in order to obtain the nomination. President Bush and the neoconservative movement have greatly harmed this country by the creation of an imperial-like presidency. This election is not just about whether a Democrat or Republican wins but if the checks and balances are restored to the three branches of government. The framers of the Constitution were in such fear of an imperial president that mechanisms for impeachment are prominently and explicitly included in the Constitution. If Hillary Clinton is willing to use lies and deceit to win the Democratic nomination, what assurances do we have that she will not continue to use them once she is president?

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/03/why-hillarys-lies-are-importan.php

[LisaL]

31. Hillary was accused of lying. Yet turns out the story is true.

The woman was un-insured, the hospital did deny her care unless she paid a 100 $ up-front, according to her aunt. It wasn't O'Bleness hospital that deny this woman care, but then again, Hillary never claimed it was.
As for you, I have no idea how you would know what exactly led to this woman's death.

[JayFredMuggs]

36. I think you are still only partially factual here... but the point is

Why isn't Hillary ENTIRELY factual?

[LisaL]

40. Hillary said the woman was un-insured and the hospital demanded

a 100$ up-front.
The aunt of the dead woman says that's what happened.
What exactly is not factual?

[Zachstar]

62. If Clinton had done her research and found that what she was saying is supposedly true.

Then why was she not raising hell about it?

No she just dropped it from her speech and went on.

So failure to do your research COSTS!

[boppers]

102. Let's count the lies:

1. Hillary lied by making it seem that she showed up at a hospital and was turned away.
2. Hillary lied by insinuating the woman lacked insurance when she died.
3. Hillary lied by insinuating the lack of insurance caused a stillbirth, and later, the death of the mother.
4. Hillary lied by insinuating a hospital demanded a fee for emergency care, when it was a totally different hospital asking for payment on prior pre-natal visits.
5. Hillary slandered the entire medical profession by implying that 100 bucks meant they would let a woman die.

So, I owe a hospital about $6K. They'd be mighty happy if I paid it, and I'm sure they'd ask for payment if I wanted to make some future visits for non-critical care.

No doctor, nurse, or lowly medical tech in the profession is going to let me die because of it, though.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

42. Oh myyyy ... YOU really HATE that it turns out to be NOT a LIE!

Careful now, calm down ... you're approaching exploding head territory.

[Madam Mossfern]

53. I don't know if you are talking to me but

it's not the issue of a lie, it's the issue again of bad judgement. As I stated before, her campaign could have found a verifiable story that would have had the same effect. There was an inference that the demand for the $100 up front while she was uninsured lead to the deaths. We do not know if that was the case. Again, she missed an opportunity to use this to her advantage by reminding people that was what she was told and even though the circumstances may not have been accurate, that every day many times over similar things are happening as a result of the woefully bad condition of affordable health care/insurance. It became a strategic flaw. For heaven's sake her supporters on this forum can understand that, why can't her campaign advisors?

[emilyg]

50. Why isn't Obama. Selma comes to mind.

[dansolo]

93. Also, the up front payment was not becuase she was uninsured

That is the most misleading part of Hillary's story. She implies that the woman was required to pay up front because she was uninsured. That is very misleading. Apparently she had outstanding debts to the clinic. But doesn't that mean that she was treated on previous occasions even though she didn't have insurance? Isn't that counter to the narrative that Hillary is spinning?

[LittleClarkie]

43. What hospital story?

Hrr?

[Buzz Clik]

44. I have the links:

[flowomo]

49. a link to the Kornbluth statements:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/storylines-by-digby-andrea-mitchell.html

[Buzz Clik]

57. That story you linked doesn't quite match the title of the OP.

[NashVegas]

70. Here

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/07/clinton_told_true_tale_of_woe.html

[Buzz Clik]

75. Thank you. Now we can put this one to rest.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

88. In the bookbag?

[Buzz Clik]

98. gawd. Relentless, I tell you.

:evilgrin:

[SaveOurDemocracy]

99. Just wanna be like you...

:evilgrin:

[rodeodance]

104. put it where the sun does not shine.

[kwenu]

54. Hillary has already agreed that the story is very questionable and stopped repeating it.

[LisaL]

55. Can you read? Turns out the story is true.

[Madam Mossfern]

59. Partially......

Did the demand for $100 up front by one hospital cause the deaths in another?
What is the timeline?
Simple questions...

[LisaL]

67. I don't know if this woman was able to get pre-natal care.

Her aunt is saying she wouldn't go to the hospital that demanded a 100 $.
What kind of pre-natal care did this woman get? And could it have turned out differently if this woman wasn't worried about paying for her care?
Which is what Hillary was talking about.

[kwenu]

79. And so, you still don't know all the facts but think Hillary should keep repeating the story?

That must be why Hillary should get all the credit she deserves for running a brilliant campaign.

[rodeodance]

83. do you have a reading comprehension problem?--the poster said NOTHING about repeating the story.

[kwenu]

87. Do you have a reality problem? Hillary agreed that the story was unreliable.

[rodeodance]

89. She was told by the hospital to stop and she honored their request.

[kwenu]

90. Why did the hospital tell her to stop? And why did she honor the request?

Seriously. To argue an obvious point is ridiculous.

[rodeodance]

100. Why would she continue when she was told some parts were wrong?--Of

course she would stop. Anyone would.

Get a grip--She was smeared by the media and by many BO fans here on DU
who were more than willing to continue the smear job!

Enough said.

[kwenu]

103. Or she just could have been wrong.

Maybe she made a mistake and corrected it. Why is it that everyone else is to blame for Hillary's mistakes? The media didn't make her talk about the hospital example and DUers didn't either. This is why Hillary supporters have become so ridiculous that they have to gather in little enclave groups talking only to themselves. It's because the rest of the world (i.e. reality) won't tolerate the silliness.

[rodeodance]

105. hand it up

[Zachstar]

66. Who does anyone believe this days but if it is true it does not help Clinton.

Because when Clinton did not raise hell she was giving credit to the story. So now if it is true Clinton will get double damage for not taking a stand.

[LisaL]

69. Right. Cause it's your one damn fault if you are falsely accused

of lying.

[Zachstar]

77. If you do NOTHING to speak out against it in AMERICA then the answer is YES

The point of having a free society is to be able to speak the hell up when you are being accused wrongly!

When you do not take that advantage you WEAKEN it.

This will harm Clinton. She did not stand up to the truth (That is if the story was actually true) because she got caught not doing her homework so a woman got falsely represented either way.

Wont work this time! Clinton got caught and she lost!

[stillcool]

85. What is true?

The AP then spoke with Bachtel's aunt, Susie Casto of Middleport, who helped raise the woman. She said Bachtel, who worked at a pizza parlor, did in fact have health insurance when she and her baby died.

But at an earlier time, Casto said, Bachtel lacked health insurance and ran up unpaid bills when treated at a clinic near her home in Middleport. When she returned for treatment when pregnant, the clinic demanded $100 per visit to help retire the outstanding debt, Casto said. Because Bachtel could not afford the fees and found it difficult to travel, her aunt said, she postponed receiving treatment.

Bachtel eventually went to O'Bleness, about 30 miles to the north, for attention.

Casto declined to name the clinics or hospitals involved, and said she felt medical professionals did all they could to save Bachtel and her unborn child.

Pomeroy has about 2,000 residents and two medical clinics. One is affiliated with O'Bleness, the other is the Holzer Clinic, part of a nine-facility chain.

O'Bleness Health System spokeswoman Lynn Anastos said Monday that Bachtel was not a patient at their Pomeroy facility and "she would not have been turned away for lack of payment" if she had sought treatment there.

Holzer associate administrator Jim Blevins said his company has no record of Bachtel being a patient for the past five years. About half of Holzer's patients are "charity cases," he said, and the company tries to work out payment schedules with those who fall behind on their bills.

In some cases, Blevins said, Holzer clinics place "credit restrictions" on patients believed to be able but unwilling to pay their bills. That would not apply to patients needing immediate or emergency care, he said.

Clinton erred in telling audiences that the Ohio woman lacked insurance when seeking help for her troubled pregnancy. But according to Casto's account, Bachtel's medical tragedy began with circumstances very close to the essence of Clinton's now-abandoned account: the lack of insurance created a $100 barrier to needed medical attention close to home.

Ohio Hospital Contests a Story Clinton Tells
By DEBORAH SONTAG
Published: April 5, 2008

Linda M. Weiss, a spokeswoman for the not-for-profit hospital, said the Clinton campaign had never contacted the hospital to check the accuracy of the story, which Mrs. Clinton had first heard from a Meigs County, Ohio, sheriff’s deputy in late February.

A Clinton spokesman, Mo Elleithee, said candidates would frequently retell stories relayed to them, vetting them when possible. “In this case, we did try but were not able to fully vet it,” Mr. Elleithee said. “If the hospital claims it did not happen that way, we respect that.”

The sheriff’s deputy, Bryan Holman, had played host to Mrs. Clinton in his home before the Ohio primary. Deputy Holman said in a telephone interview that a conversation about health care led him to relate the story of Ms. Bachtel. He never mentioned the name of the hospital that supposedly turned her away because he did not know it, he said.
------------------------------------------------------------

Mrs. Clinton does not name Ms. Bachtel or the hospital in her speeches. As she tells it, the woman was turned away twice by a local hospital when she was experiencing difficulty with her pregnancy. “The hospital said, ‘Well, you don’t have insurance.’ She said, ‘No, I don’t.’ They said, ‘Well, we can’t see you until you give $100.’ She said, ‘Where am I going to get $100?’

“The next time she came back to the hospital, she came in an ambulance,” Mrs. Clinton continued. “She was in distress. The doctors and the nurses worked on her and couldn’t save the baby.”

Since Ms. Bachtel’s baby died at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, the story implicitly and inaccurately accuses that hospital of turning her away, said Ms. Weiss, the spokeswoman for O’Bleness Memorial said. Instead, the O’Bleness health care system treated her, both at the hospital and at the affiliated River Rose Obstetrics and Gynecology practice, Ms. Weiss said.

The hospital would not provide details about the woman’s case, citing privacy concerns; she died two weeks after the stillbirth at a medical center in Columbus.

“We reviewed the medical and patient account records of this patient,” said Mr. Castrop, the health system’s chief executive. Any implication that the system was “involved in denying care is definitely not true.”

Although Mrs. Clinton has told the story repeatedly, it first came to the attention of the hospital after The Washington Post cited it as a staple of her stump speeches on Thursday. That brought it to the attention of The Daily Sentinel in Pomeroy, Ohio, which published an article on Friday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/us/politics/05woman.html?em&ex=1207540800&en=5d218d83e4cccf15&ei=5087%0A

[Zachstar]

65. BINGO!, kwenu

So this is doing double damage now. IF this new story is true.

[rodeodance]

76. Of course she did. Why would she continue when questions arised?

[rocktivity]

56. Since the Hillary camp decided to make a story part of her stump speech

they should have verified the story THEMSELVES.

:headbang:
rocknation

[LittleClarkie]

61. Sorta

It's just not completely accurate in all details.

Something she should watch out for, considering what happened to Gore in 2000.

[rodeodance]

68. Ann Kornblut is the one who wrote the HIT piece on Hillary a few days ago--but

lots wrote/called the WP


well well.

[rodeodance]

82. REC