Rick Perry - Lies Of Omission

Rick Perry, governor of Texas, would like to be seen as a truth-teller. But he seems to have forgotten that there are two kinds of lying -- lying by commission and lying by omission. If you tell only a small part of the truth and leave the impression that you're telling the whole truth, that's just as much a lie as telling an outright falsehood. And Perry is very good at telling lies of omission (leaving out important facts).

A perfect example of this occurred a couple of days ago when Perry appeared on Bill Bennett's radio show. Answering a softball question from Bennett, Perry left the impression that the state of Texas has the "best health care in the country". Here is what was said:

BENNETT: Thirty seconds on the doctors. You’ve got the best health care in the country, now I think, don’t you? Because of your tort law?

PERRY: We do, yes. I spoke with the doctors yesterday in San Antonio. We’ve got, you know, three of the great health care — well not — three of the great health care regions. When you think about the medical center in Houston, there are more doctors, nurses, researchers go to work there than any other place in the world, every day. You got UT Southwestern up in University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Scott & White. I mean these fabulous health care facilities.

I can't argue the fact that Houston, Dallas and San Antonio have some very good doctors and hospitals, but that's a far cry from Texas having the best health care in the country. It would be much more accurate to say if a person has plenty of money or great health insurance and live close to a major metropolitan center they can receive good health care. Perry's statement leaves out some rather nasty facts.

In fact, it can be argued that if you don't have a lot of money or great health insurance or live in a sparsely populated area of the state, then for you Texas has the worst health care in the country (or at least close to that). Consider the following facts:

* About 26% of Texans don't have any kind of insurance coverage (national average is 15.4%) and many who do have insurance have inadequate coverage.

* About one out of every five children (20%) in Harris county (Houston) has no insurance coverage.

* Texas has more people without insurance coverage than there are people in 33 other states.

* Texas has four congressional districts that are among the bottom ten congressional districts in the nation in rate of people with insurance coverage (and thirteen districts in the bottom thirty).

* Texas has among the most restrictive Medicaid eligibility in the nation.

* Code Red Health Care Task Force says "The overall health status of Texans is poor, particularly in comparison to other states. . ."

* Code Red also says "The State of Texas has not taken full advantage of federal matching funds for health care to the uninsured."

* Code Red says "There is a significant shortage of health care professionals in Texas. . ."

* Code Red says "Care of people with mental illness remains a major unresolved problem for Texas."

Add this to the fact that some rural Texans don't live within 50 to 100 miles of a doctor or hospital and you have a much better picture of the reality of health care in Texas -- and it's not a pretty picture. Texas has a long way to go before it can legitimately claim to have the "best health care in the country", and with the Republicans in charge I doubt there'll be any improvement any time soon.