TRUTH ALERT: Pro-Parson ad ties Galloway to federal health care policies
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
An ad running in support of Republican Gov. Mike Parson ties Nicole Galloway to federal health care ideas, but not necessarily ones that the Democratic state auditor holds.
The ad from Uniting Missouri, a political action committee organized in support of the Republican governor, is running an ad about Galloway and health care. The ad features several prominent national Democrats alongside Galloway.
Ad: "The D.C. liberals want a government takeover of our health care system, and they're bankrolling Nicole Galloway's campaign for a reason."
A major argument during the race for the Democratic nomination for president has been the future of health care. Many candidates have called for some expansion of government-funded service, including "Medicare for All" or a public health care option alongside private insurance.
As for the claim that these groups are "bankrolling" Galloway, Uniting Missouri spokesperson Michael Berg points out the commitment the Democratic Governors Association has made to getting Galloway elected. That included a June DGA fundraising email from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who proposed a "Medicare for All" system while campaigning for president.
While that may be how Warren feels, David Turner with the DGA said the group does not take policy positions on health care.
The Republican Governors Association is also spending millions to help Parson. Missouri Ethics Commission filings show the RGA has paid Uniting Missouri $3 million so far.
Ad: "Galloway has endorsed their candidates and their liberal policies."
The narrator says this line alongside photos of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Galloway has not endorsed either one for election, but Berg says "endorse" refers to her support of other Democratic candidates.
Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, has called for a public health care option to work alongside the private health care market. Nowhere on Galloway's campaign website does it say she supports such a plan at the federal level.
Galloway campaign spokesperson Kevin Donohoe told ABC 17 News that Galloway is against both "Medicare for All" and a public option.
"Like a majority of Missouri voters, Auditor Galloway supports Medicaid expansion and as governor she will implement the will of the voters while working to lower healthcare costs for working families," Donohoe said.
Ad: "Their liberal health care plan could force 37 rural hospitals in Missouri to close, destroy health care jobs and raise our taxes by two thousand dollars a year.
The information comes from a 2019 study from Navigant Consulting on a public health care option and funded by the Partnership for America's Health Care Future. That group, made up of doctor groups, insurance companies and business interests, says it's focused on making the current health care system work, rather than an expansion of government-run programs.
The Navigant study found that 37 hospitals in Missouri could close if 50% of all U.S. employers shifted to a public health care option system. That scenario was the largest shift studied by Navigant, and assumed the system would pay for health care services under current Medicare rates.
It's not clear yet that a public option would ever pass Congress, and what rates such a system would pay out.
(Editor's note, 9/15: The story has been updated to include more information on one of the claims and a comment from the Democratic Governors Association.)
