Hillary Clinton and the Hospital story - Where did she get it from????

[jillan]

Right here people:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wqpEt_CdBk&e

So quit calling her a liar.

Jake Tapper is all over this, and the truth will come out on this.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/is-hillarys-muc.html

[Kittycat]

1. They should have vetted a story like that.

Having lost a child - I can only imagine the pain she's caused the family who are not only grieving the loss of the stillborn infant, but the mother as well. Just disgusting!

[jillan]

6. She didn't lie! There were two hospitals involved.

The second hospital is the one that helped the woman, not the first.

[Kittycat]

11. Are you sufforing from selective reading syndrome? I SAID - she should have had that story

VETTED!

You don't bring up a subject as sensitive as the loss of a child & mother, potentially at the hands of a hospital, without having a story like that VETTED!!!

FFS - what the heck is wrong with you people that you cannot get that through your head?

[jillan]

15. Maybe you need to wear a hat to catch things that go over your head.

[durrrty libby]

26. Not a hat, a bedpan, to catch the shit

[Cali_Democrat]

22. Excactly

[goclark]

96. And she has the nerve to say that Obama is not vetted

It's not what she does it's the way that she does it.

Always putting someone else down for not having experience and she of all people has been in enough campaigns to know you check and recheck all facts.

Now her campaign will have to say that even though they said it at first and then they retracted it and now they can say she was right, or 1/2 right the first time.

Where was Penn when all this was going down? Getting money from two sources and not taking care of business.

:puke:

[rinsd]

7. Yeah that evil Hillary for irritating a neglectful hospital!

he New York Times had a real attention-grabbing story over the weekend indicating that Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, had been irritating an Ohio hospital by telling a false story about a poor, pregnant woman denied health care.

“The hospital said, ‘Well, you don’t have insurance,'" Clinton said. "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.”

The Times reported that the woman in question was Trina Bachtel.

"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. (Linda) 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.".

<snip>

But a closer examination of the story Clinton was originally told indicates that while Clinton erred slightly in relaying the tragic tale, that doesn't mean it's not fundamentally true. On that, the jury is still out.

Since you seems to support this crap, is this what Obama's healthcare reform is gonna be like?

[Kittycat]

13. Read my response above (see #11)

It's called VETTING!

[LisaM]

61. Like the way Obama vetted his father's story of being airlifted here by the Kennedy family?

There is fundamental truth in that story, too.

[Crunchy Frog]

16. Her own family disputes the veracity of this account.

In any event, any candidate using such a story in their stump speech has an obligation to verify the story, and should probably also consult with the family before using it. If Obama had done something like this, I would be cringing over it.

[durrrty libby]

87. If you watch the video you will see no names were used to tell

how terrible the lack of medical care is

The lack of adequate medical care causes acres of pain and suffering every day

Giving examples of the heartache and suffering is perfectly appropriate to demonstrate

the need for better health care. What the fuck are you complaining about? You don't want

better health care? And don't bother responding.

The faux rage from BOSniffers proves their mental incompetence

[Crunchy Frog]

88. It doesn't matter that she didn't use names.

The important thing is that she used these people's story without their consent, and the information given was still sufficient to identify them. (People in the community would know who it was, the family themselves would know, any reporter capable of looking at the towns obituary notices could easily figure it out.)

I'm all in favor of using personal anecdotes to illustrate the healthcare crisis in this country. There is absolutely no reason why those personal stories can't be fully verified, and used with the consent of the people involved. If Michael Moore is capable of doing it, then Hillary Clinton should be too.

If you truly believe that one has to be an Obama supporter to see the logic in this position, then I am very, very glad to be an Obama supporter.

(If Obama had made a similar screw up, I would be just as critical about it. It is actually possible to have an opinion about this that is not dictated by partisanship.)

[PoliticalAmazon]

24. A hospital turning a patient away is a really bad thing. It was...

...irresponsible for HRC to spread the story until she knew that it was true. It could have caused reputation and financial harm to the hospital.

Look, if this was the only instance of lying, it would easy to give her a pass as an isolated case of misjudgment. But with all of the times she has lied I think it shows a pattern of lying or using information that fits her agenda but may not be true in order to get her way.

She has yet to publicly clear the hospital and apologize. That is another pattern of hers which is very unpresidential. She should make the statemetns to clear the hospital's name as many times as she said the lie about them, and in the same level of public venue.

Otherwise, she is showing her irresponbility and a lack of caring that is all to familiar coming from her.

[rinsd]

37. She never mentioned mentioned the hospital or woman by name so how could she have damaged it?

Only Hillary haters could turn a story of ugliness by an institution against the powerless (which was actually true, the woman was denied care at a hospital) into a AL Gore & dog medicine story.

[OzarkDem]

64. The story was true

that's the problem.

[rodeodance]

45. Her camp said they did.

[rinsd]

2. Its fucking Al Gore & dog medicine all over again.

[jillan]

12. You'll have to 'splain that one to me.

[rinsd]

19. Tales of MSM/RW bullshit from elections past!

This primer from Bob Somersby at the Daily Howler shoudl show the way.

http://www.dailyhowler.com/h110200_1.shtml

He concentrates on MSM/RW lies about Gore, then Kerry, then Hillary.

But because he decided to defend Hillary, you don't see him posted here as much anymore when he used to be an election staple (probably will become one again when the nominee is decided).

[jillan]

23. Ahhhh - ringing a bell.

That was back in the days when I used to read the paper for my news ;)


Ironically - it was that same election that changed me forever.

[tekisui]

3. That one was an honest mistake.

But they should have checked it out before writing into her stump speech.

[babylonsister]

4. The truth is the hospital asked the Clinton camp to desist as did the

family of the dead girl. She should have checked the story more thoroughly, and with all the ones she supposedly hears, why didn't she pick one of those? Poor judgment and handling of the whole thing by her campaign for not vetting this.

[jillan]

10. There were 2 hospitals involved. The first hospital denied the woman care.

Then the woman went to O'Bleness Memorial - and that is the hospital that is speaking out.

[babylonsister]

20. Did Clinton claim she didn't have insurance? Did she? Keep spinning.

If Clinton did nothing wrong, why is she retracting the story and why is this girl's family so angry?

[jillan]

28. I'm not spinning - I am telling you what Jake Tapper has learned about this.

[rinsd]

30. Someone working at Pizza Hut has good insurance?

I'm sorry it seems the grandmother is embarrased at the circumstances under which her grandaughter suffered.

Her grandmother, Mrs Mayle confirmed that Bachtel died last August from complications related to a late-pregnancy miscarriage, but said she was never turned away from a hospital.

"The family is real torn up about it. I can't understand why they'd make her out to look like she was so unstable," said Mayle.

As Clinton told the story during campaign rallies, the young, pregnant woman in difficulty was turned down for treatment because she was uninsured and couldn't pay $100 (£50) up front.

She didn't name Bachtel or the hospital involved, but after reporters identified her and where she worked - a Pizza Hut in Pomeroy, Ohio - local papers made it front-page news, horrifying her still-grieving family.

"Of course she would have had $100," fumed Mayle. "Her boyfriend's real angry about it, too, because he had good insurance. They were going to get married, but worked so hard they couldn't find the time."

Clinton apparently learned of the story from one of her local supporters, Deputy Sheriff Bryan Holman. He told papers he heard it secondhand from Bachtel family members. At an event with Senator Clinton, he related it to her.

"She tells the story as it was told to her by the deputy sheriff," a Clinton spokesperson said. "She had no reason to doubt his word."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557689&in_page_id=1770

So a few things

What kind of health insurance does Pizza Hut offer if any?

A boyfriend having insurance doesn't mean anything because they were not married. She could not have used his insurance.

Not having $100 cash while one works at Pizza Hut is not exactly shocking.

[babylonsister]

47. I have no idea but Clinton should have checked her facts; she didn't,

pure and simple. That is the tragedy. Her melodramatic claim that the girl didn't have $100 when her family said that wasn't the case is compounding the tragedy. Yes, perhaps her family is embarrassed. That, too, Clinton should have checked out. Tone-deafness is ruling for her campaign, time and again, and/or stretching the truth to suit her needs. Not very professional, not good judgment.

[OzarkDem]

75. Her facts were accurate

as Tapper points out.

[rodeodance]

62. this might help:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080407/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_hospital_fact_check;_ylt=Aj8tCd33RLr6StI4EZRVYAKs0NUE

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.


THE FACTS:

Clinton said she heard the story from Meigs County Deputy Sheriff Bryan Holman during a visit to Pomeroy, before the March 4 Ohio primary.

In a March 26 phone interview with The Associated Press, Holman said he had told Clinton the story in essentially the same way she was retelling it in her speeches. He said he knew the Bachtel story only second hand, and lacked several details.

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.

___

By Charles Babington

[boston bean]

40. I don't know, but it's possible the hospital in question did not accept her insurance.

so to that hospital she was uninsured. But I am only guessing at this point because I don't have to make a round peg fit in a square hole.

[rodeodance]

59. This might help:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080407/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_hospital_fact_check;_ylt=Aj8tCd33RLr6StI4EZRVYAKs0NUE

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.


THE FACTS:

Clinton said she heard the story from Meigs County Deputy Sheriff Bryan Holman during a visit to Pomeroy, before the March 4 Ohio primary.

In a March 26 phone interview with The Associated Press, Holman said he had told Clinton the story in essentially the same way she was retelling it in her speeches. He said he knew the Bachtel story only second hand, and lacked several details.

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.

___

By Charles

[OzarkDem]

71. Holzer clinic may be the one that refused her for lack of payment

and apparently they don't consider pre-natal care to be an "emergency".

[OzarkDem]

68. Still don't know the answer to that one

Someone would have to check her medical records to verify.

Bottom line is that she was asked to pay cash up front and when she couldn't she was refused medical care. Its a typical story of poor people trying to navigate the health care system. There are many financial barriers.

On edit: Even if she had insurance, if she was required to make a cash payment to be seen, a payment she couldn't afford, then she would be called "underinsured" which is just as great a barrier to health care as being uninsured.

[tyne]

5. Who claimed she wasn't

repeating a story she had heard?

[C_U_L8R]

8. Hillary needs to get her facts straight

and blunders like this just make her look like an amateur

[gateley]

9. As I posted on another thread regarding this subject:

If a sheriff told me that story,

I'd believe him. I feel bad for Hillary on this one -- I'm guessing lots of stories like this are relayed on the campaign trail. If she hadn't gotten nailed on the Bosnia story, this would have never been an issue. And although the story wasn't accurate in this particular instance, I think it speaks to the bigger truth of how often this type of thing DOES happen.

So on this one, I'm giving Hillary a pass. She didn't fabricate or embellish it - just passed along a horrible tale that I'm sure really did distress her.




And there were posts in agreement so I think a lot of people believe this isn't as "newsworthy" as some would hope.

The CNN piece I saw on it was just downright bullshit. FOX-like.

[LisaL]

14. She repeated the story as it was told to her by the sheriff.

Which certainly does not make her a liar.
Deputy sheriff told her the woman had no insurance.
Apparently the woman did have insurance.
But still the woman had a still born child, and then was transferred to Columbus, where she died. Certainly it's not that common now days for a woman to die in child birth.

[Divernan]

85. DEPUTY sheriff, not an elected official - think Barney Fife!

[rodeodance]

17. yes, the camp should have vetted the story better. But those who want to smear Hillary

for an honest mistake will do so no matter how hard one argues.

[juajen]

18. I'm glad to see this post. We all need to attempt to put the brakes

on the swiftboating of Hillary Clinton. It's despicable and should not be permitted on any democratic board.

[Mike Nelson]

21. The "media" is tryin to kill Hillary off...

what about Bush's lies... how many died?

[Hamlette]

25. Just reported on TV....there was another hospital first...same woman

story might not be untrue

I'm an Obama supporter....but you gotta give due. (Psych ops?)

Just reported on Gregory's show. Will be an article tomorrow.

[jillan]

31. Interesting that msnbc would report it before cnn.

(msnbc is usually not to kind to Hillary)

[Cali_Democrat]

27. As the woman's grandma said, Hillary made her out to be a welfare bum

Saying she could afford a $100 fee. Hillary basically slandered this dead woman who lost her own life as well as her baby. The woman had health insurance. Hillary basically accused this woman of being a poor welfare bum and Hillary did it for political purposes so she could advance her own political campaign. It's shameless, really.

[Whisp]

35. I wish gramma didn't say that - people on welfare are not bums. :(

the real welfare bums are the fat Exxon and Haliburton, etc., ones.

:(

edited to make clearer.

[Cali_Democrat]

36. The woman's grandma said it

[rinsd]

39. Which shows where she is coming from.

She seems embarrased at the circumstances her granddaughter had to suffer under in this country and I don;t blame her.

The grandmother also claimed the boyfriend had good insurance so there should not have been a problem.

Let's just say the grandmother may be misinformed.

[OzarkDem]

72. Clinton didn't characterize her as a "welfare bum"

She only said the woman was uninsured, which she may have been at the time. It sounds like Grandma was wrong.

[Barack_America]

29. Actually, to me this makes this WORSE...

This proves to me that she could have learned this woman's name and contacted her family before using the story.

I've heard in several places that the woman's family has been devastated about her story having been used without their consent.

It was disrespectful to talk about this woman time and time again without having spoken with her family.

[jillan]

32. Of course, to you, it would be worse.

The truth comes out and it doesn't fall into your daily dose of Obama Drama.

[Barack_America]

34. Actually, I have only one other post on this topic.

Here it is.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5410912&mesg_id=5411640

I think you can see that my feelings now are the same as they were before this "truth" you speak of was understood.

[boston bean]

50. so the truth doesn't make a shits bit of difference, good to know kristi.

[Barack_America]

52. The issue for me has always been the lack of respect for the family.

Nice try though.

I was inclined to give Hillary a pass on the details of the story.

[jillan]

60. It was the hospital that mentioned the woman's name, not Hillary.

And that is wrong.

[Barack_America]

69. Personally, I think that the family should've been contacted...

Even if she didn't plan on using her name. The family was bound to hear the story eventually and recognize it. And, as we now know, they found the usage of this story very upsetting.

Perhaps, as a doctor-in-training, I'm a little sensitive about patient information and family rights.

[jillan]

77. I used to think that all of the time listening to Edwards.

He loved telling these kind of stories.

Sad stories which prove how badly we need UHC....at other people's expense.
It's kind of a balancing act. You need to get the stories out there to make the case for UHC, but at the same time, you don't want to make it worse for the families.

We've had our share of health/hospital stories in my family. I wonder how I'd feel if our stories where politicized?
I guess it all comes down to how you feel about the person that is telling them.

[boston bean]

49. She wasn't using the womens name or the hospital, get the facts

straight. For Christ sakes can't you people let go of the bone that might end up choking you.

[Barack_America]

73. One could argue that personally identifying information was used...

Where she lived, where she worked, etc.

Would it have killed Hillary to reach out to family if this story affected her as much as she claims?

[durrrty libby]

80. The BObots have swilled down so much Fool-Aid, they can't

stop the brain necrosis. They are beyond Hope :dunce:

[Crunchy Frog]

84. It's nice to see how much the Hillbots believe

the "little people" should be treated with respect. Nice to know that she and they believe it's okay to use other people's personal tragedies without their consent to advance one's own political agenda. I'm glad that there's probably no longer any risk of getting that attitude into the White House.

[OzarkDem]

74. Consent isn't needed if the person's name isn't used

and her name wouldn't have become public if the media hadn't decided to play their games to make Clinton look bad.

[Barack_America]

78. It's a matter of courtesy.

If she was so touched by the story, how much extra effort would it have taken to contact the family, express her condolences and request their blessing?

Not much.

If it was brought to my attention that Obama had done a similar thing, I'd be just as critical of him.

[cbayer]

33. I always see these stories as fables of a sort.

All the candidates tell these down-home stories. I hate them. I always feel like I am being talked down to. I don't care whether they are true or not and cringe when I hear any candidate telling these kinds of stories.

However, the fact remains that Clinton never mentioned the name of the patient or the hospital involved. The hospital is the one that took it upon themselves to divulge privileged patient information even though she never indicated she was talking about them. The family's only outrage is that they feel the patient was incorrectly labeled as being uninsured (the veracity of this claim is still unclear - does Pizza Hut really supply insurance for it's employees?). Clinton repeated the story exactly as it was told to her and she did it to make a point.

What's most striking about this is how some Obama supporters see it as an opportunity to attack her. And yes, I know that would happen if it were the other way around.

As far as I am concerned, both candidates are WAY above this kind of juvenile name-calling. Thank goodness.

[jillan]

38. I just heard that the Washington Post is going to post the correct version of this story tomorrow.

[rodeodance]

41. past time---I wrote to them.

[jillan]

42. You mean they read what we write?

amazing! :)

[rodeodance]

53. I think they got flack from many people--it was an obvious HIT smear piece on hillary

[BlueIdaho]

43. Reality check?

Ok if this was YOU out there telling this story - would you

1. Check with the family first to see if its ok to use the woman's name?

2. Apologize if the family asked you to stop using this story to prove a political point?

I don't care how true the story is - there are PLENTY of horrific stories that could be told to illustrate the point - I think we all agree the health system in this country is broken. But I do worry about the arrogance of (1) not asking and (2) not respecting the family. What about their feelings - do they matter at all?

[jillan]

44. When did she use the woman's name? Because I have heard her tell this

sad story several times and NOT ONCE heard Hillary mention the name of the woman, or the hospital.

Do you have a link?


Here is Hillary talking about her :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_DpvBRa4DQ&feature=related

[BlueIdaho]

46. If not my apologies - but...

I may be wrong here - I don't live politics 24-7 so you could be right here - now on to my second point - once we know her name and the family asked you to stop using the story

Would you apologize for any hurt you may have caused?

[jillan]

48. I'm sure Hillary will make a statement about it.

She was just telling a really sad story to show the importance of universal health care.
Just as Edwards used to do many, many times.

Lots of sad stories out there.

[BlueIdaho]

51. Good for her then

As an Obama supporter I hope she does - and expect she will. Lets face it - this is an issue that should unite us. Health care is badly broken and we need to fix it. Personally, I don't think either candidate's plan goes nearly far enough but its not worth arguing the fine points. Something has to pass the house and senate - neither of these plans will get there intact. We, the citizens need to pressure on a DEMOCRATIC congress - enough pressure to get them to walk away from the insurance companie's money. That will take LOTS and LOTS of pressure from US - all of us!

[cbayer]

55. She never, ever used the patient's name.

It was the hospital that chose to break that little piece of confidential information.

[jillan]

56. You have a point there - the hospital was the one that broke the patient confidentiality act.

Unfortunately, I have had alot of experience with hospitals, and this is a big no-no.

[cbayer]

65. Yes, I am quite aware of the position they have placed themselves in.

It appears they may be less afraid of HIPAA sanctions than they are of EMTALA sanctions. For them to break confidentiality in that way makes me quite curious about what they may be hiding.

[rodeodance]

54. REC

[jillan]

57. Thank you :)

Was hoping someone would give this #5 - it needs to be heard before it gets more out of hand.

[rodeodance]

58. **NEW AP ARTICLE: THE FACTS:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080407/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_hospital_fact_check;_ylt=Aj8tCd33RLr6StI4EZRVYAKs0NUE

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.


THE FACTS:

Clinton said she heard the story from Meigs County Deputy Sheriff Bryan Holman during a visit to Pomeroy, before the March 4 Ohio primary.

In a March 26 phone interview with The Associated Press, Holman said he had told Clinton the story in essentially the same way she was retelling it in her speeches. He said he knew the Bachtel story only second hand, and lacked several details.

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.

___

By Charles

[Eric J in MN]

66. I'm not a fan of Jake Tapper, but....

...I have to give him credit for fairness to Hillary Clinton this time.

I've seen Jake Tapper twist Bill Clinton's words on multiple occasion, but this time he was fair to a Clinton.

[rodeodance]

92. Recall that hit job he did Bill about Hillary's economic plan. IT was a real hit job.

[jillan]

67. There ya go!

Good work!

[rodeodance]

91. helping you out--thats what we do.

[IowaGirl]

76. Thanks for this post, rodeodance, hopefully the "facts" will matter to fair people.

:kick:

[rodeodance]

90. to fair people

[IowaGirl]

63. It's been repeatedly reported that Clinton never used the name of the girl or the hospital.

I really hate that this "scandal" is becoming a more important issue than the actual problems with health care. If we could get this much press over health care, maybe somebody would get interested in fixing it. By the time we're done vetting all three candidates, we're all going to be thoroughly sick of politics in America. All of the candidates have told some whoppers and it boils down to who has told the least or the less destructive to choose the best candidate, sigh. By my count, Hillary has told the least so far. :shrug:

[ecdab]

70. The hospital story is pretty much a non-issue

It does show a lack of vetting in what she says - and after listening to Bush spout BS for 8 years, people may not be that interested in why somebody running for President got a story wrong. For what it's worth - this doesn't rise to the level of a lie in any way shape or form that I can tell.

[OzarkDem]

79. No, it shows the media tried to turn it against Clinton

and was the same tactic used w/ Gore comparing the cost of the same medication for dogs vs his mother's prescription cost.

The purpose of these "swiftboat" attacks is not just to harm the candidate, but to undermine the effort to enact health care reform.

[ecdab]

81. She's very vulnerable to attacks on her credibility right now

- the media loves nothing more than blood in the water, and after her snipper story there is plenty of Hillary blood in the water. The fact the medias loves the small of blood isn't Hillary's fault, but she has been around long enough to know the dirty little game they play - and should be vetting the heck out every word that comes out of her mouth - if she wants to avoid this kind of thing. It's what an "experienced" candidate would do :)

[OzarkDem]

82. It wouldn't make any difference, they'll still find a way to distort

and its interesting this tried and true trick hasn't been played on Obama yet. And don't tell me it's because he hasn't made any misstatements, because he has.

The timing is also really odd, coming so close to the PA primary. I'm more convinced than ever that the right wing is trying to make Obama the candidate so they can destroy him in the GE.

[Blue Diadem]

83. I never thought she lied about it.

I ran across the noquarterusa blog earlier today and thought he covered it really well. There's a transcript there of the video you link to.

I found it surprising that the hospital became so defensive, since Hillary, nor the deputy, ever said the hospital where the baby was stillborn was the same hospital that refused treatment.

The real Trina Bachtel story is here:
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/04/07/the-real-trina-bachtel-story/

Glad to see ABC is keeping up with this.

[Lucky 13]

86. From the depths of her ass.

Who the fuck knows? She embellishes EVERYTHING, apparently. No story is good enough, no recollection compelling enough... not with out her special zesty lies to SPICE THINGS UP!!

[LittleClarkie]

89. After what they did to Gore in 2000, she should make sure she's got all the fact straight

before she tells a story.

[rodeodance]

93. yeah--cause if she breaths wrong she will be subject to a smear mob

[LittleClarkie]

94. Is it your contention that she hasn't walked into some of these issues she's having?

The sniper issue, for one?

It's more than breathing wrong. She needs to learn from what happened to Gore, and make sure she's got the facts of the story straight before she tells it. Story was true, just a couple of mucked up facts.

It happened to Gore. It happened to Kerry. It happens to presidential candidates. Why should she be treated with kid gloves.

[rodeodance]

95. WPost: Clinton Told True Tale of Woe, Says Kin

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 gton