My must read of the day is "One of the ‘Important People’," by Elizabeth Harrington, in the Washington Free Beacon:
I was told the OBGYN practice where the wives of two prominent Democrats are partners reserves its morning appointments for "important people." It was an intriguing claim, especially given the fact that Foxhall OB/GYN Associates does not accept Medicaid even as the office is being used as a prop in a Democrat’s congressional campaign.
I decided to investigate. Could I get a morning appointment? Was I one of the "important people"?
After an awkward 15-minute conversation with the office manager, it turned out I was—though only after she realized the story I was writing might not reflect well upon the practice. It also helped that I am not enrolled in Medicaid, because Spring Valley, the upper northwest D.C. suburb where Foxhall resides, does not, I was told, have the "demographics for it."
There are so many problems here it's difficult to determine where to begin.
Firstly, it matters greatly that Foxhall does not accept Medicaid when Dr. Marilyn Jerome is using her position and her expertise to endorse it in her husband’s congressional campaign. John Foust doesn’t just endorse the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, but uses it to create a distinction between his candidacy and his opponents, and his wife is playing an active role in that campaign.
It's duplicitous and misleading—if Jerome wants to talk about the abundant benefits of the Medicaid expansion she needs to explain why she chooses not to accept it.
I feel confident "we don't have the demographics for it" is not an acceptable justification.
In politics there are few things more annoying than a campaign doling out messages that vary depending on who’s listening. Jerome’s compassion and medical services are available if you’re the demographic that could pay out of pocket, and you can come in early if you’re important.
Trust me, America; Elizabeth Harrington is not important. Her appointment was the only time that policy was potentially acceptable.