TRUTH ALERT: Judy Baker attacks Sen. Caleb Rowden on health care

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An advert from the Democratic challenger for the Missouri Common Meeting’s Senate District 19 goes after Sen. Caleb Rowden on well being care.

Judy Baker is working towards Rowden (R-Columbia) for the senate seat this November. Baker is a former well being care govt, state consultant and district chief for the federal Division of Well being and Human Companies. A advert from her marketing campaign touts her accomplishments in these roles and assaults Rowden on a few of his positions.

Baker and Rowden are working for Senate District 19. The district covers Boone and Cooper counties.

Advert: “I’ve spent my profession fixing well being care issues, like decreasing prices and enhancing providers for households.“

Baker has labored in numerous capacities within the well being care business and coverage fields. She labored at College Physicians from 1998 to 2002, serving because the apply’s interim director in 2001.

As state consultant, Baker supported MORx, which gives some state fee for seniors’ pharmacy funds.

Baker additionally touts her time as regional director at HHS overlaying Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. She helped with that agency’s response to the 2011 Joplin twister.

Advert: “However Caleb Rowden, he took over 3 million {dollars} in particular pursuits like drug and insurance coverage corporations.“

Baker’s advert factors to a marketing campaign fundraising compilation from Follow the Money, which exhibits Rowden has collected $3.5 million in donations from varied teams since he started working for public workplace. For the 2020 election, that features $90,685 in “finance, insurance coverage and actual property,” together with donations from UnitedHealth Group, Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Defend Kansas Metropolis.

Baker’s web page on Observe the Cash exhibits her taking $1.3 million in her races. The web page for “finance, insurance coverage and actual property” exhibits simply particular person contributions quite than these from corporations.

Advert: “So he opposed increasing Medicaid, and can allow them to deny you therapy for pre-existing situations.”

Rowden has opposed increasing Medicaid in Missouri to incorporate extra folks below the federal poverty line. He has cited the associated fee to the state for doing so, which he fears will come on the expense of training.

“He has been working to try to discover methods to deliver prices down and enhance protection for Missourians in a extra focused method to negate the slashing of Mizzou’s finances that would come from broad growth,” Rowden marketing campaign supervisor Jonathan Ratliff mentioned. “Given the folks of Missouri voted to go Medicaid Enlargement earlier this 12 months, Senator Rowden will use his appreciable affect and place as Senate Majority Chief to face in the best way of inevitable makes an attempt to take funds away from Mizzou to fund Medicaid Enlargement within the coming years.”

The advert doesn’t cite something to again up its declare that Rowden will “allow them to deny you therapy for pre-existing situations.” The advert’s textual content, although, says “deny therapy attributable to pre-existing situations,” a reference to protections the Inexpensive Care Act gives in insurance coverage protection. The Missouri Legal professional Common’s Workplace is a part of a lawsuit searching for to overturn the ACA in courtroom, which might undo these protections.

Rowden filed a bill final session that will protect these protections ought to a courtroom overturn the ACA. That invoice, nonetheless, solely retains them in place “till such time as the final meeting particularly gives in any other case.” The invoice was referred to a committee in March, however didn’t make it any additional.

Baker mentioned Rowden’s invoice wasn’t a critical try at defending pre-existing situations.

“With Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing, the Inexpensive Care Act is at very critical danger of being overturned by the Supreme Courtroom in only a few quick months,” Baker mentioned. “In contrast to sustaining the ACA, SB970 doesn’t present everlasting protections for Missourians dwelling with pre-existing situations.”