Michelle Obama Oversaw Contentious Program
Posted on: Saturday, 23 August 2008, 18:00 CDT
Michelle Obama's job at the University of Chicago Medical Center included responsibility for a program to steer the uninsured away from its emergency room.
The wife of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is now on leave from her position. She was earning $317,000 a year as vice president of the hospital.
Some top Obama advisers are also involved with the Urban Health Initiative, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Dr. Eric Whitaker took over the program when the hospital hired him in 2007, and the hospital contracted with a company owned by David Axelrod, Barack Obama's top strategist, for a public relations campaign.
Another Obama adviser, Valerie Jarrett, heads the medical center's board and approved the hiring of Whitaker's company.
Hospital officials say uninsured patients seeking treatment for minor illness and injury were overwhelming the emergency room. The program tried to find doctors in the neighborhood for those patients and says they will get faster treatment elsewhere.
"Senator Obama sees community health centers as a vital part of efforts to invest in prevention and reduce costs," said Ben LaBolt, a spokesman..
Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle said some doctors and nurses have complained to her that the medical center is dumping patients.
Source: United Press International
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User Comments (2)
| 2. |
Posted by George on 09/29/2008, 13:16 This was debunked long ago, folks. She was attempting to educate people that you don't go to emergency for a runny nose or booboo on your knee. Every visitor handled emergency costs thousands of dollars. Obama tried to steer these non-serious cases to clinics in the vicinity. Unjustfied visits to emergency wards are a big part of what's bankrupting healthcare in our country. |
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Posted by Susan on 08/25/2008, 01:51 Interesting. AND - Michelle Obama USED to make $125K/year at the hospital, but after her husband tagged on a secondary bill to have US taxpayers get $2M to the hospital, guess what? Michelle's salary went up to $317K. |
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