Texas As An Example?

When ranking states, Texas is next to last in children's access to health care, yet U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) presents it as a shining example for the rest of the nation.

Here's a clipping from the Commonwealth Fund report (emphasis mine):

[...] the 13 states at the bottom quartile of the overall performance ranking—Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey, Alaska, Oregon, Arkansas, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Oklahoma—lag well behind their peers on multiple indicators across dimensions[...]

Now for a bit of perspective on his health care stance: Cornyn voted against SCHIP, which now covers about half a million Texas children. He also opposed the reinstatement of adequate Medicare reimbursements to providers. Cornyn initially opposed reinstating adequate Medicare reimbursements to doctors, causing the Texas Medical Association to rescind their endorsement of him during a recent re-election bid.

Now according to The Houston Chronicle he has been speaking out about Texas as a shining example. Here's a quote form the Chronicle story:

"So, you have to understand what I mean when I say I want to make Washington, D.C., and the rest of our country more like Texas (because), frankly, we know the policies that actually work." [-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn]

As the debate continues and we see more instances like this, it would behoove us all to beware of political spin from either side and focus on the facts. The Commonwealth Fund has been doing a magnificent job of providing hard data at a time when it is so desperately needed. Thanks, guys!

SOURCE: "Out of touch Senator's depiction of Texas' health care system as a national role model departs from reality" 08/14/08
SOURCE: "U.S. Variations in Child Health System Performance: A State Scorecard" 05/25/08
photo courtesy of little black spot on the sun today, used under its Creative Commons license