Fact Check: Ensign’s health care lies and scare tactics

January 13, 2010: Las Vegas, NV. – Sen. John Ensign shied away from tough questions from more than 150 health insurance reform supporters who attended his town hall meeting in Las Vegas today.

During his second town hall this week, Ensign stuck to Republican talking points, brought in a California doctor to back up his lies about health insurance reform and even dredged up the debunked “death panel” myth. PolitiFact.com named this myth – an effort to scare seniors – it’s inaugural “Lie of the Year,” FactCheck.org called it “nonsense,” and even other Republican senators said they were “offended” by a lie so egregious.

As in Reno on Tuesday, Ensign took only prescreened questions, most of them from his supporters, even though more than half the attendees favored health insurance reform. In fact, so many reform supporters showed up to the event in the Summerlin Library’s theater that Ensign had to hold a second, impromptu town hall later in the afternoon.

Health insurance reform supporters also wanted to know why Ensign didn’t vote for the Senate’s health insurance reform bill despite coming out on Tuesday in favor of ending insurance company discrimination based on preexisting conditions and lifetime spending caps, and endorsed community health centers as a means of moving patients who need preventive, primary care out of already crowded emergency rooms – all measures included in the health insurance reform bills passed by Democrats in the House and Senate.

“For the second time, Ensign dodged the tough questions and parroted Republican talking points,” said Phoebe Sweet, communications director for the Nevada State Democratic Party. “But it was clear today that Las Vegans won’t settle for the status quo – or for John Ensign avoiding their questions. They’re energized and ready for health insurance reform that will improve the quality of life of millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Nevadans.”