Olbermann ties free clinics to health reform

"A nonprofit group's campaign to hold free medical clinics for the uninsured in three states is turning into a not-so-subtle jab at moderate Democrats to support their party's efforts to reform health care," The Associated Press reports. "More than 800 people have signed up for free care Saturday at a downtown convention center in Little Rock at an event organized by the National Association of Free Clinics — the Virginia-based association's second free event in the past month under a campaign promoted by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann." Other clinic sites include New Orleans and Kansas City, Mo.

"Olbermann urged his viewers last month to contribute to the association, saying he wanted mass clinics in the states of the 'six senators key to defeating a filibuster against health care reform in the Senate.' Since then, more than $1.7 million has been contributed to the group for the clinics. Olbermann has been targeting Democrats from those states who are seen as crucial to passing Democratic-led health care reform legislation spear-headed by Majority Leader Harry Reid," including Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. (DeMillo, 11/20).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.