Swapping attacks: U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell and his Democratic opponent, Michael Coles, swapped paid television attacks this week over health care issues Coles launched the first strike with a campaign ad about a Jackson County woman who lost her baby after an HMO refused to approve delivery of the baby through a Caesarean section. “Paul Coverdell voted against the right to sue HMOs for these terrible tragedies,” an announcer states. Coverdell opposes legislation allowing patients to sue HMOs for punitive damage awards for medical malpractice, while Coles favors it. A day after Coverdell condemned Coles for going negative, Coverdell struck back late Friday. His ad claims Coles denied health care benefits to 65 percent of his workers at the Great American Cookie Co., which Coles founded. Coles acknowledged that 65 percent of his employees weren’t eligible for company health insurance, but he said they were part-timers, mostly high school students. He said all employees who worked at least 30 hours a week were eligible for the company health plan. |
