Ryan Nicol
Republican congressional candidate Maria Elvira Salazar says a recent mailer from a left-leaning group contains lies about her health care stance. Now, Salazar wants the Internal Revenue Service to review it.
Salazar is competing with Democratic candidate Donna Shalala in Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
The Miami Herald reported on a news conference held by Salazar where she calls out the Center for Voter Information for the alleged misleading mailer.
According to the Herald, the mailer says Salazar “does not ‘support requiring health insurance companies to cover individuals with pre-existing conditions’ and that her opponent, Democrat Donna Shalala, does.”
Shalala has been outspoken about her support for the Affordable Care Act, whereas Salazar says she wants to repeal the law.
But Salazar also says she wishes to maintain protections for people with pre-existing conditions, contrary to the mailer’s claims.
The mailer cites Salazar’s campaign website to support its assertion, but her website does not contain any mention of her position on pre-existing conditions one way or the other.
In comments made to the Herald, the founder and president of the Center for Voter Information, Paige Gardner, said Salazar’s support for last year’s GOP tax bill supports the claims she wants to do away with protections for pre-existing conditions and cut Medicaid.
“Most studies indicate that this tax cut will lead to the weakening of protections for pre-existing medical conditions, and to cutting Medicaid funding overall,” Gardner said.
“It is the responsibility of candidates to understand the full implications of the positions they support.”
Salazar also denies a desire to cut Medicaid.
“We need to reform and do better with Medicaid, but never to abolish Medicaid,” Salazar said, according to the Herald.
“I mean, that would be inhumane.”
