Broken Promises, Part XXII

This probably won't come as a surprise, but a lot of the House Republicans who voted against the plan to provide health care for 35,000 working parents, at no cost to the state, previously promised to fight for preventive health services and make health care a top priority when they were running for office last fall.

Still, it's worth noting that there were at least five House Republicans, including Majority Floor Leader Steve Tilley, who made written promises to fight for expanded access to health care when they signed the American Cancer Society's "State Cancer Promise", and then voted against the restoration of cuts for 35k parents. 

• Steven Tilley, District 106
• Mark Bruns, District 113         
• Bill Deeken, District 114
• Charlie Denison, District 135                    
• Billy Pat Wright, District 159

Specifically, these members pledged to do the following:

• Make health system reform a state priority.
  • I will urge my party's leaders to commit to meaningful, comprehensive bipartisan solutions;
  • I will support meaningful reform efforts and educate myself about the gaps in the current system as it affects our fight against cancer.
  • I will work against any health care reform attempts that would roll back state guarantees of coverage voted to the people of this state (in past legislative sessions) or reduce access to insurance coverage for the people of this state.
• Elevate and enhance prevention, early detection, quality of life care and survivorship.
  • I will work for programs that increase colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screening rates;
  • I will promote various policies that help smokers quit and reduce their risk for lung and other smoking related cancers;
  • I will ensure that my state dedicates the required resources to implement a comprehensive statewide cancer control plan;
  • I will work to ensure that all cancer patients and survivors have access to proper quality of life care, including pain control treatments and medicines.
• Expand access to care.
  • I will work to increase preventive health services, which have been proven to improve health outcomes;
  • I will work to ensure that all eligible women and men have access to life-saving screenings; and
  • I will work toward policies that increase colorectal, breast and cervical screening rates for the medically underserved.

Just think how life might be different for 35,000 working parents if they'd delivered on their promises.