Rick Perry 'Taken Aback' By Audience Cheering, Suggesting Society Should Let Uninsured Patient Die: Report

Texas Governor Rick Perry says he was "taken aback" by an incident that occurred at Monday night's Republican presidential debate after U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) was asked if a man who is sick should be left to die because he is uninsured, according to NBC News.

In addressing the situation that unfolded Perry reportedly said, "We're the party of life." HuffPost's Sam Stein reports on the incident:

What do you tell a guy who is sick, goes into a coma and doesn't have health insurance? Who pays for his coverage? "Are you saying society should just let him die?" Wolf Blitzer asked.

"Yeah!" several members of the crowd yelled out.

Paul interjected to offer an explanation for how this was, more-or-less, the root choice of a free society. He added that communities and non-government institutions can fill the void that the public sector is currently playing.

The Texas congressman suggested that no one was ever turned away from the hospital when he worked as a doctor or when he's conducted volunteer work at churches. He said, "We have given up on this whole concept that we might take care of ourselves, assume responsibility for ourselves ... that's the reason the cost is so high."

In sharing his reaction to the exchange, Perry reportedly told NBC News and the Miami Herald, "We ought to be coming up with ways to save lives."

As for Perry's own stance on health care -- which has entailed strong opposition to the health care reform package signed into law by President Barack Obama -- the Los Angels Times reported last week:

But in the 11 years the Republican presidential hopeful has been in office, working Texans increasingly have been priced out of private healthcare while the state's safety net has withered, leaving millions of state residents without medical care.
...
That has taken a toll, as nearly a third of the state's children did not receive an annual physical and a teeth cleaning in 2007, placing Texas 40th in a state ranking by the fund. Over the last decade, infant mortality rates have risen in Texas while declining nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Times notes that the situation in Texas is also seeing seniors suffer, even with guaranteed Medicare coverage. According to a recent Gallup report, the Lone Star State has the highest percentage of uninsured residents of any state in the nation.

Below, a video mash-up of highlights from Monday night's debate.

WATCH:

Comments

[Larry Motuz]

04:24 PM on 09/21/2011

Huffington Post has made it next to impossible for me to reply to comments made since it no longer links me properly so that I can reply. I am wondering if this problem is being shared by others or whether I am being singled out here by a 'moderator'.

If you have any info on this, please get back to me. I will reply if permitted to do so.

[logansteele1]

09:15 PM on 09/21/2011

I can't find anywhere to comment at all in some of the Huff Business threads. I'm hoping these are web maintenance problems and not moderation. I'd hate to think the moderators are knit-picking or singling out specific posters. Now let's see if they post this!

[Larry Motuz]

11:03 PM on 09/21/2011

Well, they did, and thanks for replying. I've had some 'mysterious' things happening lately, and (being somewhat suspicious just this side of paranoid) I've wondered about whose doing the moderating and why my settings keep changing. To reply to comments now, I often have to track them to the commentator's home page and link from there...which is a nuisance.

Thanks again.

[FdeBear]

09:03 PM on 09/18/2011

"Perry was taken aback?" How would anybody know. He stood there like the rest of those moral hypocrites and said NOTHING.

[dbrett480]

08:26 PM on 09/17/2011

What did Perry expect from this group? They would probably boo at the phrase "compassionate conservatism."

[worldinmieyes]

08:06 AM on 09/17/2011

Many of today's republicans are sick, twisted immoral beings. There is something seriously wrong with a group of people that would cheer for the hypothetical death of someone due to an illness and lack of heath care. I know it's wrong but I can only hope the worst for those that cheered and the republican leaders that did not condemn them. The fact is that many Americans simply aren't able to pay for health insurance and not all jobs offer those types of benefits or the benefits they do offer are substandard and the patient puts off going to the doctor when they are feeling ill. Maybe Perry has the right instinct and the country should be split into two independent states with purple states being given an option of which nation they'd like to belong to. It's a better option than having to share a nation with those that think the sick should be left to die. Isn't that supposed to be the difference between us and the rest of the animal kingdom. Oh wait, most if not all mammals try to revive their dead before leaving them behind.

[minnabra]

12:57 AM on 09/17/2011

It nice to have a voice in this country......To speak out, what a country.... I pray that the truth will be heard and we truly understands what is really going on.... and we vote for the person who would like to see this country get on track" The can of worms that has been open...wow' God bless America....land of the free" I hope we can start saving money, put it the right places..and keep our freedom to make the right decision when it is for our children....not support a precription drug company that are using our daughter as they do the mice in there labs..... to try out this so called cancer prevention drug out on our daughters...we can not see what it can do to them...won't know for year to come.... Election bring us the freedom... Really think over all of these issue thur.....be carefull, be very, very carefull! God bless us..so the truth be known...

[claraluz]

11:54 AM on 09/16/2011

You just have to ask yourself: What's wrong with a political party and their followers who loudly proclaim to be "Pro-life" to the point that politicians are elected based on their stance on the issue; with those "pro-lifers" ready to kill doctors and nurses providing abortions, and would even deny a mother a chance to save herself for the sake of the fetus, or deny a raped child an abortion, and would like to deny contraceptives to all; BUT are willing to let the children die AFTER they are born for lack of vaccinations or medical care, or to let die anyone who just does not make enough money to purchase health insurance without help, based on the conservative dogma "you have to take responsability for yourself" even when the person may be perfectlly responsible, but was dealt cruel blows by fate and society??? Are we talking about hypocrisy, or schizophrenia, or inability to think logically, or inability to feel compassion, or rampant egoism, or a for of antisocial behavior, or all of the above??

[cheo]

04:18 PM on 09/16/2011

I'm afraid it is the "all of the above".....randomly scattered amongst the true believers of a total-self-reliance-no-matter-what-the-circumstances philosophy.

[claraluz]

02:47 PM on 09/18/2011

I'm afraid you are right... Woe is us.

[Larry Motuz]

01:52 PM on 09/21/2011

ALL of the above. There are limits to how personally responsible one can be or how well one can provide for oneself when any hazard occurs. Even if one has health insurance, it seldom (if ever) provides for a lifetime incapacity such as might occur if you were walking on a sidewalk but hit by a drunk driver.

What the T-partiers don't understand is how much more affordable and more helpful a properly designed single payer public option would be. They are out to dismantle anything that smacks of our working together to help each other.

[cheo]

02:09 AM on 09/22/2011

It is difficult to understand isn't it? I think it a natural thing to want to help out fellow human beings and if there is an entity large enough to handle large numbers of people--called a government--then it makes no sense for the services not to be centralized. If we stopped fighting it, it could be made to be so much more efficient and cost effective (and could be expanded to include everyone).

People who say Medicare is not handling things well, are crazy; look how absolutely undone people become when there's talk about ending their Medicare (even when they don't realize CMS means the government).

[aikani]

10:01 AM on 09/16/2011

The only thing that Perry's comment about being taken aback shows is that he is politically astute enough to keep his beliefs to himself. The GOP is the party of life before birth and "rugged individualism" after. (although I challenge any person to prove that they have made it to where ever they are in life without the help of others).

[0x00000000]

05:52 PM on 09/15/2011

Tea Party Koan:

Monk: "What do you tell a guy who is sick, goes into a coma and doesn't have health insurance?"

Master: "The money tree in the courtroom!"

At these words, the guy in the coma was enlightened...of his wallet.

[claraluz]

11:57 AM on 09/16/2011

Brilliant!!! F&F

[Becky Bartlett]

10:58 AM on 09/15/2011

So Rick Perry was 'taken aback' by the audience cheering for the death of an uninsured, injured man.

Interesting. Apparently Rick Perry has no idea of the character of his supporters.

[logansteele1]

10:44 PM on 09/15/2011

It wasn't simply a hypothetical about an uninsured man in a coma. It was a hypothetical situation wherein a young, healthy man who had a good job and made a nice living took a calculated risk NOT to purchase insurance and take his chances. Then he suffered the need for medical care.

If that hypothetical man, and this was Mr. Blitzer's hypothetical, who had the money for insurance but chose not to pay for it did not care enough about his own life to do so, why would he expect society to care? I happen to agree with Mr.Paul. The Republican party may be the party of life, but this tea party supporter is with the camp that supports personal responsibility.

No where in the debate did anyone say that a poor person should die. The example used suggested someone who COULD but chose not to pay for his own needs. Well, if he chooses not to, so do I.

[Philip J Sparrow]

05:44 AM on 09/16/2011

Should someone hit by a car be left to die for choosing to cross the road?

Why should we care about soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan? They chose to join the military.

[Endogenous Light Nexus]

05:59 PM on 09/17/2011

So when did you first discover you were a psychopath completely lacking in empathy and conscience?

[claraluz]

12:01 PM on 09/16/2011

Apparently Rick Perry is not able to consider the consequences of his actions as a governor -- or, he just doesn't give rat's a**.

[ladybost]

03:41 AM on 09/15/2011

Anyone with good sense would be taken back and Rick lmbo.

[ALPHAKITA]

02:32 AM on 09/15/2011

Well, he's in the big league now.

[Cndnpatriot]

02:02 AM on 09/15/2011

This man is stupid. Does he not realize that what ever he says or does has consequences. Kill a few innocent men, gut the middle class and move toward a Dickensian society where there are three classes, the rich, the working poor and the poor. Is he so removed from reality that what he preaches scares him when it is repeated back to him?

[Larry Motuz]

02:01 PM on 09/21/2011

Fanned by another Cndn.

[proffordisabilities]

01:50 AM on 09/15/2011

I come from Beantown where things like health care and dental care care are a given, but in Florida are not so oofer overwhealminglinfand Cost Conscious becoming very diagnosed ...Miss Piggy's am her

[cheo]

01:42 AM on 09/15/2011

Paul and Perry sure are making Texas look bad. Two exemplary quotes:

"We have given up on this whole concept [of assuming] responsibility for ourselves ... that's the reason the cost is so high."
No, Dr Paul. Though I shouldn't have to tell you this. it is GREED that is making health care so expensive. People not taking responsibility has nothing to do with it. Most just can't afford it.

And:
"We're the party of life." Yeah Perry--tell that to the many people you have executed w/o a second thought and the many who have gotten sick or even died due to lack of health care in your state.

I don't get it. You guys are all about spending: how is it YOU don't get that executing people costs more than keeping them in prison for life? (assuming they're guilty)
And that it is definitely less expensive to provide preventative care for children (and adults) rather than wait until they're very sick and ER's must provide them with much more expensive care.

How you can make the statements you do in the face of the stats we get from Texas is beyond belief.

You must have the same opinion of those who will vote for you as I do.

[K lo31]

09:46 AM on 09/15/2011

Because They are Liers....and they believe in nothing but the power of their wallets, and the social status of their blood. God? they could careless, Life they could careless. Power thats what they worship, Money thats what they prey too, Status is what blankets them so they can sleep at night.

[logansteele1]

10:54 PM on 09/15/2011

What is wrong with self reliance? And what in the world makes you think that hospitals and medical providers are greedy? They provide millions and millions of dollars of free care yearly. The reason costs are high is because there are so many who don't even TRY to pay their deductibles, co-pays, or bills. Even in monthly installments. That money has to come from somewhere to maintain the state of the art medical care most have become accustomed to.

Everyone complains about the cost of health care but those same people want their MRIs and emergency care and medication once they get sick. And they want it for free. Well I have news for you. It's not free just because you aren't forking over your dollar to pay for it. It comes from somewhere and those of us who have paid our premiums and paid our deductibles and given up cars or TVs or video games or smartphones to pay for that care aren't very interested in paying for your care too. After all, if your own life isn't important to you, why should it be important to me?

[cheo]

02:04 AM on 09/16/2011

Hi Logan. You have made some claims about why medical costs are so high. It would take me more than 250 words to attend to them.

Better you should talk to a Medical Doctor who has researched this subject. I think you will get most of your concerns answered and then some, and you won't even have to take 2 aspirins and call him in the morning.

Pay especial attention to pages 6, 7 and 8 when the article explains why the world famous Mayo Clinic has some of the LOWEST medical costs in the country. The first few pages deal with why a small town in Texas has the very highest.

The Cost Conundrum
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande

[joynerz]

06:56 PM on 09/14/2011

It appeared Bachmann simply had bad campaign writers. Now it appears she's pretty much the goof ball she appears to be. If she were a governor in the 1950's and the fed gov. said we've found a cure for polio and everyone is to be vaccinated, what would her response be? She's goofy. Her efforts to lift herself up while taking down her opponents confirms lack of common sense.

[KCDan]

09:15 PM on 09/14/2011

She may be goofy, but the sleeveless blouses are nice.

[logansteele1]

11:13 PM on 09/15/2011

HPV is not at all comparable to Polio. They are spread differently, have different incubation periods, different symptom sets and different outcomes.

[KCDan]

09:29 AM on 09/17/2011

Yes, the difference seems to be, at least politically for Bachmann, that if young girls get the vaccine, it will encourage them to engage in sexual activity since (presumably) they won't be worried about getting HPV anymore. She may appeal to a small minority of other goof balls with such stances, but most people (I trust) have more common sense and see such posturing as a red flag.

[joynerz]

10:11 AM on 09/18/2011

The point here is she is against anything with gov. action attached. It was nothing more than a campaign move. It is only an attempt to discredit her opponent. Nothing else.