Uninsured rates, impact of malpractice award limits in Perry's Texas

Texas Gov. Rick Perry takes the media hot seat today as news outlets examine his state's uninsured rate, the success of Texas' malpractice award limits and the GOP hopeful's claims about rival Mitt Romney's health plan.

Bloomberg: Perry's Texas Had Highest Uninsured Rate, Census Data Show
Texans under Governor Rick Perry were more likely to lack health insurance than residents of any other state in 2009, U.S. census data released today show. The survey found that 26.3 percent of people under age 65 in the state lacked insurance, 1.4 percentage points higher than second-ranked Florida. Perry, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, was criticized for his health policies by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney during a debate on Oct. 11 sponsored by Bloomberg News and The Washington Post (Wayne, 10/13).

The Hill: Perry Defends Texas Malpractice Limits
Supporters of Texas' medical malpractice laws -; including Gov. Rick Perry -; are pushing back against a report that says the laws have made health care worse in the state. The liberal advocacy group Public Citizen said Wednesday that since Perry signed tort reform into law in 2003, the state hasn't added new doctors as quickly as its overall population has grown. The report also said health insurance premiums there have risen faster than the national average (Baker, 10/13).

The Associated Press: Fact Check: Perry Miscasts Romney Health Plan
Mitt Romney's rivals are trying to tie him to President Barack Obama's national health care overhaul, but they're getting tangled up themselves in the process. The rest of the Republican presidential field sees no essential difference between the health care law Romney enacted as governor and what they love to call Obamacare, and they contend it has brought nothing good to Massachusetts. But they're oversimplifying the issue, as is Romney in defending himself (Ramer, 10/13).