Senate challenger reveals healthcare plan

McALLEN - U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Rick Noriega blasted his opponent, Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Monday as he unveiled his three-pronged plan to improve healthcare.

Speaking inside the El Milagro Clinic lobby in McAllen, the Houston resident said Cornyn - vying for his second six-year term - has repeatedly voted against children and families.

Nearby, a handful of people sat in the clinic's waiting room, ignoring the gaggle of politicos and press that surrounded Noriega.

"This is a crisis, we have our seniors and other Texans across the state that are afraid of getting sick," Noriega said.

Texas should insure more children by raising the maximum allowable income for families seeking children's health insurance from 200 percent of the federal poverty level to 300 percent, Noriega said. For a family of four, that would raise the maximum allowable income from $42,400 to $63,600.

He also reiterated his pledge to support local representatives pushing to build a veterans' hospital in the Rio Grande Valley.

And Noriega said he would push to expand the Children's Health Insurance Plan and create incentives for businesses to insure more of their employees. Those incentives would boost the number of insured Texans and bring down healthcare costs, Noriega said. The campaign posted the complete plan at its Web site, ricknoriega.com.

Cornyn's campaign responded to Noriega's local appearance and healthcare proposal with a written statement.

"Sen. Cornyn made sure Texas had full federal funding for every child who could be signed up. He voted for a 40% expansion of the program. He opposed both tax increases on working people and sending Texas tax money to states who used SCHIP for adults and the middle class."

A late-July telephone survey by polling firm Rasmussen Reports found 47 percent of 800 Texans supporting Cornyn and 37 percent supporting Noriega.

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Dave Hendricks covers general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4454.