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Ensign says he'll offer health care bill

Senator says current proposals too costly

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., says he's working up his own version of health care reform.

On Tuesday Ensign said current proposals are too costly and that he intends to introduce his own health care bill.


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  • "It is still very much a work in progress," Ensign said of the bill he says will have at least four co-sponsors, whom he wouldn't identify.

    Ensign says his version of health reform will include incentives for people to quit smoking, never start smoking, minimize body fat and otherwise maintain a healthy lifestyle.

    He contrasted the effort with current proposed reforms he says will be too costly.

    "We cannot afford any of the bills that have been presented so far," Ensign said during an event to dedicate the new Clark County Shooting Park. "A government-run plan is not going to lower costs unless you ration care. We need to have people lowering costs to health care by healthier choices."

    Ensign spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher said there would be more specifics later.

    "We are still in the process of drafting the bill so we don't have details to give yet. We are hoping to introduce something by mid-September," she said.

    Ensign wouldn't answer questions about an extramarital affair with a former employee that he confessed to earlier this summer. The affair with former employee Cindy Hampton, wife of Doug Hampton, another former employee, has sidetracked Ensign's once-ascendant political career.

    Subsequent to the affair, Ensign's parents paid the Hampton family $96,000 in cash, described as gifts.

    Ensign said Tuesday he's not going to answer affair-related questions and instead will focus on health care, the economy and other issues.

    "Those are the kinds of issues that people around here want to talk about," Ensign said. "That is what I am hearing about all over the state."

    Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.

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    lou wrote on August 30, 2009 07:29 PM: Ensign should include in his bill a law that Pharmacuetical companies cannot sell medicines to other countries for pennies when they cost us hundreds. We should sell to other countries at the same cost they sell to us. We should not have to go to Mexico or Canada to get cheap medicines.


    benighse wrote on August 26, 2009 06:54 PM: Will Ensign include a "Coburn Amendment" where his health care plan covers birth control and STD advice for healthy living? ....And keep it privileged!


    oingo boingo wrote on August 26, 2009 04:50 PM: Anyone wanna bet Ensign is banging Rebecca Fisher?

    Anyone?


    Shelly Matson wrote on August 26, 2009 02:51 PM: Every day I see people ranting and raving on these boards about Reid. Clearly the nutty "Nevada Independent" trailer-park set at work. At any rate its really funny that those people as of late don't say the same things about Ensign. I would have to guess that in the hallowed halls of the Senate Mr. Ensign's legislative power has been reduced to a really piddly level ... he has taken such a beating in the media (even the national media) that he has to be somewhat radioactive. His party is really on the ropes ... this guy is as bad or worse than our Jim Gibbons now in terms of having any capacity to do his job. Talk about being hosed ... what did Nevada do to deserve these kinds of representatives? Oh that's right ... year after year the average citizen in Clark County doesn't even know what locality they live in, who their representatives are ... because they don't vote .. they don't care .. and the "Independent Nevada Nuts" (and I'm not talking about independent voters ... I mean the crazy hillbillies) continue to run a muck with the help of the selfish sun city residents .. electing people like Jim Gibbons and John Ensign.


    Mike Townsend wrote on August 26, 2009 02:40 PM: Resign Mr. Ensign you very dishonorable person! Its amazing how we can't afford health care ... something universally recognized as a "public good." Yet we can afford billions in corporate giveaways to the same greedy corporate crew that essentially guided our nation into an iceberg. We can spend literally trillions of dollars in wasted money on an inefficient automobile culture. We continue to spend and spend with no end in sight on being the police force to the rest of the world, when the rest of the world doesn't want nor need us as such. It is time we pull back on defense spending and actually use out tax dollars on domestic spending. I know this hurts many of the cozy relationships that many congressmen have with the defense industry ... enough is enough ... it is time to pass legislation that benefits the many, not just the privileged few. Health care reform is a good place to start ... I'm a retired cop with probably not that much time left on the old ticker ... I'd love to see something done before I go quietly into the night.


    what's your plan wrote on August 26, 2009 02:18 PM: What's your plan? Have an ailment? Go f#$k your best friends wife and call mommy & dadday to pay the bill. What a joke. HaHaha


    2zero wrote on August 26, 2009 01:36 PM: This just in; the Health District reported another flu death, they also reported an outbreak of a new strain of herpes. It appears the new strain of herpes has jumped from carp in the lower Colorado River to humans, but to date is confined to republican men named John, Jim and Sig.


    patrick wrote on August 26, 2009 12:53 PM: From the party of no; the "good" senator says "no more".

    I wonder if he means no more affairs, or no more talking about affairs?

    If only he meant no more john ensign to kick around anymore.


    Jen wrote on August 26, 2009 12:33 PM: I wonder if he realizes how much of a joke he's become to his constituents?


    BOB2 wrote on August 26, 2009 11:33 AM: How much of the budget from this health care bill he's drafting will be used to pay off his mistress's husband?
    He's just another one of these people that says one thing, and does another, and then, when caught, just doesn't get it?


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