Boasso Healthcare- "Like having Miss Piggy as a spokesman for Weight Watchers"
by Greg Hilburn - News Star (excerpt)

U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal said LSU Health Sciences Center-Monroe would remain a major medical center offering regional tertiary care for the indigent if he's elected governor.

Jindal, R-Kenner, made the remarks at the hospital as he unveiled his health care platform on Wednesday.

Jindal was introduced and endorsed by former Republican 5th District U.S. Rep. John Cooksey, a Monroe physician who touted Jindal's experience as the former secretary of the state's Department of Health and Hospitals. Jindal was also an adviser to President Bush on the federal level.

"It's going to be great to have a governor who knows health care from the ground up," Cooksey said. "He came into DHH and a Medicaid system that was $450 million in debt and came up with a plan to fix it."

Cooksey also took a shot at candidate and state Sen. Walter Boasso, D-Chalmette, who announced his health care platform in Monroe on Tuesday.

"I'm sure he's a nice person, but having Walter Boasso be a spokesman for health care is like having Miss Piggy as a spokesman for Weight Watchers."

Jindal also said he would enact programs that provide incentives for businesses to offer health insurance to employees and for individuals to purchase health insurance.

"We're ranked last in overall health in the state, yet we're 11th in per capita spending on Medicaid," Jindal said. "We need to move away from a one-size-fits-all system.

"We can't rest until all citizens have access to high-quality, affordable health care."