Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is pushing back against charges of hypocrisy over Medicaid payments her husband collected for his therapy practice.
Bachmanns husband, Marcus, runs a Christian counseling agency that has come under scrutiny in the past for its strong religious ties. The Los Angeles Times noted this week that it had received about $30,000 in public funds since 2007, partly federal, to help prepare staff to properly deal with mentally ill patients. On Tuesday, NBC revealed an additional $137,000 in Medicaid payments since 2005, which they said contradicted Rep. Bachmanns claim that her husband only received a training grant that went to employees.
Medicaid is a valuable form of insurance for many Americans and it would be discriminatory not to accept Medicaid as a form of payment, a spokeswoman for Bachmanns campaign said in a statement on Wednesday responding to questions about the payments. As a state-sponsored counseling service, Bachmann and Associates has a responsibility to provide Medicaid and medical assistance, regardless of a patients financial situation.