Rush Limbaugh praises socialized, unionized healthcare.

Many probably thought their prayers had been answered last week when Rush Limbaugh was rushed (no pun intended) to a Hawaiian hospital complaining of chest pains. One could compile a very long list of politicians, party bosses, journalists, and basic human beings of all political persuasions who would be grateful for him to be silenced. As it turned out everything was fine; liberals will still have their whipping boy they love to hate, conservatives will still have an endless supply of the ideological crack that is Limbaugh's routine, and moderate Republicans will still have to quake in fear and grovel at his feet.

Not surprisingly, upon his release Limbaugh took the opportunity to lavish praise on the American health care system:



At about the 2:30 mark he declares that his status as a celebrity multimillionaire got him no special treatment, a laughable statement, but one expects nothing less from him.

What is more interesting is that while he couldn't say enough good things about the American health care system, he was treated in Hawaii, which boasts features like employer madates and standardized plans, things Limbaugh spent 2009 decrying as socialist . Firedoglake points this out:

Hawaii’s health care system is distinct from the rest of the country, in that they passed a version of health reform decades ago, in 1974. The Hawaii Pre-Paid Health Care Act includes a requirement for employers to provide health coverage to their workers. As you may know, a similar requirement on large employers is a key part of the reform now pending in Congress.

And the employer requirement seems, by and large, to have succeeded. It has increased coverage–just under 8 percent of the state’s population is uninsured, second only to Massachusetts–and access to care. At the same time, Hawaii still has some of the lowest health care costs in the nation, despite its high cost of living and without an apparent decrease in quality–as Limbaugh himself discovered.

And the nurses whom Limbaugh said did such a good job were all in fact, union members:

Limbaugh stayed at Queen’s Medical Center, where nursing staff are represented by the Hawaii Nurses’ Association (read: a labor union). The nurses at Queen’s are protected by their contract, which adheres to the ANA’s safe-staffing principles guaranteeing appropriate staffing levels for any patient care unit.

In fact, Hawaii has one of the greatest percentages of organized workers of any state and also had the highest percentage of organized RNs. All private-sector acute care hospital RNs are organized, with just two known exceptions. We’re guessing this might have something to do with why Limbaugh found the Hawaii hospital staff’s work so “confidence-inspiring.”

When Limbaugh was released from Queen’s Medical Center, he cheerily noted, “The treatment I received here was the best that the world has to offer.”

Whether he realized it or not, Limbaugh was praising the care he received from union nurses in one of the country’s most progressive health care systems. On behalf of the labor movement and health reform advocates everywhere, THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT, Rush!

Treating Rush Limbaugh must have been the ultimate test of the Hippocratic oath for many professionals in that hospital; working to save the life of a man who makes a living trying to tear down everything you've worked for. Rush is lucky that there are people out there who believe that health care is a right that cannot be denied no matter how bankrupt you are, whether it be morally or financially.