WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 -- Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan. (1st CD), issued the following news release:

During the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asserted: "First, if you already have insurance you like, you can keep it." Congressman Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, who served in the Kansas State Senate while Sebelius was Governor of Kansas, issued the following "fact check" of Sebelius' claim:

"Not so fast, Secretary Sebelius. The facts clearly show otherwise. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, as many as 20 million Americans could lose access to their employer-based coverage as a result of ObamaCare. Though many Americans are frustrated with a regulatory and tax system that unfairly ties their health insurance to employment, most still prefer to stay off the government's health insurance rolls. In fact, despite all the messaging to women this week, a clear majority of American women believe that neither they nor their families would be well-served by a government-run health care plan. And, if they did not prefer their employer-based coverage to government-run care, why then should Secretary Sebelius and President Obama need to assure people that they can stay on their current health insurance plan?"

"Secretary Sebelius also forgot to mention the massive database project she has going on, too. I guess primetime convention time is not the occasion to let people know that their health care privacy is in jeopardy. HHS has finalized a rule that will establish a national database comprised of confidential medical records. A doctor-patient relationship was once privileged; now, Washington bureaucrats and politicians will have access to our personal, confidential medical records. That is simply wrong and un-American."

TNS RadHar67-120906-JF78-4014958 StaffFurigay