Kanawha Republicans say health-care event violated tax laws

Alison Knezevich
Nov 11, 2009 (The Charleston Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee is alleging that a reception held Tuesday to thank Democratic Congressman Nick Rahall for supporting health-care reform violated federal tax laws.

In a press release issued Wednesday, committee Chairwoman Melody Potter said the event at West Virginia Health Right, a free clinic, broke Internal Revenue Code provisions that say 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations can't engage in political activity. Organizing for America, which is part of the Democratic National Committee, helped organize and advertise the reception.

"There is no doubt in my mind that this was a partisan political event hosted by the Democratic National Committee for Congressman Rahall which took place at a nonprofit that is strictly prohibited from engaging in political activity," she said in the news release.

Potter said the existence of West Virginia Health Right and other free services proves that people without insurance already have a way to receive medical care.

"I think [reform advocates] are deceiving the public into thinking that the uninsured do not have access to health care and dental care," she told the Gazette.

Rahall on Saturday voted for the health-care legislation that narrowly passed the House of Representatives. The U.S. Senate has not yet passed a reform bill.

The congressman's office was closed for Veterans Day, and a spokesperson could not be reached for comment on the Republican claims.

DNC spokesman Alec Gerlach said the county Republican Executive Committee's allegations are part of the GOP's efforts "to obstruct reform on every stop."

"It sounds to me like they're practicing law without a license," said Gerlach, adding that the groups involved in the Rahall reception "have every right to hold an event on public policy issues like health insurance reform."

Sponsors of the event included West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, the West Virginia Nurses Association and the AFL-CIO, said West Virginia Health Right executive director Pat White.

White called the event nonpartisan and said the health legislation Rahall supported was clearly "pertinent to the patient population that we serve."

"Free clinics in West Virginia are caring for over 55,000 uninsured patients, and that number is going up," she said. "This isn't the way that people should have to access health care."

White added that she has been disheartened that the health-care debate has gotten so political.

A handful of people protested outside the clinic during the event, she said. One was a man who had previously received medicine from West Virginia Health Right.

"It's very political right now, and it's sad because the issue of health-care reform is something that's of vital importance," White said. "It's life or death for people. And it's too bad that it's gotten caught up in Republican-Democrat warfare."