Limbaugh 'Resting' at Hawaii Hospital of 'Birther' Controversy

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http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/284799

Limbaugh 'Resting' at Hawaii Hospital of 'Birther' Controversy

By Carol Forsloff.

Jan 1, 2010 by â–  Carol Forsloff

Rush Limbaugh, Conservative Talk Radio Show Host

After complaining of chest pains, Rush Limbaugh was taken to Queen's Hospital, a major health facility on the island of Oahu. The media waits for news about the health status of the famous talk show host.

Rush Limbaugh, known for his provocative statements on radio and television, is in Hawaii on vacation at the very time President Barack Obama and has family are spending the holidays there, according to KGMB News.

Queen's Hospital is perhaps the best-known medical facility on the island of Oahu, but it is not without its detractors. Those who have been patients there have mixed feelings about the care and comprehensiveness of its services, but most report it good. It is graced with an abundance of beauty surrounding it, within a short distance to Honolulu's downtown area. It is also the hospital that gave birth to the "birther" conspiracy about President Obama.

"Birthers" believe Obama is not a legitimate President because they believe he was not born in the United States. These folk maintain Obama was born perhaps in Kenya, where his father was born,, or declare the President's birthplace unknown. Queen's Medical Center, where Limbaugh is reported to be 'resting comfortably,' was erroneously reported by a United Press Reporter as the hospital where Obama was born. He was, however, born at Kapiolani Hospital , another hosplital in Honolulu in the general area of Makiki, which is close to the University of Hawaii, the school Obama's mother attended, met Obama's father, and where she received her Ph.D. Limbaugh's conservative views supported the birthers, and Queen's Hospital was part of the early discussion on the matter of Obama's birth. The Honolulu Advertiser later clarified the facts about the Presdent's birth even as Limbaugh continued to reject them. Indeed, as Media Matters quoted, Limbaugh has been one of the lightning rods of the debate, refusing to believe information provided directly from Hawaii.

Obama's health care program has been part of Limbaugh's focus during recent months, as the talk-show personality has continued to oppose it. Hawaii, however, is said to be one of the chief models used for Obama's original plan, and is now the place where Limbaugh's health issues are being reviewed and where he is being treated. Queens is part of a system Limbaugh has been against. Even though it is a private hospital, it participates in a program that requires employers to provide both health and disability insurance for workers whose hours exceed 20 weekly and which was lauded by Hillary Clinton as one of the best models for health care.

Hawaii's health care program was the first in the country to offer near-universal health care beginning in 1974. It is now, however, under fire for some of its problems, as noted recently by the Honolulu Advertiser. The Advertiser reports Hawaii has had near-record levels of coverage, but there have been grave problems resulting from compromises between employers and private insurance companies and health care advocates and the resulting debates. Failures occur if compromise becomes the guiding principle, according to the Advertiser, as opposed to real universal health care.