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From Steve Brusk
CNN

(CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton will stop telling an emotional story about a uninsured pregnant woman who died after being denied medical care, Clinton's campaign said.


Sen. Hillary Clinton was repeating a story she heard from someone on the campaign trail.

A hospital has raised questions over the accuracy of the story, and Clinton's campaign has said although they had no reason to doubt the story, they were unable to confirm the details.

In the story, Clinton describes a woman from rural Ohio who was making minimum wage at a local pizza shop. The woman, who was uninsured, became pregnant.

Clinton said the woman ran into trouble and went to a hospital in a nearby county but was denied treatment because she couldn't afford a $100 payment.

In her speeches, Clinton said the woman later was taken to the hospital by ambulance and lost the baby. The young woman was then taken by helicopter to a Columbus hospital where she died of complications. Watch why the story is raising questions »

The New York senator heard the story during a campaign visit to a family's living room in Pomeroy, Ohio, in late February. Bryan Holman was hosting the candidate and told Clinton the story. She has repeated it frequently since then.

As recently as Friday night in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Clinton said she was "just aching inside" as she was listening to the story.

"It is so wrong, in this good, great and rich country, that a young woman and her baby would die because she didn't have health insurance or a hundred dollars to get examined," she said.

While Clinton never named the hospital in her speech, the woman she was referring to was treated at O'Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens, Ohio. The hospital said the woman did indeed have insurance, and, at least at their hospital, she was never turned away.

Hospital Chief Executive Officer Rick Castrop in a statement said, "we reviewed the medical and patient accounts of the patient" after she was named in a newspaper story about Clinton's stump speech.

"There is no indication that she was ever denied medical care at any time, for any reason. We clearly reject any perception that we ever denied any care to this woman."

A hospital spokesperson confirmed to CNN the woman had insurance. She said the hospital decided to come forward after people in the community began to question if they had denied her care.

Clinton's speech accurately reflects what she was told that day, but the campaign admits they were not able to confirm the account.

Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee said, "She had no reason to doubt his word."

"Candidates are told stories by people all the time, and it's common for candidates to retell those stories. It's not always possible to fully vet them, but we try. For example, medical records are confidential. In this case, we tried but weren't able to fully vet the story," he said.


Elleithee added, "If the hospital claims it didn't happen that way, we certainly respect that, and she won't repeat the story."

"She never mentions the hospital by name and isn't trying to cast blame. She tells this story because it illustrates the point that we have a very serious health care problem in America. That's a point very few people will dispute."

She digging her own grave with all the falsehoods and unrest within her camp.

I don't count this as a "lie," because I think it's fair to assume that she believed the story.

The problem she has is that she repeated the story without bothering to check the facts, and that makes it propaganda. Still not good, but not quite a rank lie, either.

Politicians lie for more votes?!?!?! I'm shocked!!! 6u6e56n

A politician lying? Never thought that would happen :blink:

I thought there were non-profit hospitals most places that aren't allowed by law to turn people away. Like Grady. Or are those only around urban areas?

There may be a health care problem in America, but if they think that this story (if it were true) illustrates the true nature of that problem, I think their camp is WAAAAAY off the mark.

The story was told to Clinton by a deputy and Clinton repeated what the officer said. Why is that a blight on Clinton?

I look at the current president going on bad intell (what he was told) that brought us to war.

Yet where is the ire for him?

As much as I despise Hillary as a person, this could just be a matter of not verifying information, although she is experienced enough to not make that mistake. But, she also knows this is something that will provide good press for a while, and won't be a hudge mark against her once uncovered.

I just SO untrust the Clintons and the numerous times she and her husband have just made things up and run around saying things like this, makes her intentions that more unbelieveable. She, like many politicians USE events and fabricate stories, ie John Kerry & ALGORE, so often. The media usually ferrets these things out, but so often a Democrat gets a complete pass.

What?