Campaign story differs from actual version
Published: Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2004
HUDSON (AP) - The story told by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is compelling: A woman undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer continues working for fear of losing her health insurance, because her husband is unemployed.
In television ads, e-mails and speeches starting before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary in January, Kerry has used the plight of Mary Ann and John Knowles to criticize the Bush administration?s health care policies.
But the Knowles? own account differs in one key detail. John Knowles told the New Hampshire Sunday News that Mary Ann could have taken disability leave without losing her health insurance, but needed to keep earning her full salary.
?Her coverage is very good,? he said. ?It?s not something that is a problem with her employer.?
The Kerry campaign is defending his statements, but said Mary Ann did take a few days off during chemotherapy.
?John lost his job a year and a half ago, and Mary Ann has breast cancer,? Kerry told the AFL-CIO in New Jersey two months ago. ?And even while she?s undergoing chemotherapy, she still has to go to work every day, just to hang onto their health insurance.?
In his July 29 acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Kerry repeated the story.
Mary Ann Knowles, who along with her husband has volunteered for Kerry?s campaign, believes her situation is common.
At the labor event, Kerry made that point, saying, ?That?s the story of millions of Americans.?
But it?s not exactly the story of the Knowles, both 57.
Cady Goldfield, a spokeswoman for Mary Ann Knowles? employer, Elderhostel, said full-time employees are eligible for 26 weeks of paid disability leave, or more in some cases. And the company pays 90 percent of health insurance premiums.
?It wasn?t really the best example of what to cite for people who don?t have access to health care coverage,? Goldfield said.
John Knowles said taking disability leave would have meant living on about 70 percent of Mary Ann?s regular paycheck - not an option when he was unemployed.
Kerry first heard the Knowles? story when John, a technical writer, talked about his problems finding work at a campaign roundtable. Three weeks before the event, his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
About two weeks later, Kerry saw the Knowles at a campaign house party in Nashua.
?He broke off from whoever he was talking to, came up to us and said, ?Mary Ann, I?m so sorry to hear about your problem,?? John Knowles said. ?It wasn?t just a campaign thing. . . . It was a personal connection he was making.?
Judy Reardon, a Kerry campaign spokeswoman, said the bottom line is that Mary Ann Knowles had to keep working because she would have received full disability pay for only 10 days.
Asked whether the campaign had confirmed details of the Knowles? story, Reardon said: ?When a woman has a mastectomy and goes through therapy, I don?t need to double-check on her.?
Mary Ann Knowles is feeling healthy now, and John still is looking for a full-time job after two years of unemployment. Meanwhile, he is challenging state Senate Majority Leader Robert Clegg, R-Hudson, for his seat.
He admits it will be an uphill battle because his job hunt is paramount. If he gets another position, he hopes he and his wife can trade their fame for some financial stability.
?It was an unusual experience,? he said. ?I don?t know if it?s one we?ll ever have again. We certainly don?t want it happening for the same reasons.?
