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Washington » Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff faced a series of surgeries after injuring his leg in a motorcycle accident and now, like many Americans, he's saddled with medical-care debt.
Shurtleff, a Republican who is running against GOP Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah, reported in a filing to the Senate this week that he owes between $50,000 and $130,000, apparently for medical bills.
Shurtleff's report, required of congressional candidates, reveals that he owes the University of Utah Hospital and IHC between $20,000 and $30,000 and has debt on two credit cards, each with up to $50,000 liability. The disclosure forms only require broad categories of values, so the exact amount of the debt was unclear.
Shurtleff was out of the country and unavailable for comment. The former Salt Lake County commissioner, who previously practiced law in California, listed between $366,000 and $815,000 in assets.
Jason Powers, a general consultant for his Senate campaign, says his understanding is that all of Shurtleff's debt was related to a 2007 accident when he crashed a Harley-Davidson while preparing for a charity ride, crushing his left leg.
Shurtleff underwent nearly a dozen surgeries to repair shattered bones, and it's been a challenge for his family, Powers said.
"It would be tough on anybody's family," Powers says. "They've experienced [the high costs of health care] in real
Even so, the experience hasn't changed Shurtleff's mind against moving toward a government-run health care system, Powers says, but Shurtleff is focused on finding private-sector solutions to rising health care costs.
"By no means is socialized health care an option," Powers said.
As a state official, Shurtleff has access to a health-care program that is the envy of many private-sector employees. Powers said he did not know why the insurance didn't cover all the medical bills. But he said it would be wrong to equate the state plan with socialized medicine.
"When an employer's providing health insurance, that's not socialized health care just because the employer is state government," Powers said.
Shurtleff's report shows a salary of $153,839 last year for his job as attorney general, a $1,000 honorarium for a debate at the University of Utah and more than $1,000 paid to his wife, M'Liss, for accounting services to his 2008 campaign.
Shurtleff, who was not required to list his personal residence as part of the report, showed most of his assets in retirement accounts.
Bennett, meanwhile, has requested an extension on the Senate deadline to file his disclosure, so his most recent financial numbers were not available.
But last year's report shows Bennett with a personal net worth of up to $32 million or as low as negative $22 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Bennett last year listed several assets, totaling between $8 million and $38 million, but liabilities from $6 million to $30 million.
None of the other Senate candidates had filed their financial disclosures as of Thursday. Those include former congressional candidate Tim Bridgewater, Internet real estate marketer Cherilyn Eagar and James Williams, a South Jordan businessman, all Republicans. On the Democratic side, candidate and Salt Lake City restaurateur Sam Granato also had yet to file his disclosure.
