Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Boucher town hall meeting on health care draws 1,200
Boucher, first elected to Congress to represent the 9th District in 1982, said afterward it was the largest crowd he's drawn to such event in his legislative career.
Photos by Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times
Don Shomette holds John Paul Lauderback, 4, and his brother Christopher during a healthcare forum at Edwards Hall on the campus of New River Community College.
Jane Evans, of Pulaski, sits frustrated during a healthcare forum at Edwards Hall on the campus of New River Community College. "No matter what system they go with it will be a rationing of healthcare," she said.
A congressman’s town-hall style meeting on health care reform drew 1,200 people today to an auditorium at New River Community College in Pulaski County.
Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, held the first of two such meetings this week. Today’s meeting began at 9 and lasted until about 12:15 p.m. A second meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday in Abingdon at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. Boucher, first elected to Congress to represent the 9th District in 1982, said afterward it was the largest crowd he's drawn to such event in his legislative career.
Appearing on stage with Boucher today were Dr. Ed Murphy, chief executive officer of Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, C.M. Mitchell, director of pharmacy at Twin County Regional Hospital in Galax and Dr. Glenn C. Hall Jr., the retired founder of NRV Pediatrics. All of the speakers made opening statements that lasted until 10, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Boucher, a senior Democrat and early supporter of Barack Obama for president, voiced support for considering the plan to create nonprofit co-operatives that appears to be gaining ground in recent days. Over the weekend, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appeared to signal the president was open to health care cooperatives as an alternative to the so-called public option, which has generated heated public opposition in many meetings similar to the one held in Dublin. Today, however, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs insisted the Obama administration has not shifted its goals on health care reform or distanced itself from a government-run public insurance option, the Associated Press reported. Still, Boucher stated having co-ops competing in the market would offer a check on the insurance companies.
“I have a problem with this government option plan,” Boucher said. “I’m troubled that the government-option plan could become very popular and if it became sufficiently popular it could begin to crowd out the other” private insurance companies.”
But, Boucher said, he supported the purpose behind the government-option because it would provide a check to keep private insurance companies inline on costs and quality service. For that reason he said he is hopeful that the co-operative system might be a better way to provide that check.
Boucher praised the Senate Finance Committee, where the co-ops are being discussed, for considering alternatives, not rushing to have a bill and for being bipartisan. In contrast he criticized the House of Representatives for moving too fast. That was the reason he gave for voting against sending the HR 3200 to the floor when it came up before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, on which he serves.
“I simply didn’t think we were ready to take that very significant step,” he said. “We need to give this process time. We do not need to be rushed.”
Still Boucher emphasized the need for reform of the current system, and cited the need in particular for tort reform.
“The time has come to have national tort reform,” Boucher said, after fielding several questions about including caps on medical malpractice as part of the health care overhaul.
Touting his work more than three decades ago in forming Virginia’s tort reform legislation, Boucher said a national tort reform effort should mirror what Virginia has done at the state level.
Members of the audience included both supporters of the reform efforts and opponents. Some held up signs, and a few interrupted other speakers’ comments with yells. Only once did Boucher stop his comments to respond to a heckler, suggesting that everyone be given an opportunity to speak.
Before the meeting even began, those with different view points were arguing their positions, at times shouting and at other time eliciting boos or cheers from others in the room.
Several in the audience threatened to vote Boucher out of office if his vote on health reform didn’t meet their expectations. The repeated comments caused Boucher to respond toward the end by saying he thought the issue was too important for him to heed those threats.
“I’m not going to make this decision based on my political future. Period,” he said. “My political future is not that important … All the threats in the world just don’t matter.”
Boucher, first elected to Congress in 1982, is one of many members of the House and Senate facing large crowds while holding public meetings about the Obama administration’s controversial attempt, in concert with the Democratic majorities in both chambers, to pass legislation this year that would reform the nation’s health insurance system. Neighboring Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Albemarle, drew hundreds to a similar meeting Monday night in Fluvanna County, the Charlotesville Daily Progress reported today. Perriello also is scheduled to hold a meeting at 11 a.m. Aug. 29 at The Franklin Center in Rocky Mount.
