Thursday, August 27, 2009 9:27 PM CDT
Crowd fills LLC Theater to discuss health care reform
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — A raising of the hands showed that Congressman Tim Johnson seemed to have many members of the audience opposed to federal health care reform.
Speaking before more than 400 people in a packed Lake Land College Theater, Johnson asked how many people would oppose being compelled to pick a federal health care plan. Hundreds of hands shot up.
But someone shouted out from the upper row of seats that Johnson was asking a loaded question. And several people in the audience expressed agreement.
That represented how Wednesday’s town meeting showed a high level of anxiety on the part of many constituents regarding health care overhaul proposals. Yet several questioners made it clear to Johnson something has to be done to make health care more affordable for the majority of Americans.
As one voter put in an analogy to the Titanic: “We have to do something now; we’re taking on a lot of water right now.”
But Johnson said he is worried about drowning in a sea of red ink one day. Stating that “a government is best that governs least,” the Republican from Urbana made it clear he is distrustful of a public option health plan, especially with the federal government announcing a $9 trillion deficit this week. Many times, his statements on out-of-control spending initiatives drew wide applause from the audience.
Johnson will not accept the status quo, either, by voting to do nothing, he said in answering a question from Karen Miller of Charleston.
“We can’t do nothing or adopt socialized medicine. We can’t be the ‘Legislation of No,’” Johnson said. “We need to encourage competition. But I don’t think people want to throw the baby out with the bath water.”
The lawmaker did make it clear he does not support a public option that he said would only hurt the quality of American health care in the long run and result in massive tax increases, “producing a dramatic effect on the American taxpayer.” Johnson said efforts are needed to address many issues with health care within a private framework, including the treatment of patients with pre-existing conditions, better competition between insurers and other efforts.
During his criticism of a public option for health care, Johnson degraded foreign countries for what he said is rationing of health care and long waits for medical procedures, especially in Canada. “The alternative to our system now is a system you don’t want,” Johnson warned.
He was backed by a man who once lived in Canada. The veteran said he fears health reform and bailout measures because a federal government can have too much power if unchecked.
“When a government is too strong the people have to stand up and knock ’em back!” he said.
But Peter Andrews of Charleston challenged Johnson’s description of the Canadian health care system.
“The statements you have made here are a figment of your imagination!” Andrews said.
Andrews based that on the care his relatives received for cancer, his father in Canada and his mother-in-law in Maryland. He said both received fine care before their deaths in 2006, however his mother-in-law, in an American hospital, continually worried how she would pay for her cancer care.
A few questioners at Wednesday’s meeting also cited statistics that America ranks as low as 35th worldwide in the quality of health care. Therefore, they argued, the country needs serious health care reform with universal care, especially with the country’s relative high rate of infant mortality and considering there are better longevity rates in many developed countries.
One questioner on the quality of care challenged Johnson to provide the source of his statements that contradict the United Nations health care research and other international health experts.
Johnson did not back off on his statement.
“We do have the best health care system in this country,” Johnson countered. “The infant mortality rate is not tied to the health care public option. It is based on low birth weight. Very selective facts are being cited here.”
A Casey resident disagreed with the equity of the country’s health care system. Bob Brown said there is something wrong when even Medicare, a system designed for treating the elderly, can limit medical procedures like a stem cell transplant to treat his wife’s cancer.
“If that’s not rationed health care, I don’t know what is,” Brown said.
“I would suggest the degree of rationing is dramatically different than it would be under this model,” Johnson answered.
The youngest questioner Wednesday was a 13-year-old boy who asked when Congress will stop spending the money of his generation and future ones. Johnson agreed something has to be done to stop what he termed out-of-control spending of the federal government now and in recent years.
“It will stagnate the country for years to come if we don’t do something about it,” the lawmaker said.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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lefty wrote on Aug 27, 2009 12:03 AM:
Second, good job on the talking points, Tim. "