WAYCROSS, Ga. - When Capitol Hill failed to pass health care reform before its August recess, it gave congressmen a chance to come home and hear what voters had to say.
U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., learned constituents were more engaged than he may have thought.
Hundreds turned out in Waycross for a town hall meeting Wednesday on House Resolution 3200, the House bill on reform - a discussion Kingston's staff thought would draw only 50 or 60.
Kingston heard worries over the effect of the bill on businesses, lack of health care choice, and the degraded quality of coverage. Kingston himself said there was too much big government and too much cost in a universal plan.
The problem of 45.7 million uninsured Americans is smaller than one might think, Kingston said. That number includes people who qualify for Medicare or Medicaid but don't realize it, illegal aliens, and people who can afford insurance, but choose not to buy it.
Only 10.6 million are people who truly have fallen through the system's cracks, he said.
"I believe that's where we need to focus our efforts," said Kingston. "If the kitchen sink is broken, do you take a wrecking ball to the whole kitchen or do you just fix the sink?"
Kingston wants targeted reform, and said doing so would also bring the price down. If the government provides universal health care, the program would be larger than the economy of Great Britain.
After paying $700 billion for bank bailouts and $787 billion for a federal stimulus bill, the cost of health care reform should worry everyone, Kingston said, especially with workers facing a 10 percent unemployment rate.
"If you have a hole in your boat, you might not want to take on new cargo at this point," he said.
While Kingston and others worried about costs on one hand, seniors were worrying about continuing to get the health care benefits they are used to. The first three questions came from seniors who heard the bill would reduce their Medicare benefits.
Kingston said he thinks it will, but the problem isn't just HR 3200.
"I think Medicare is going to be affected by this plan, but in time Medicare is going to be affected in other ways too, because the cost of Medicare right now is so high," he said.
"One thing we've been hearing a lot is that we need to protect and preserve Medicare for the next generation, not just the next election."
One woman, who said she had read the entire bill, was upset with President Barack Obama for saying if it passes, people could keep their existing coverage. As she reads it, if the consumer or their employer changes health plans, the consumer enters a new government-run insurance exchange.
"Is there some way Democrats and Republicans can agree to tell this honestly?" she asked. "In the media, they're just not telling the whole truth about this bill."
Kingston said he interpreted the bill the same way. In fact he believes it mandates everyone enter the insurance exchange within five years.
A businessman told Kingston the mandate that businesses pay 70 percent of their employee's health insurance premiums was keeping him up late at night. Over 250 of his 300 employees are minimum wage workers.
"I can tell you with absolute certainty that if we have to cover 70 percent of the 300 employees' insurance premiums, there will be 301 unemployed workers tomorrow," he said.
Kingston agreed Democratic claims of assistance for small businesses were exaggerated. If employers can't pay the 70 percent, the government adds 8 percent to the business' payroll tax.
"You could opt for the 8 percent penalty, but right now a lot of businesses don't have the fat to take that 8 percent off their profits," said Kingston, who also held a town hall meeting in Brunswick in the afternoon.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey Jack from 1994-2006 why didn't you introduce legislation to control the costs of medicare and to cover that 10 million. How about a plan to enroll those elgible for medicare and medicaid. What have you been doing if you knew about all these problems. Just a question since you all had the power for 12 years.
conscernednative....Are you worried about the cost of medicare and medicaid? Well covering millions of illegal aliens will certainly not cure those costs. So the Democrats don't have a "plan" that will control costs either. They have a Communist plan that will buy votes, insure ILLEGAL ALIENS and then RATION care to those seniors who actually paid into the system. I say NO PLAN is better than this "plan". Polls show 80% are pretty happy with their healthcare. That tells me that maybe it's not really "too expensive" and that the marketplace does work to some extent. There was no "crisis" until Obama created a crisis. All that was needed was for the government to crack down on Medicare fraud and to put some simple laws onto the insurance industry about portability and coverage for pre-existing illness. Simple fixes but once again we have a Bro' Comrade Obama "crisis" that has divided this country down the middle and we are once again one step from violence. Hey Obama brown shirt "truth squad", yeh, I said it, what are you going to do about it?
Yeah, they did not care then.
Both parties have been scared to death to do anything about Medicare in fear of losing votes of senior citizens. Say it like it is. Medicare is broke and it along with Medicaid need to be abolished. It isn't the taxpayer's responsibility to pay for the healthcare of others. If you can't take care of yourself.....well a little social Darwinism would do America a whole lot of good.
"All that was needed was for the government to crack down on Medicare fraud and to put some simple laws onto the insurance industry about portability and coverage for pre-existing illness." I pretty much agree. It's also not our responsibility to provide health care to illegal immigrants. I'm happy with mine. Leave it alone. Do what you should have been doing all along. Now it's a bunch of "Obama Drama".
I have tried to refrain from saying anything, because of my over all position on reform. My main concern is to try to find a way to get or make insurance companies lower their premiums, regulate costs for the care by reducing waste, malpractice(not suits), and unethical charges....you know, $7-$10 for a Tylenol type of things, and to cover those who CAN'T, not won't, cover themselves. I, personally, see the insurance companies as no more than middle men, who do nothing more than just make a profit off of the business between a doctor and a patient. Doctors should not charge a non-insured patient any more than is paid for the same service by an insurance company. If abortion must be allowed by virtue of a flawed Supreme Court decision, then all abortions should be privately funded, as it's a PERSONAL choice. I see the medical /insurance companies as having formed a theoretical monopoly in that they have conspired to fix prices at an unreasonable or usurious level. We have no where else to go, and the practice is universal throughout the United States.
Best bet when you go to the doctor and they use a pair of surgical scissors to cut open your bandage, or tweezers, or gauge, anything they use on you during your visit ASK for the left over items, they are going to throw it away anyway, I always do, heck you just paid for it it's yours. Surely they will not use the same items on another patient.
GACopperhead, eloquently stated and right on the money.
I will be a lot more willing to listen when congress and prezbo's admin step up to the plate and pledge to use the same system.
Why are we paying for all these illegals medical bills, housing,food, etc. PACK their a** up and send them packing back to where they come from.
BimbObama has stated slearly that he is moving to a one payer, government only helath care system and will ration/cut Medicare for the elderly to pay for it. Are you ready to have YOUR mom and ad's health care rationed or denied by some guv'munt beaurocrat?
We are so proud that President Obama is working 24/7 to reform health care in our America and provide health care for everyone. He is just amazing. HELLO! HELLO!
Under President Obama' plan you can keep your own insurance if you are satisfied. Maybe the president is satisfied with his plan. End of conversation. HELLO! HELLO!
Obama was videoed plainly saying his intent is to take the first step below his ultimate goal of nationalized health care. Where have you guys been? Do you not believe The Leader?