How Portland, Oregon's Congressional Representatives See Health Care Reform

U.S. Senators and Representatives in Portland, Oregon, like those in other parts of the country, are currently holding town hall meetings with constituents on the issue of health care. While the congressional representatives in this region differ somewhat on how people should be covered, all agree that universal coverage should be provided. Here are views from Oregon's Senators, Ron Wyden (D) and Jeff Merkley (D), and U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer of the Third Congressional District.

Senator Jeff Merkley is a supporter of the Affordable Health Choices Act, which he helped co-author as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. According to his website, this plan will:

* Lower health care costs for all Americans

* Strengthen small businesses by providing tax credits, stable pricing, lower administrative costs, and more choices

* Allow people who currently like their health insurance and doctor to keep them

* Offer Americans more health insurance choices, both private and public

* Include a public health insurance option to hold insurance companies accountable and keep costs low

* End discrimination based on pre-existing conditions

* Provide insurance coverage for over 95 percent of Americans

I'm in favor of all of those points. My question, as someone who is fortunate enough to have insurance through my employer, is how my health care costs will be lowered. Are premiums expected to go down, so that my out-of-pocket share will be lower? This isn't clear. The bill doesn't set specific price controls on existing insurance companies; instead, it relies on competition to bring those costs down.

Senator Ron Wyden, on the other hand, has an entirely different proposal for health care reform. He's offering a Free Choice Proposal, which he says would strengthen the employer-based health insurance system, help more small businesses to purchase coverage for employees, and create an exchange system in which employers and individuals could obtain affordable health care.

Wyden has also had a bill in the Senate since 2007 titled the Healthy Americans Act. Some in Washington feel that this bill actually has more bipartisan support in the Senate than the Affordable Health Choices Act.

Wyden's plans might help bring health care costs down for my employer, a public school district, which would certainly help with the current school budget crisis.

U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer is a supporter of America's Affordable Health Choices Act (the House version of the current health care bill). Blumenauer authored an amendment to the bill which addresses funding for end-of-life care counseling. He recently held a telephone town hall meeting for constituents in Oregon, reassuring them that they could keep their current coverage, that funding is being adequately addressed, and that end-of-life counseling does not mean encouraging euthanasia.

Blumenauer's town hall provided a reasonable discourse, unlike many of the town hall meetings across the U.S., which have frequently been disrupted by people who would rather shout than have a real discussion.

That's something that has worried me in this debate: there's a loud minority of people who are willing to believe and spread outright lies about euthanasia, or about a section of the bill that will supposedly eliminate private insurance.

I'm all for a reasoned discussion of what we should do. If anyone who's opposed to this plan has a better one, let's hear it! But creating controversy by spreading lies just hurts everyone.

I think we will end up with some form of universal coverage, and I think it will probably still involve private and employer-provided coverage. But hopefully, it will at least address coverage for those who are uninsured or who have to pay too much for health insurance.

SOURCES
merkley.senate.gov, "Benefits of Health Care Reform," http://merkley.senate.gov/issues/issue/?id=A24668C8-AEC7-4252-9F91-3D046117E83B

Senator Ron Wyden, "The Free Choice Proposal," http://wyden.senate.gov/newsroom/free_choice_proposal.pdf

wyden.senate.gov, "The Healthy Americans Act," http://wyden.senate.gov/issues/Legislation/Healthy_Americans_Act.cfm

blumenauer.house.gov, "America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009," http://blumenauer.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1535&Itemid=167

Matt Davis, "Health Care Q & A's from Congressman Earl Blumenauer's First Telephone Town Hall," http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2009/08/11/health-care-qandas-from-congressman-earl-blumenauers-first-telephone-town-hall