Health Care - Sen. Ron Wyden responds to concerns at town hall meetings in LG, Enterprise

Sen. Ron Wyden. Observer file photo

Before getting down to brass tacks, Wyden, who holds a town hall in every Oregon County every year, opened the meeting with a nod to the old veterans, who sat in a section specially reserved for them.

“They made such extraordinary contributions to the country and they’re an important part of Union County today,” Wyden said just before presenting the Veterans of Foreign Wars with an American flag.

Wyden was challenged right off as a woman told him she was concerned about runaway government spending.

“I wonder if you’re ever going to get it under control,” the woman said.

Wyden replied that he voted against the big ticket spending bills Congress passed as the recession set in, most notably the bank bail-out.

“The federal government now owns an insurance company, a car company and an investment house,” he said. “I think it’s important to show some fiscal responsibility.”

He then steered the talk to health care reform, which he said is tied to the country’s economic well-being.

He said that of all the health care bills being considered by the government, the Healthy Americans Act he helped write is the most fiscally responsible.

“The congressional budget office says it’s the only proposal that doesn’t add to the deficit,” he said.

Later in the meeting, a man who identified himself as a physician from Baker City told Wyden he had read the Healthy Americans Act and approves.

“I’d like to see you stick to your guns, stick to your plans and get this thing out,” he said.

Wyden talked about some of the specifics in the bill, including a prohibition against “cherry picking” where insurance companies discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions, and also a provision for tort reform that would rein in frivolous lawsuits.

“The bill creates a presumption that a physician behaved according to standards. The presumption would have to be overcome in order for there to be a lawsuit,” he said.

Still another town hall participant expressed concern about recent news that Social Security recipients may soon see a cut in the cost of living adjustment.

Wyden said that while the COLA is tied to the rate of inflation, senior citizens still need extra help.

“Inflation is down but that doesn’t consider people have serious trouble with their medical bills, fuel bills and the cost of food. We need to take another look at the inflation measure,” he said.

Several people in the audience said they were worried about high unemployment in the local area. One woman asked Wyden if any progress is being made in reform of federal timber policy.

As he has before, Wyden said he favors policy that will allow timber thinning.

“Thinning out the forests and getting merchantable timber to the mills is important,” he said. “We’ve got a huge fuel build-up in the forests and it ought to be cleaned up. We should have a policy that’s good for the environment and good for the economy.”

Though the crowd was mostly respectful and friendly, some people were more confrontational. Charlene Davis of Meacham voiced strong feelings about government spending.

“Can you count to a trillion?” she asked Wyden. “There’s a trillion, a hundred trillion. How do they even know what that is?” she said.

Davis said that if Wyden voted for HR 3200, also known as America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, “we’re gonna vote you out.” She said the same thing would happen if Wyden supported extra taxes on people with high incomes.

“Don’t tax the rich. They make the jobs for us poor people,” Davis said.

Wyden said again he favors the Healthy Americans Act over all other the health care reform proposals. He also said he favors tax relief for small businesses.

Another woman in the crowd said that with the current political climate, she fears for the safety of the republic.

“What’s going on is downright disgraceful,” she said.

Wyden said he thinks the republic will be fine, though the future holds some stiff challenges.

“We continue to live in the most open, free republic in the world,” he said. “In this country today on the big debate items you’ve got vigorous protest on the far right and the far left and those people don’t want bipartisan solutions.

“I still think that despite the challenges and disagreements, we’ve still got the freest, most open system,” he said.

Still another woman in the audience accused Wyden of representing interests in the Willamette Valley over those of people living in rural areas.

Wyden defended himself, saying he is not a senator from the “state of Portland.”

He pointed to his fight to save county payments, the fact he helped get a veterans outpatient clinic built in La Grande and the fact that he maintains an office in La Grande staffed by aide Kathleen Cathey.

“Some of the most important legislation I’ve fought for has involved rural issues,” he said. “I will match the work we’ve done with that of any rural legislator.”