Central Coast residents joined the rest of the country on Sept. 2 and 3 in attending town hall meetings to discuss a public health insurance option.
On Sept. 2, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) met with her fellow Santa Barbarans at First Methodist Church on Anapamu Street. The next day, Capps traveled to San Luis Obispo for a similar event at United Methodist Church.
After an invocation for peace from Pastor Jane Voigts, Capps, along with a handful of local health-care experts, fielded questions on comprehensive health insurance reform and H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.
Capps also gave a presentation in which she set out to debunk some “common misconceptions” about the legislation. The public option, she said, is available to those who choose it—no one will ever be forced to purchase it. The option must adhere to the same rules as private companies and will be self-financed through patients’ premiums, she explained.
At a press conference prior to the town hall meeting, Capps reiterated her desire for publicly financed health insurance as an option but refused to rule out voting for a bill that wouldn’t include that choice for coverage.
“I spoke with Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi, who said, ‘I can’t see there will be a bill in the House [that reaches the floor for a vote] that does not include a public option.’ And that’s the one I want to vote for,” Capps said.
Some of Capps’ peers, however, are not as flexible.
Also on Sept. 3, the Congressional Progressive Caucus—which includes two senators and 81 representatives in the House—sent a letter to President Barack Obama stating they wouldn’t vote for legislation that doesn’t include an option for public health insurance.
This article appears in Sep 10-17, 2009.