Kirkpatrick Questioned On Healthcare Reform

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   Following confusion over the format of the meeting and whether tickets were required to attend, Con-gresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick spoke to a crowd that filled less than half of the George Gardner Performing Arts Center in Holbrook Sept. 3.
   Focusing solely on healthcare reform, the congresswoman took written questions, which were sorted and grouped by representatives from North Country Healthcare. Moderator Gary Butler, a former Navajo County sheriff, noted that Kirkpatrick’s office was not involved in taking, picking up or sorting the ques-tions, but Kirkpatrick later acknowledged a long-term relationship with North Country Healthcare, whose management supports the healthcare reform bill.
   Butler combined similar questions into a single question, and Kirkpatrick had the opportunity to answer 22 questions, ending the forum just before 7:30 p.m. Audience members were allowed to submit follow-up questions via notecards, but did not have direct dialogue with the congresswoman, with the exception of one individual who was allowed to clarify his question.
   Kirkpatrick opened her portion of the session, which was preceded by presentations by North Country Health Care Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrew Saal and Nurse Practitioner/Midwife Karen Holder, who previously worked with Kirkpatrick when she served in the Arizona legislature, with an explanation of the reason for the forum.
   “Four weeks ago I came to Holbrook for a ‘Chat with Ann’ event. I’d just had a day like that in Payson that was very successful,” she said. “When I got to Holbrook, I learned that you were different. You did not want to chat with me, you wanted a town hall. So this is your town hall. I’m here to listen.”
   Kirkpatrick went on to say that she has not decided how she plans to vote on the healthcare bill, but has concerns regarding funding.
   “Cost is a big concern,” she said. “This bill does not answer that.”
   She also noted that she is leaning toward a public healthcare option that would compete with private insurance companies. Kirkpatrick told the crowd that her hope is that a low-cost government insurance-type program would force insurance companies to offer lower rates and provide better service.
   Through the series of questions asked, Kirkpatrick related that she does not believe government-run healthcare will result in rationing, that tort reform should be part of a separate bill, that true economic re-covery cannot occur until there is healthcare reform, and that she believes that the reform plan should eliminate coverage gaps, such as pre-existing condition exclusions.
   Kirkpatrick also told the crowd that if a public option were put in place, she would opt in.
   “If a government option passes, and it’s as good as the Democrats say, will you opt out of your plan and join the government plan?” Butler read from a question card.
   “Yes. I don’t feel I’m better than anyone else and if we have a public option I’ll be on it,” Kirkpatrick said.
   As for the cost of a public plan, Kirkpatrick noted that she believes there are ways to responsibly fund such a plan, but she is not satisfied with any options included in the bill.
   “That is the question,” she said. “I’m very concerned about how we do this. I can think of a number of ways we can do it, but they’re not necessarily in the bill right now.”
   She also noted that she believes preventive health measures could result in cost savings, as could stricter measures to reduce fraud and abuse.
   Kirkpatrick also told the crowd that she has read the entire bill, although she expects several changes to be made.
   “Yes, I have read the bill. I actually like to read the bills. I read the bills, I read the amendments,” she said.
   She went on to note that she believes there are some portions of the bill open to interpretation that she would like to see better clarified.
   In response to other questions, Kirkpatrick noted that she is not in favor of taking any action that would increase the burden on small businesses, that she believes providing healthcare coverage for all Americans is the right thing to do and that other ideas are being considered, such as a health co-op program and a pub-lic option that would be triggered if private insurance companies failed to make certain changes.
   Following a question regarding trust in government to run healthcare given its track record with other programs, such as Indian Health Services, Kirkpatrick told the crowd that she does not believe the govern-ment can fix any problems, that it requires the people to do that.
   “My faith is in the people to fix it, not the government. It’s a partnership,” she said. “That’s why I’m doing these town halls. This conversation should never stop.”
   The congresswoman noted that she would not make any promises about how she would vote until after reading the final version of the bill.
   “This is a work in progress,” she said. “I’m more than willing to come back to Holbrook and continue to talk about it. This is very important. This is one issue we’re talking about in Washington that affects every American. We will work this out together.”
   Prior to Kirkpatrick’s session, Dr. Saal made a presentation on the healthcare bill. According to Saal, items not included in the bill are death panels, rationing, government takeover, abortion coverage or social-ized medicine. Based on a number of 47 million uninsured, according to Saal, the majority of the uninsured are at least 100 percent above the federal poverty level and have at least one family member working full-time. Saal also told the crowd that for every $10 spent per person per year on prevention services, a total of $2.8 billion in healthcare costs would be saved.
   “It would start paying off within one to two years,” Saal said.
   According to Saal, nearly 22,000 uninsured Americans die prematurely every year, and the uninsured have lower annual earnings because of poorer health.
   “One of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the U.S. is unexpected medical costs,” he said. “Surprise. That’s free enterprise at work.”
   Nurse Practitioner and Midwife Karen Holder also made a brief presentation. She noted that she be-lieves part of the health crisis relates not only to healthcare, but to the lack of a sense of community.
   “We live in the most powerful, yet most obese country,” she said. “I want to hear from you about crea-tive solutions.”
   Holder also praised Holbrook for its sense of community.