Health care debate arrives at NIC
Representative Walt Minnick outlines his views on plan
Paul Lash
Issue date: 9/21/09 Section: News
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A handful of protesters wielding signs, such as "D.C. 20 square miles surrounded by reality" and "Obama Care - It's To Die For" greeted health care forum attendees outside the Hall.
"I'm here to learn," said ASNIC Pres. Jack Vanderlinden prior to the event.
The forum began with the congressman's perspective on the current state of the U.S. health care system.
"Some things we're really good at," Minnick said, "but I do favor comprehensive health care reform. Other countries do it cheaper, have better life expectancies..."
The congressman continued by outlining his guidelines for evaluating proposed legislation.
"I want any health care plan to pay for itself," Minnick said decisively.
Other guidelines included reducing costs, ensuring availability for all American citizens, increasing the amounts of facilities and practitioners and achieving these goals without what Minnick referred to as "creating a new government-owned insurance company." Each audience member wishing to ask a question received a raffle ticket upon entry. After Minnick spoke, tickets were drawn at random. Questions submitted to the Coeur d'Alene Press were also presented to the congressman.
One question asked: "Have you read the bill and do you understand it?"
"I spent four hours one Sunday morning right before coming back to Idaho going through all 1,047 pages," Minnick said. "I do not claim to understand everything in that bill, and I don't think anyone, simply reading it, would gain understanding…This is not a bill I intend to vote for."
"Is Congress constitutionally authorized to go forward with a national plan?" the moderator asked.
"I'm a congressman, not a judge," Minnick replied. "I have every reason to believe that the health care legislation that we are currently considering is constitutional."
Queried as to whether he thought the government could run health care in an efficient and effective way, Minnick responded: "It's not my first choice, but I do want to be fair to public health insurance…About half of Americans either participate in or are eligible to participate in these various government-run programs, and I'll have to say, I think they do a pretty fair job."
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