from the BCCT:
Challenge to Murphy: Listen to the people, not the partisans
Bucks County Courier Times
By MIKE FITZPATRICK
Recently I attempted to speak with Congressman Patrick Murphy about the disappointing votes being cast in Washington as the current Congress squanders an historic opportunity to improve health coverage for all Americans. He told me to call him later.
Bucks Countians have been waiting months for their representative in Congress to hear their concerns about the gaggle of bills under consideration in the Capitol. Despite repeated calls for a town hall meeting where constituents can meet their elected federal representative face-to-face, questions and concerns have gone unanswered.
The reason: Patrick Murphy is in favor of government control of healthcare. I know because he told me so.
And in his quest to vote for a "strong public option" (read: the beginning of the federal government taking over our health decision making), he rushed headlong into H.R. 3962 which provides:
For individual taxpayers: Higher taxes on high-income filers, federal mandates to purchase health insurance or be subject to federal penalties and exemptions for non-resident aliens. In conjunction with the passage of HR 3962 (by the slimmest of margins and with Patrick Murphy's full support), Murphy also voted to pass HR 3961, increasing physician reimbursements and deficit spending, which adds to the federal debt.
For employers: Practically every small business is now federally mandated to provide "qualified" coverage or be subject to a new, 8 percent tax. Employers are also limited in use of Flexible Savings Accounts, which I use to pay out of pocket medical expenses for my children and used for my own recent medical expenses in cancer recovery.
Advertisement For seniors: $571 billion has been slashed from your allocated Medicare funding; $170 billion has been cut from your Medicare Advantage Plans. Your Medicare D premiums will be increased to help pay for new federal programs your representatives deem nice to have.
Murphy's bill is packed with problems too numerous to mention in my limited space available. But Murphy's bad bill got worse in the U.S. Senate. Now we find out that, in addition to paying new Medicaid increases for Pennsylvania residents, we also are expected to pick up the cost for Nebraska residents because they "cut a deal" to buy Sen. Nelson's support. Still no comment from Patrick. Still no town hall meeting for his constituents.
Provide tax relief that makes it easier, not more difficult, for employers to provide health coverage. Reform the health justice system. Incentivize innovative solutions that fight healthcare fraud. There is $250 billion in easy money - currently wasted - in the federal health programs. Recover the money and use it to cover pre-existing conditions and to reward health care clinics that already provide coverage to the uninsured: the Mother Bachmann clinic in Bensalem, HealthLink in Southampton and The Free Clinic at Doylestown Hospital.
I firmly believe that the best solutions already exist in the communities across America. Our representatives should spend more time listening to us and less time listening to the partisans inside the Beltway. An old-fashioned, town hall meeting back home in Bucks County would be a good start.
January 12, 2010 07:43 AM
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pajmf, 01-12-10, 8:30 am | Rate: 1 | Report
Well written piece, Mr. Fitzpatrick! It sounds like you had the same problem getting responses from Congressman Murphy as I did when I contacted his office. I didn't even get a form letter response.
False Profit, 01-12-10, 9:50 am | Rate: -1 | Report
That sounds familiar. On January 29, 2009, 348 days ago, there was a public hearing in Morrisville about permanently closing an elementary school that suffered a debilitating furnace explosion on Dec. 13, 2008.
At the hearing, the public was promised written responses within a reasonable time to all the questions raised at the hearing. So far, no responses have been provided.
The 2 people who made this promise, and it's in the transcript, are:
School Board President Bill Hellmann; and
School Board Solicitor ......
Mike Fitzpatrick
