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U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Albemarle County |
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
By AMANDA BUCK - Bulletin Staff Writer
Fifth District U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, who voted in favor of a health care reform bill that narrowly passed the House on Saturday, will hold a telephone town hall meeting Thursday on the subject.
Perriello, D-Albemarle County, is asking people from throughout the district to take part in the call, during which they can ask him questions and express their concerns, according to a news release.
The call will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday and can be accessed by calling (877) 269-7289 and entering the PIN 14581, the release said.
During a conference call with reporters on Monday, Perriello said he worked long and hard to listen to constituents’ concerns about health care reform and that he fought to make the Affordable Health Care for America Act address those concerns before he voted in favor of it.
“There is no such thing as a bill that all my constituents would agree on,” said Perriello, who held 21 town hall meetings on health care reform in August. Based on the people he heard from during those meetings and others, Perriello said “There were a few things most people agreed on: Some reform needed to happen, and it needed to reduce the deficit and protect quality care.”
Perriello said he worked hard to bring that message back to Washington and to make changes to the bill, which some legislators had wanted to vote on in July, that would include them.
“I really respect those who disagreed with my decision,” he said. “I tried to listen to as many people as possible. There were those who would oppose any bill and those who would support any bill, and folks in the middle.”
Most, he said, focused on “the cost question: Will the bill bring down the deficit and premiums for small businesses and middle-class families?”
Perriello said the legislation will do both. According to the Congressional Budget Office, which he called “an independent referee,” the bill will reduce the federal deficit by $109 billion in the first decade (2010-2019) and is likely to reduce deficits in the decade following by up to one quarter of 1 percent of the GDP, he said. GDP, or gross domestic product, is the sum of all goods and services produced within U.S. borders.
“We cut $300 billion from the original plan, and it is balanced through the second decade,” Perriello said.
The freshman congressman said the bill also will help insured Americans reduce costs. According to information from his office, it eliminates co-pays and deductibles for preventive care; caps out-of-pocket expenses starting at $5,000 per year; bans rate increases and coverage denials for pre-existing conditions, gender and occupation; and guarantees oral, vision and hearing benefits for children.
The legislation also will help small businesses reduce costs by allowing them to pool with other small businesses to negotiate better rates, Perriello said, calling that “a real competitive advantage.”
Competition, the congressman said, is a key goal of the plan and is what is behind the so-called public option, a government-sponsored health plan designed to compete with private insurance companies. He said that option would save $100 billion in 10 years.
According to The Associated Press, independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, whose vote Democrats need to overcome Republican filibusters, vowed Sunday not to support any legislation that contains a public option. That, along with solid Republican opposition, prompted many to consider the House legislation dead on arrival in the Senate.
Perriello said he can’t predict what might happen during Senate debate on the bill, but he is hopeful senators will “put the best ideas on the table and bring them together in the merged bill.”
If the Senate passes its own version of the legislation and conferees work together to iron out the differences, Perriello said he will look at the resulting legislation and “make decisions then” as to whether to support it.
He stressed Monday that he will not support any bill that includes federal funding for abortion.
Asked if he thinks his re-election next year hinges on the success of the legislation, Perriello said no.
“The single most important thing” in whether he will be re-elected “is what the economy looks like next year,” Perriello said. Although he didn’t agree that his vote Saturday was career-making or -breaking, he said it was historic.
“I think being part of a group that finally stepped up and did the hard work to tackle (health care reform), I think I’ll look back, beyond my career and be happy I was part of it,” he said.
Perriello said he spoke often about the legislation with U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher of Abingdon, one of two Virginia Democrats who broke with their party to vote against the bill. Boucher has cited its effect on rural hospitals, which he says would be hurt by the continued disparity between Medicare reimbursements for rural and urban areas.
Perriello said he too was concerned about that issue, but he believes the bill works to address that gap by directing that payment rates be revised based on a study of geographic inequities in Medicare reimbursement rates.
Also during Monday’s conference call, several 5th District residents spoke about why they support the bill. Among them were Shuna Ingram of Martinsville, who said she recently was laid off from a job at GSI Commerce and has been unable to afford insurance since then.
Ellen Jessee, who operates a small land surveying business in Collinsville, said premiums for the group insurance her company offers its 10 employees have risen so much that she fears she might not be able to afford coverage in the future. She praised the idea of letting small businesses pool together to negotiate prices.
A Lynchburg doctor, the executive director of a system of community health centers and a Charlottesville clergyman also praised the bill.
Perriello’s district, which is larger than the state of New Jersey, includes Martinsville and part of Henry County.
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