Go meet your Congress(wo)man

House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, D-Harlem, spoke at a community forum in Manhattan this morning, organized by the National Coalition on Health Care.

RWV co-founder Lois Uttley, a Rangel constituent, was there and filed this report:

Fate of public plan in Senate's hands
The House of Representatives will include a public plan option in its health reform bill, but the fate of a public plan ultimately will be decided in the Senate, Rep. Charles Rangel said today. That plan "would be subsidized based on one's ability to pay," he said. Rangel said his fellow New York Democrat, Senator Charles Schumer, is trying to come up with a public plan proposal that will attract bipartisan support, because Republican votes would be needed to approve a plan with 60 votes. Schumer is proposing a public plan "that does not knock out private plans," Rangel said. "We don't know where that is going." He expressed hope the Senate "will have some sort of public plan that we can build on" when House and Senate conferees get together to negotiate one health reform bill later this year. One questioner told Rangel that "many of us hope that eventually it (a public plan) will beat out private insurers." Rangel, laughing, cautioned: "Don't say that!""Well," the questioner continued, "how do we make sure the public plan doesn't get beaten down?" Rangel replied: "I think you need both of them (private and public insurance plans). If the private sector believes they are being pushed out of business, then they need to look at cutting their profits." Rangel was critical of Republicans for opposing a public plan, calling that stance "unacceptable." The GOP in House, he said, is showing "no leadership." He admonished them: "They can't walk away from health reform."

Why not single payer?
The Director of Physicians for a National Health Program's NY Metro Chapter asked Rangel why single-payer advocates are not being included in the health reform debate in Congress. Rangel replied: "Because we want to get a bill passed. We would be asked, Do we want a government takeover of our health system? I would say yes. A lot or people would say no. Then we would have a debate, but not a bill."

How will benefits be determined?
RWV's Uttley asked Rangel how benefits packages will be determined under national health reform, noting that many groups are concerned about whether breast cancer treatment, care for chronic conditions, comprehensive reproductive health care and other services will be included. We have all been told these decisions will be determined by an independent commission later on, she said. Rangel said simply that "benefits will be determined by medical standards of care."

Get out there and meet your members of Congress!
"I've been in the Congress for close to 40 years, and this is the most revolutionary time I've every read about, let alone participated in," Rangel said. "Finally, we have a President with vision." But, he said, members of the public cannot be silent about health reform. "

You have to know the name of your Congressman and let them know we need health reform."