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Transcript of Murphy's remarks on the healthcare reform bill
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| U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy(D-20th) speaks about the healthcare reform bill Saturday in Valatie. Jamie Larson/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers |
By Jamie Larson
During Saturday’s “Congress on Your Corner” event with U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-20th District, at Golden Harvest Farm in Valatie, the congressman was deluged with questions on the specifics of the controversial healthcare reform bill being discussed in congress. Roughly 400 people on all sides of the issue attended the event and many lined up in front of the microphone to ask Murphy where he stands in the complex and contentious debate.
The event lasted around two hours but the following exchange between the congressman and the croud illustrate Murphy’s current views on the bill and the complexity of the debate in Washington as well as in the homes of Columbia County residents.
“(America) is able to provide the best healthcare in the world to those who can afford to pay, or have enough insurance to pay for it,” Murphy said at the outset of the rowdy town hall style meeting, “people travel here from all over the world to get the most advanced and best procedures. At the same time the United States has some group of people, 40 to 50 million people who don’t have health insurance.”
As would continue throughout the event the crowd erupted with opposition. People screamed “no” and “it’s a lie.” While Murphy attempted to calm them down, saying many of them would get a chance to speak, some harshly worded insults were shouted back and forth among audience members. Murphy said he hasn’t counted the uninsured personally but is going on an estimated range offered by experts, adding he knows people in his own life who are uninsured, so they’re out there.
Murphy went on to say that, according to estimates, Americans with a family health insurance plan pay $1,000 to $2,000 towards covering “uncompensated care” for people without health insurance who don’t pay their bill. “That, I think is part of the problem,” Murphy said, “People who have insurance pay too much, and people who don’t have insurance aren’t in the system and don’t get as much care as they could otherwise.”
“What do I think we should be doing to make sure we have a system better then the one we have now?” Murphy asked himself to begin the Q and A, “I believe we should follow these principles; choice, it’s a fundamental American value. There’s a reason we have a right to keep and bare arms. There’s a reason we have a right to protest. There’s a reason we have a right to not be unreasonably searched and our property ceased by our government. We have a bill of rights that is a fundamental part of the way we as Americans see ourselves, and how we have chosen to govern ourselves, and so much of that is about individual choices and individual freedoms.”
Murphy said this is why he supports healthcare reform that creates a more competitive marketplace for insurers, including a government option. Murphy continued to clarify the particulars of his position, drawing applause and boos as he went, then turned the microphone over to the public.
The first question came from Laura Davidson of Valatie. She said she was happy with her healthcare plan and had read the healthcare bill proposed by President Obama, and saw a problem. “There’s a section in the bill on pages 16 through 19, and I know it’s not passed, but this is what’s in there today, and it’s about grandfathering private health insurance plans,” She said, “and what it says is the day the bill is enacted no private insurance company, with a plan existing, will be able to enroll new subscribers to that plan.
“That seams like a funnel, because if you move, or change jobs, that’s going to funnel me to the government and that’s not what I want. Can you please speak to that and tell me how I’m going to keep my choice?”
Murphy took the opportunity to walk through the healthcare bill, as he has read it. Murphy knew the details of the particular section of the bill in question by memory.
“If you have an employer based plan, you can keep that plan,” he said, “now there’s one nuance to that. We’re talking about having kind of a minimum level of a plan, just like with car insurance, your insurance plan has to reach a minimum level.
“A percent or two of plans that are out there today don’t have that minimum care, and the bill says, over five years those employer-based plans have to at least have the minimum, or else they can’t continue and they would have to be changed. If you have an individual plan today, you can keep that plan. It’s just that simple. if that plan meets the minimum requirement you can keep that plan forever.”
“Who sets the minimum requirements?” a voice shouted from the crowd.
“The minimum requirements are outlined in the bill,” Murphy responded to some laughter.
“Is abortion the minimum requirement?” another man yelled.
“Abortion is not covered either way,” he said, before he was cut off by boos, “I’ll finish trying to explain, and people then can tell me what they hate. But let me first explain it.”
Murphy continued by explaining that the bill is allowing individual plans that don’t meet the established minimum requirement of care to be grandfathered over. People can keep that plan for as long as they like but since it doesn’t meet the government standards it can not be offered to new customers.
“If you don’t have a plan today, or you chose later on to go into it, we’re talking about this national exchange.” Murphy said, “The best part about the national exchange, in my opinion, is increasing competition all over the country, because now people can compete in a national exchange instead of just state level exchanges.”
“Forced competition!” someone shouted as noise erupted again from the large gathering.
“I like that concept,” Murphy said, then trying to wrangle the crowd away from arguing among themselves again.
Murphy said he liked the idea of a national cooperative setting up an exchange that would include a public option among other carriers. However, Murphy said, he would only support a public plan with a caveat. “It has to compete on a level playing field, such that it’s not getting any special government subsidy or tax break, or regulatory break. It would have to be the same as what a co-op would have to do or a private insurance plan would have to do.”
Murphy said this is his current opinion on employer-based and individual health plans. He said that he was pleased with the way the conversations played out and will be holding more forum style events to hear from citizens around the district.
The event lasted around two hours but the following exchange between the congressman and the croud illustrate Murphy’s current views on the bill and the complexity of the debate in Washington as well as in the homes of Columbia County residents.
“(America) is able to provide the best healthcare in the world to those who can afford to pay, or have enough insurance to pay for it,” Murphy said at the outset of the rowdy town hall style meeting, “people travel here from all over the world to get the most advanced and best procedures. At the same time the United States has some group of people, 40 to 50 million people who don’t have health insurance.”
As would continue throughout the event the crowd erupted with opposition. People screamed “no” and “it’s a lie.” While Murphy attempted to calm them down, saying many of them would get a chance to speak, some harshly worded insults were shouted back and forth among audience members. Murphy said he hasn’t counted the uninsured personally but is going on an estimated range offered by experts, adding he knows people in his own life who are uninsured, so they’re out there.
Murphy went on to say that, according to estimates, Americans with a family health insurance plan pay $1,000 to $2,000 towards covering “uncompensated care” for people without health insurance who don’t pay their bill. “That, I think is part of the problem,” Murphy said, “People who have insurance pay too much, and people who don’t have insurance aren’t in the system and don’t get as much care as they could otherwise.”
“What do I think we should be doing to make sure we have a system better then the one we have now?” Murphy asked himself to begin the Q and A, “I believe we should follow these principles; choice, it’s a fundamental American value. There’s a reason we have a right to keep and bare arms. There’s a reason we have a right to protest. There’s a reason we have a right to not be unreasonably searched and our property ceased by our government. We have a bill of rights that is a fundamental part of the way we as Americans see ourselves, and how we have chosen to govern ourselves, and so much of that is about individual choices and individual freedoms.”
Murphy said this is why he supports healthcare reform that creates a more competitive marketplace for insurers, including a government option. Murphy continued to clarify the particulars of his position, drawing applause and boos as he went, then turned the microphone over to the public.
The first question came from Laura Davidson of Valatie. She said she was happy with her healthcare plan and had read the healthcare bill proposed by President Obama, and saw a problem. “There’s a section in the bill on pages 16 through 19, and I know it’s not passed, but this is what’s in there today, and it’s about grandfathering private health insurance plans,” She said, “and what it says is the day the bill is enacted no private insurance company, with a plan existing, will be able to enroll new subscribers to that plan.
“That seams like a funnel, because if you move, or change jobs, that’s going to funnel me to the government and that’s not what I want. Can you please speak to that and tell me how I’m going to keep my choice?”
Murphy took the opportunity to walk through the healthcare bill, as he has read it. Murphy knew the details of the particular section of the bill in question by memory.
“If you have an employer based plan, you can keep that plan,” he said, “now there’s one nuance to that. We’re talking about having kind of a minimum level of a plan, just like with car insurance, your insurance plan has to reach a minimum level.
“A percent or two of plans that are out there today don’t have that minimum care, and the bill says, over five years those employer-based plans have to at least have the minimum, or else they can’t continue and they would have to be changed. If you have an individual plan today, you can keep that plan. It’s just that simple. if that plan meets the minimum requirement you can keep that plan forever.”
“Who sets the minimum requirements?” a voice shouted from the crowd.
“The minimum requirements are outlined in the bill,” Murphy responded to some laughter.
“Is abortion the minimum requirement?” another man yelled.
“Abortion is not covered either way,” he said, before he was cut off by boos, “I’ll finish trying to explain, and people then can tell me what they hate. But let me first explain it.”
Murphy continued by explaining that the bill is allowing individual plans that don’t meet the established minimum requirement of care to be grandfathered over. People can keep that plan for as long as they like but since it doesn’t meet the government standards it can not be offered to new customers.
“If you don’t have a plan today, or you chose later on to go into it, we’re talking about this national exchange.” Murphy said, “The best part about the national exchange, in my opinion, is increasing competition all over the country, because now people can compete in a national exchange instead of just state level exchanges.”
“Forced competition!” someone shouted as noise erupted again from the large gathering.
“I like that concept,” Murphy said, then trying to wrangle the crowd away from arguing among themselves again.
Murphy said he liked the idea of a national cooperative setting up an exchange that would include a public option among other carriers. However, Murphy said, he would only support a public plan with a caveat. “It has to compete on a level playing field, such that it’s not getting any special government subsidy or tax break, or regulatory break. It would have to be the same as what a co-op would have to do or a private insurance plan would have to do.”
Murphy said this is his current opinion on employer-based and individual health plans. He said that he was pleased with the way the conversations played out and will be holding more forum style events to hear from citizens around the district.
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