Northwest Herald - Bean Takes Health Care Reform To Telephones

PUBLISHED: September 15, 2009

(Northwest Herald - Amber Krosel)During teleconference town hall meetings Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean drew local residents' focus toward the fiery national health care debate.

"We're still leaving roughly 45 million Americans uninsured," Bean told participants. "We can do better."

In the first of two 45-minute phone calls, the Barrington Democrat briefly reviewed the several looming health care proposals via Washington. Bean said she supported President Obama's goals of expanding coverage but was torn on public insurance.

"Public option is not a government takeover of health care," Bean said. "I would be OK with a public option if it's done in a way that is paid for in a premium and not subsidized by the government."

Bean went on to take seven callers' questions during the first teleconference, directing others who didn't get a chance to speak to stay on the line and provide their contact information.

She also conducted touch-pad poll questions of the participants, such as whether they thought those with pre-existing medical conditions should have access to coverage or whether insurance companies should be allowed to drop covered individuals when they make claims.

"We absolutely want to preserve existing employer-based plans," Bean added after fielding another caller's concerns about public option. "We want you to be able to stick with the plan you have if you are happy with it."

U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Ill., who has said he was against a public insurance option that would compete with other providers, recently called for Obama to start over with alternatives that had more bipartisan approval.

Manzullo will host a health care reform town hall meeting from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday in the multi-purpose room in Building A at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake.

More details of a Senate committee health care plan - which would include favoring a health insurance cooperative over public insurance - are expected to be released today.