Healthcare Reform Debate Rolls Through Lancaster

Retired Farmer Shares Story at Meeting Hosted by Congressman Pitts

Charlene M. Shupp
Espenshade
Special Sections Editor

LANCASTER, Pa. — High drama and tension dominated Monday evening’s town hall meeting on healthcare reform at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center.

Sponsored by U.S. Congressman Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), farmers, businessmen, and residents filled the auditorium to share their thoughts on proposed legislation.

The two-hour session was filled with heartbreaking stories about how people have been adversely impacted by the rising costs of healthcare, worries about what the proposed legislation really means to them, and suggestions on what is needed to address the problems. At times, civility was forgotten as people on different sides of the issue argued with each other instead having an open discussion.

Dean Burkholder, a retired farmer, shared how the rising costs of healthcare have impacted him and his wife. He noted that in the past few years he has watched his health insurance premiums grow dramatically. Even though his wife has received disability, they were forced to remortgage their house. Now, the house is in foreclosure.

“We need affordable options,” Burkholder said. The system that “saves his life” is also taking away everything he worked for. He described the healthcare crisis as “our nightmare.”

An audience member turned on Burkholder saying that even though his was a sad story, he had not financially prepared and was responsible for his problems.

But Karen Larson, a medical administrator, said the problem with the system is that you can prepare all of your life and still not be able to handle a health crisis. Reform must include “anything to stop the escalation of the price,” she said.

Pitts noted the two proposed bills in both the House and the Senate.

Regarding the public option, he said, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had the votes for its passage. But the Senate is a different situation. On the day after the meeting in Lancaster, the Senate Finance Committee rejected the “public option,” or government-run health insurance plan.

Pitts noted concern on the proposed public option based on response he has received from small business owners contacting his office. The House proposal includes a penalty for businesses that do not provide healthcare coverage.

Several have penciled out the penalties and discovered it will be cheaper to pay the penalty and let them go to the public plan.

Pitts shared his belief on what the healthcare reform debate could mean for farmers. “Farmers are asset rich, cash poor,” he said. With healthcare reform and the sun setting of several federal tax repeals, he said farmers have an opportunity to be heard. He believes opening up healthcare competition across state lines and permitting for associations to have healthcare pools are options the help alleviate some of the costs without driving up taxes.

Charles Lane from Lancaster said he believes the public option could be beneficial. He noted that the proposed legislation will cost about $1.7 billion annually. According to his statistics, Americans are paying more than $1 trillion for private health insurance. While Lane championed the measure as a cost savings, other members of the audience worried that it was too much in light of the current government deficit.

While there are many points of disagreement in the health care debate, there are several on which Congress is unified. They include medical tort reform and the need for universal health care reform.

Several audience members venting frustration about the actions of Congress asked if it would be beneficial to contact leaders in the House and Senate.

Pitts discouraged the action saying it’s best to contact their own representatives and senators.

Charlene M. Shupp Espenshade can be reached at cshupp.eph@lnpnews.com.