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Politics | September 13, 2009

Charlie Dent speaks on health care in blogger conference call

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Allentown Fiscal Responsibility Examiner

I missed Charlie Dent’s conference call with bloggers on Thursday. I had a prior commitment with a golf course! My good friend and colleague, Bernie O’Hare, covered it. Go to http://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/

(Check Bernie’s site out for his great coverage of the Northampton County sex scandals. Without a print media career to restrain him, Bernie says many of the things I wish I could!!!)
As told by Bernie:  Republican House members held a blogger conference call.
“Chief Deputy Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) were the participants, and all agreed our system needs a major overhaul. But what Charlie Dent and others proposed is a series of small bills to enact reforms now where there are areas of agreement. "We already have a bipartisan consensus on patient-centered care over government-centered care. We agree to incentivize. We agree on prevention and wellness and on coverage for pre-existing illness."”
I applaud Charlie for taking a stand. His opponent has not. I believe, as I have written, however, that we need some pretty sweeping reforms. If they are not designed to bring about single payer, then let’s at least listen to Charlie’s town hall message and get those who qualify for Medicaid and SCHIP into the programs, let’s cut costs via litigation limitations and let’s get moving.

Bernie continues “Dent's Tuesday Group, a coalition of centrists who first gained notoriety for challenging former President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, already has a package of individual health care reform bills that separately address regulatory relief, individual tax breaks, malpractice limits, pooling, preventive care and promoting efficiency by computerizing patient records.”
The computerizing patient records is another one like crossing state lines for insurance. Sounds real good. Will it substantially reduce the cost in an industry that is 1/6th our GDP? Probably not. But it makes sense anyway.

Still more from Bernie : “These Congressmen return to D.C. amazed by how their constituents react to the single-payer health care solution. "I have never seen anything like this with the engagement of the American people," remarked Rep. Biggert. She also questioned the 27 nationwide speeches that President Obama has already given to sell his health care reforms. "If it was good, you would not have to spend so much time selling it."

Congressman Dent warned that if the single-payer health bill passes, it will cost jobs here in the Lehigh Valley. He pointed to a major burn center that will have to close its doors. In addition, Guardian Insurance has told him that dental premiums alone will force the elimination of between 300 and 500 jobs. "This is a very big issue. It's 17 or18% of our economy."”

Go read the full story at Bernie’s site.
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Allentown Fiscal Responsibility Examiner

Ken Petrini is an inactive lawyer who spent 4 years in private practice in South Bend, Indiana and 21 years as an in-house lawyer and finance...

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