Single payer backers confront Thompson

Town Hall was Congressman’s first unscripted Humboldt appearance in 2009

David Courtland, Humboldt Sentinel
9/7/09

Eureka

A crowd of about 300 people largely supportive of health care reform packed the Home Economics building Tuesday, Sept. 2 at Redwood Acres for a town hall meeting with one of its proponents, Congressman Mike Thompson.

“I appreciate the great turnout, I appreciate it's a very vexing issue and feelings are running high,” Thompson said as he sent two aides into the crowd with microphones. “I'd really like to hear what you think we can do to improve health care.”

Over the last several years, Thompson has managed to resist calls for in-person town hall meetings in Humboldt County on topics as diverse as the Iraq War, the torture of detainees and proposed cap-and-trade taxation on carbon. Yet the August recess, the string of highly publicized town hall meetings across the country and the protest marches on his own Third Street office pressured the five-term representative to actually show up in person, instead of over the telephone.

For the next 90 minutes people, several of whom made said they wanted a single payer system that isn't even included among any of the health care reform bills currently being considered in Congress, made it clear they want Thompson to vote for legislation with a public option.

“On the public option, the three House (of Representatives) bills have that option in it,” Thompson said. “I like the idea, because I think we need to do something to inspire competition among insurance companies.”

Several times Thompson had to ask the audience to stop cheering, booing or applauding speakers, many of whom wanted to make long speeches. Thompson cut off one man who launched into a diatribe about immigration reform.

Thompson made sure opponents to health care reform, who were in the minority among the crowd, got a chance to express their views as well, including one who told Thompson “there is no natural right” to health care.

“It is a natural right, and I want it!” yelled from another man, who was escorted out of the building by Humboldt County Sheriff's deputy after repeatedly interrupting the first man.

“Nobody is going to try to take away anybody's health care plan,” Thompson assured the crowd several times, adding he supports letting insurance plans follow people from job to job. “As I said before, if you like what you've got, you can keep it.”

The system for delivering health care, Thompson said repeatedly, needs a drastic overhaul.

“One out of every six dollars we make in this country goes to health care -- it's not sustainable,” Thompson said. “It's going to crush businesses in this country… To even think that the model we have now is sustainable is wrong.”

Thompson compared the proposed health care reform to requiring motorists carry auto insurance, but doesn't force a particular policy on them.

“Everyone in this discussion and this debate in Washington, D.C. has been very clear on the fact that if you like the insurance you have, you keep the insurance you have,” Thompson said, noting he wants a bill that pays for health care reform without adding to the national debt.

Unlike certain states that mandate auto insurance, however, legal scholars argue that the federal Constitution does not grant Congress the authority to force individuals to do business with any particular business cartel.

Although Thompson ruled out the single payer system, declaring it completely off the table, he also discounted offering health insurance through cooperatives, as is done in the state of Washington.

“If you're shaking you're head, you know more than me, because I don't know what a co-op is,” said Thompson.