[Vision2020] Health Care Debate Gets Noisy in Anchorage

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the Anchorage Daily News at:

http://www.adn.com/life/health/story/894186.html

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Health care debate gets noisy downtown

By LISA DEMER
ldemer at adn.com

(08/10/09 20:14:22)
Inside the city's convention center, nearly 400 Anchorage business leaders
gathered over chicken and ribs Monday to hear U.S. Sen. Mark Begich detail
why he believes Congress must reform the nation's health insurance system.

Outside the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center, a crowd of at least 100
was hopping mad and loud about "the government." They had split off from a
big group of protesters at the nearby Egan Center, where the Legislature
was meeting in special session to accept federal economic stimulus money.

The national debate over health care reform was playing out on the streets
of Anchorage.

"Sen. Begich, this is your boss speaking," proclaimed a man with a
bullhorn whose T-shirt defined him as a gun owner. "You are our
representative. How can we support you if you won't even talk to us? Find
out what we want and do what we want because we will fire you if you
don't."

Begich said he's interested in what people have to say about health care
reform, but is growing tired of the lies, myths and fear tactics.

"Now the media are talking about the 'swift-boating' of health reform over
the recess," Begich told the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce in a lunchtime
speech. He said he's seeing evidence of a political smear campaign in
television ads.

Health reform protesters have been hijacking town hall meetings around the
country. There's controversy over whether the dissent is real and
grassroot, or a sophisticated attack intended to bring down President
Obama and the health reforms he seeks.

The Anchorage protesters say there's no grand plan. They came from various
groups. There was The 912 Project, a Mat-Su based group that says it wants
to bring government to heel. The Anchorage Second Amendment Task Force was
there. One of the protesters, Nick Brockett, wearing an American Patriot
Tea Party shirt, got kicked out of the Egan Center for having his Glock
9mm on his hip. Others found out about the protest through the Alaska
Prager Group, fans of conservative syndicated talk radio show host Dennis
Prager.

"It pretty much organized itself when our government decided that it was
time to start doing a health care program that was going to screw this
country over. People got pissed off. And they just wanted to find a way to
go and voice their opinion," said George Hines, part of the Anchorage
Second Amendment group and one of the men on the bullhorn Monday.

The protestors called for Begich.

"Town hall! Town hall! Town hall!" they shouted.

Begich said he's already held town hall meetings on health care in
Anchorage and Juneau this summer, and also had a telephonic town hall
meeting that 8,000 people participated in. He's having another town hall
meeting in Fairbanks. He doesn't plan to add more to appease protesters.

On the other side, the Democrat-funded Organizing for America, an offshoot
of the Obama campaign, called a press conference Monday morning in support
of health reforms in Congress. But the event was overrun by the
anti-crowd, who heckled the speakers: a man with lung cancer, a mom with a
special needs child, a Republican small business owner.

"They clearly don't have any manners. They were shouting the whole time
that people were speaking," said one of the speakers, Lisa Rogers, owner
of Rogers & Company, a certified public accounting firm. She said she was
bonked twice on the head by a sign-waving man.

Rogers, a long-time Republican, voted for Obama and supports health care
reform. Health insurance premiums for her three employees are rising
astronomically, and she believes health care could be delivered more
efficiently. Her doctor recently ordered $20,000 worth of tests when it
turned out all she needed was iron supplements that cost $6 for a 100-day
supply.

Outside the Dena'ini center, protestor Sherry Shears faced off against
health reform supporter and sometimes political candidate Desa Jacobsson.

"Tell me, if it's not going to be socialized medicine, what is it going to
be?" Shears asked.

"It will be medicine! It doesn't have to be socialized. People have the
human right to be healthy!" Jacobsson said.

"So they are going to collect more tax dollars for everybody and then
they're going to dole it out to people who they think deserves it?" Shears
said.

"Baloney," Jacobsson answered.

Another protester, Lucy Bishop, said no one really knows what Congress is
proposing, but she's read about one alarming element, which she thinks
would require her to get approval for her pacemaker from a panel.

"Obama don't even know!" Bishop said. "What I've read online is after you
reach a certain age, you are not productive anymore. Now by reading it
online, I get the impression that they will have a panel set up, probably
(U.S. Rep.) Barney Frank or (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi, so that means
I'm doomed already."

She thinks they would tell her the government can't afford a pacemaker for
her "but we could help your ending be better."

Former Gov. Sarah Palin warned on her Facebook page of an Obama "death
panel" that will decide who gets care.

There's no evidence Congress is considering such a thing.

Begich said that's just one of the myths about the reforms.

"The issue that you're going to have some government panel decide what
kind of health care you get, or determine whether you get any health care,
is just absolutely incorrect," the senator said after his speech.

He told the Chamber crowd that reform is needed because health care
spending is out of control, premiums are soaring and still 46 million
Americans are uninsured. If nothing is done, thousands of small business
workers will lose their jobs because of dollars diverted to health care,
he said.

There's not yet one bill to be for or against, but the measures in the
works would stop insurance companies from denying coverage to people who
are ill, he said. No one would be forced to switch doctors, or health
insurance plans.

Among the myths:

• The bills support euthanasia. Not true, Begich said. But reform bills
would allow Medicare to pay for consultations with doctors over living
wills.

• The reforms will require the federal government to pay for abortions.
Again, not true, Begich said.

• It's also a myth, the senator said, that the reforms will lead to
rationed health care. "Truth is, it will expand access and improve the
quality of care, not ration it."

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http://tinyurl.com/qckvme

Sue Easerly, left, and Shari Cartee join about 200 protesters outside of
the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage on Monday where Sen. Mark Begich spoke.
The group is working to get Begich to hold a town hall meeting on
President Obama's health care plan.

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Seeya at Palouse Pride, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
Member of Tri-Care, a government-run health care program

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown