The House passed its version of a health care bill in November and the Senate passed its version in a last-minute Christmas Eve vote. At this point, the back room dealing has begun as negotiators struggle to reconcile the differences between the two versions into one all-powerful reform law.
Ensign took the stage to explain his reasons for voting against the bill when it hit the Senate, highlighting what he called smoke and mirrors in the legal language of the bill that in fact increases costs for health care rather than decreasing spending. Ensign also called the bill “a huge unfunded mandate” on the states that would do more harm than good.
“We have to change one vote in the Senate or two votes the House and the bill goes down,” Ensign told the crowd of more than 100. “I don’t expect to change Sen. Reid’s vote. But you have friends in other states. Call friends in other states and have them call their senators. We have a member of Congress in southern Nevada. I think it could be very nice if you contact your friends in southern Nevada.”
However, there were some in the crowd that hoped for the bill’s passage and lauded some current efforts for health care reform.
“I am wondering how you are so strongly against it when there was some positive that could happen,” said Kathleen, a member of the audience who participated the town hall portion of the meeting. “There could be reduced premiums for Nevada? I am concerned with Nevadans getting help.”
Ensign responded that although promises were made that premiums would go down, families purchasing health care on the individual market would see their rates go up.
“This bill does not address cost and it should have,” Ensign said.
Others disagreed, as well. Members of Health Care for America Now and others gathered outside the student union at UNR, where the town hall meeting was held, to discuss their views on reform.
“This bill will hold insurance companies accountable,” said Scott Watts, president of the Nevada Alliance for Retired Americans. “We have 16,000 members and I deal with seniors on these issues every day. This (bill) is not just something I want, but something they need.”
Ensign agreed that health care reform was a necessity. However, he added that his type of reform would include several additions including tort reform, insurance discounts for health behaviors, small businesses joining together to get more affordable options, the ability to purchase insurance across state lines, increased transparency in up-front medical costs and expanding health savings accounts.
“If you can find it cheaper in another state than Nevada, then why not (buy across state lines)?” he asked the crowd adding another rhetorical question to make the point about transparency: “When was the last time you got a written estimate when you went to your doctor?”
Other questions of the evening included discussion on emergency room costs, possible Medicare Advantage cuts and the constitutionality of the bill in favoring some states over others.
While many questions were answered, others walked away without much satisfaction.
“No. My questions were not answered,” said Melanie Robbins, one of those who asked about emergency room subsidization at the meeting. “I mean, tort reform? That is such a small part of health care reform.”
Others asked about understanding the bill, which is more than 2,700 pages long.
In response, Ensign flopped open the text of the bill, which was sitting on a table on the stage, and started to read its complicated legalese.
“Even a lawyer would have a hard time understanding this without doing some research,” he said.
Ensign will host another town hall meeting today in Las Vegas.
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