Redwood Times - 'Congressman talks with SoHummers about health care, terrorism at outdoor town hall meeting'
Congressman Mike Thompson held an informal town hall meeting in the courtyard of the Jerold Phelps Community Hospital in Garberville on Wednesday, Sept. 1.
Approximately 50 people attended the question-and-answer session in the shade of the big magnolia tree during the noon hour.
Thompson explained that he is spending two weeks of Congress's fall recess touring his district, which covers the entire North Coast area from Santa Rosa to the Oregon border. He said he had been slated to spend part of this month on an intelligence trip to Russia that was canceled due to continued devastating forest fires in that country.
The Congressman had just completed a tour of the Southern Humboldt Healthcare District's clinic and hospital. This was the first time he'd seen it since he was a state senator more than 10 years ago. "There have been a lot of improvements since then," Thompson noted.
Understandably, many of the public's questions were about health care reform. "A big chunk of health care reform was insurance reform," Thompson said, referring to the legislation passed earlier this year after a storm of controversy.
As examples he pointed out that insurance companies can no longer "pull the plug" on coverage when an insured person who has paid into a plan for years develops a serious illness, nor are insurers allowed to exempt pre-existing conditions from coverage.
Some insurers used to deny payment for injuries from domestic violence because they considered it a pre-existing condition, Thompson said.
Asked how California's single payer legislation presently waiting for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature fit into the health care reform picture, Thompson's answer was frankly pessimistic.
"Single payer didn't have the support [nationwide] to become law, nor did the public option," Thompson replied. "I suspect it won't happen in California either. Because the federal government passed health care reform, the attitude [may be] ‘let's wait and see how it works.'"
SHCHD administrator Harry Jasper asked what can be done locally to improve healthcare services during the "let's wait and see" period, and what role telehealth might play.
Thompson responded that he has always been a major supporter of telehealth and that funding for implementation of telehealth was included in the House version of the health care reform bill. The Senate version, which eventually passed both houses of Congress, did not include these provisions.
On the other hand, $8 million to expand broadband services, which support telehealth, was included in the federal stimulus package, although Thompson characterized this amount as "a drop in the bucket."
He added that he has always been active in pushing for preventive health care, especially for children. Preventive care leads to healthier people and in turn to a reduction in health care costs, Thompson said. "I'm there," he told Jasper.
One speaker expressed concerns about how reductions in Medicare reimbursements to doctors might make it more difficult to find a health care provider. Thompson replied that the health care reform bill actually increases Medicare reimbursements to providers in rural communities and to those in family practice, which should make it easier for people in Humboldt to get health care.
The same speaker also asked about proposed reductions in Social Security payments and an increase in the eligibility age, which would be a hardship for many seniors. Thompson replied that Social Security, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is "the most important and successful federal program ever created."
Not only does it benefit the individual recipients, but it puts money into the community immediately. With the help of his local aide, Liz Murguia, Thompson cited some astonishing statistics.
Humboldt County receives $288 million in Social Security payments, $190 million in Medicare reimbursements, and $25 million in veterans' benefits. Â
Recipients of Social Security spend their money locally and "right away" on essentials like food and utilities, he pointed out. "They're not saving it to buy a Tiffany vase as a Christmas present."
Vietnam vet Fredy Champagne asked for the congressman's comments on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and whether he felt the U.S. is following the same policies that failed in Vietnam in the 1960s and ‘70s.
"Most combat vets are anti-war," observed Thompson, who is the first Vietnam vet to be elected to Congress. "War must be the absolute last option ... The Iraq war was a war of choice, it had nothing to do with the safety of U.S. men, women, and families." He added that "from a non-combat standpoint, we are already out of Iraq" as of the end of August.
Addressing the war in Afghanistan, Thompson said, "In order for counter-insurgency to work, you need a good government. The Afghan government is corrupt... everyone is taking cuts... [Tribal and government leaders] are taking billions of U.S. dollars out of the country."
"We have a serious problem with terrorism," he continued. "Al Qaeda is everywhere." He cited several U.S cities as well as countries where Al Qaeda cells have been found. Half-jokingly he said, "The one place they're probably not is in Afghanistan."
"We should get out of Afghanistan and focus on counter-terrorism," Thompson concluded.
The wife of a veteran complained of the lack of medical services for veterans locally, saying that her husband has to travel 216 miles to the Veterans Hospital in San Francisco to have his prescriptions filled.
Thompson said he has been working to expand local services, noting a number of clinics recently opened in rural counties, including one in Eureka. "There's not enough money to do everything we want," he said. "It's a tremendous strain on families."
Questioned about the Democrats' promise to investigate torture and other illegal practices allowed to the military by the Bush administration, Thompson, who serves on the House Judicial Committee, replied that there is "ongoing work but I can't tell you about it ... it's illegal for me to tell you about it."
Promising a "no bull
-" reply, he went on, "The Republicans say an intelligence bill [requiring intelligence agencies to inform Congress about their methods and results] hasn't passed because [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi wants control, but there is a bipartisan committee demanding more information be given to Congress, regardless of who is president, Obama or Bush or whoever. We want all the information."
Regarding legalization of marijuana cultivation, Thompson stated that it's unlikely to be legalized on a federal level. "California is more progressive than most states, and the North Coast area is more progressive than most of California." He cautioned proponents of legalization to wait to see if Proposition 19 passes in California this November, adding that in Congress "we are a long way from having a marijuana caucus."
Responding to several comments, he promised that he and his office would do everything they could to help with such local issues as the lack of homeless services and methamphetamine use. Noting that these problems need to be addressed on a local level first, he offered to seek federal funding if concerned citizens contacted his Eureka office.
Thompson also said he would do further investigation into the possibility that "geo-engineers" are illegally experimenting with climate change by spraying aluminum particles into the atmosphere if the concerned speaker would send his office information about her sources.
On that subject, he observed, "I've been in Washington long enough to know anything is possible." He had received other inquiries about geo-engineering, and had researched it with several universities as well as government sources and so far had found nothing to support the speaker's assertion.
After about an hour of discussion, Thompson thanked the participants for their comments and lingered for a while to speak individually to some of his constituents.
Congressman Mike Thompson led an informal discussion last Wednesday with approximately 50 of his constituents on a breezy, sun-dappled early fall afternoon in the courtyard of Jerold Phelps Community Hospital.