Alan Grayson hosts town hall: Orlando Sentinel front page coverage..

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-aseca1-health-care-081809081809aug18,0,4616127.story?page=1&track=rss

As hundreds of critics and supporters of health-care reform lined the streets outside, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, held a spirited but civil town-hall meeting Monday night inside a union hall where his supporters outnumbered critics.

Questions came from all sides of the debate, however.

For nearly two hours, debate focused on such issues as how pre-existing medical conditions would be handled in the legislation, how reform would be paid for, and whether it would let people hold on to current insurance.

Grayson at one point went through the exact language of a pending bill, displaying a section on an overhead projector and arguing it would protect people's right to keep the health plans they have.

At another point, a woman critical of the pending reform said prostate and breast cancer were being treated differently. Grayson challenged that interpretation but said if it is true, he would offer an amendment to change it.

The lawmaker also told a handful of critics they were raising issues — tort reform and Medicare fraud — that were not in bills pending before him in the House.

"I think your concerns are well-founded," Grayson said, echoing a common refrain at the meeting. "But that's not this bill."
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actual cogent questions and concerns. this you're a socialist and obama is hitler stuff is bs. if someone has a legitimate concern, they should be able to voice it... but respectfully and then LISTEN!! like that lady at the one arlen specter meeting that was all over the tv.... who didn't want this to turn into russia blah blah blah... then at least she admitted that she didn't even listen to the response. What is wrong with this country when we can't even listen to each other. i think the disrespect and the unwillingness to listen to what anyone else has to say is the most maddening part of this whole thing.

I was there, and it's true the deck was kind of stacked from a friendly faces perspective. However, I think the Congressman's staff tried to provide equal opportunity for all sides to be heard.

As people waited/entered, the Congressman's staff verified who was a resident of the District. Those people were permitted to put their name and/or a question in one of three boxes (Against, Undecided, For). They would rotate, pulling a card from each box in turn and the staffer would go to the person with a microphone, allowing one minute to ask/speak. Then Congressman Grayson would respond. There were far more questions in the "Against" box, but we didn't get to all the cards from any of the boxes. It was fairly orderly.

If you wanted to have a shouting match like so many of these anti-reform sorts seem to want, it was unfair. If you wanted civil open debate...

They got a taste of their own medicine last night and found out the hard way that Orange is Blue!

:D

My boss (and doctor) is going to be on an upcoming health panel and she asked me to read the bill and summarize the important points. Got through about a tenth of it yesterday, and the questions the people asked at this meeting were all answered well before page 100. Oh, I know why--the attitude out there is that all politicians are crooks, and the bill is just out to "getcha". At least that's what one of our patients said when they came in to buy supplements and get a shot. Others, I'm sure, are intimidated by the size, or afraid the language would be impossible to understand (not so-I was surprised at how clear it was).

Of course, many would rather believe Rush or Glen or their preachers--which is one reason I'm reading the darned thing--and taking notes on which sections say what. I shut up our fundamentalist co-worker when I cited lines and said, "sounds to me like those insured can keep their health care--look for yourself."

I'm going to the health forum next Monday, and will report back on what is said. My Congressman is a very conservative Republican who is against the bill--if given a chance I'm going to ask him about the insurance reform sections, especially on the actuarial percentages of premiums. I'll let you know what happens.

:rofl:

Hey, that's the philosophy upon which our clinic operates.