North Texas
(2009-09-10)
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North Texas Congressional representatives walked away from President Obama's healthcare speech largely unchanged in how they feel. But KERA's Shelley Kofler reports the President may have reignited hope in two officials that opposing sides can find a compromise.
Whether Congressional representatives liked the President's healthcare reforms or didn't typically depending on whether they have an R or D after their names.
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Democrat from Dallas, thinks the President did a good job shooting down distortions about what her majority party wants to do.
Johnson: So many things have been out there like the death panels. None of that is true. I think the public now understands better.
Johnson supports the most hotly contested idea, creating a government -subsidized health plan to compete with private insurance companies. She says it's the only way to keep the private companies from limiting patient choices and care.
Cong. Johnson: I don't see a way around it because of the people who are not insured now will not be insured by insurance companies. If the companies had any intentions of insuring them they would be insured now. So they need an option and certainly the insurance companies need a little competition. Then you'll see that the prices will be stabilize and go down and the quality of the care will go up.
Congressman Michael Burgess of Flower Mound, a Republican and a physician, isn't buying the idea of a publicly backed plan. Burgess says he isn't defending the insurance companies, but says they already shoulder the of burden Medicare and Medicaid, two public programs who don't pay their way.
Cong. Burgess: No doctor can keep their doors open existing on what the reimbursements are for Medicare and Medicaid. They just can't do it. They depend on that cross-subsidization from private insurance and if we do anything to erode private insurance it is going to make it that much more difficult for our providers out there, our doctors out there our hospitals and nurses to continue to provide the services we all depend upon.
Burgess, however, appreciated the President's willingness to talk about limiting medical malpractice claims against doctors and hospitals. Burgess says he's willing to work for a solution skeptics could support. Johnson calls that a good sign.
Email Shelley Kofler
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