I am the medical director of epilepsy at Community Medical Center in Toms River. After receiving the “NJBIZ Healthcare Heroes — New Jersey Physician of the Year” honors in 2016, I received a congratulatory letter from Tom MacArthur thanking me for my service to the 3rd congressional district of NJ, the district that he represents. During the debates earlier this year regarding the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, an act that has helped so many of my unique epileptic patients, I became very concerned about what would happen should “Obamacare” be repealed. So I called his local and DC office and left voice messages, not thinking that I would get a response. I wanted him to not think about politics but to meet some of my patients to hear their firsthand experiences about how it is to live with epilepsy. I felt that getting down to the basic, human and person to person level would encourage Mr. MacArthur to not vote to repeal Obamacare but rather to work to improve it. Perhaps it was a naive thought from my standpoint. But since Trump the immoral was elected, I have promised myself that I will not be quiet about people who espouse visions that go against my values and that I would use my position, while rather small, to speak towards altruism and advocate for the less fortunate amongst us all. As a physician who loves all my patients dearly, I will advocate for them in my own way and so — Tom MacArthur got a phone call from me.
Surprisingly, I was contacted by one of his staff members. It was a very gracious gesture and I was elated that Representative MacArthur would come and pay a visit to my hospital. Unfortunately for timing, the visit was arranged after he voted to repeal the ACA and literally a day after he was confronted by that rightfully angry constituent, which is referred to in a diary written earlier today: www.dailykos.com/…. Things were hastily rearranged so that Tom MacArthur could cut his visit short and not tour the hospital, as we had planned. It seemed that that confrontation with his constituent spooked him some and the national media glare in his way was seemingly too uncomfortable for him to handle.
Regardless, when I met Tom MacArthur upon his visit to my hospital, I introduced him to some of my patients and discussed some of my concerns about repealing the ACA rather than improving it. He seemed rather inconvenienced at being present there and distracted. He was unwavering in his visions, not based on health care reality, and distant in his behavior with an air of arrogance that was rather unsettling for an elected official. His demeanor, as that of a CEO who dictates, rather than as a politician who will listen and accommodate was off putting and cold. I came away from the whole charade as if it was just that, a charade that had previously been scheduled by his staff as a “photo op.” Guess the “photo op” aspect of it all fizzled with what had happened the day before?
Because I reached out to Tom MacArthur, I felt the duty to also reach out to his upcoming opponent in the 2018 midterm election, Mr. Andy Kim. Andy Kim actually grew up within the congressional district and his father, a scientist researcher, and mother, a nurse, inculcated within him a sense to serve his community. I emailed his campaign because I wanted him to listen to what some of my patients were experiencing and also to see if he would serve the patient and not the health insurance industry. Very promptly, I received a response from Andy Kim himself and spoke with him on the phone for a few minutes. His campaign even went so far as to arrange a meeting with Andy Kim, myself and a group of local physicians to hear our concerns regarding our patients and what we envisioned in health care. He certainly listened and did not dictate. He actively demonstrated the ability to listen and expressed that the details to his vision was a work in progress as he learned more on the issues in healthcare policy. His curiousity, honestly and natural empathy really seemed to shine through and I feel that Andy will bring forth a vision that voters in the NJ CD3 can be proud of in their future representative. Most of all, from my experience with both persons — Andy Kim seems to be much more of a fighter for the community as opposed to being a corporate minded shill for big money, as Tom MacArthur seems to be.
Andy Kim, as the Democratic candidate for NJ congressional district 3, has my full support in his upcoming election against Tom MacArthur, a Trump enabler who does not work for the best interests of the voters in his district. Tom MacArthur, as a formal insurance executive who made millions on the backs of the less fortunate will only serve his own interests and not the overall interests of his district. He voted for the GOP house tax reform bill most recently, which does nothing for the middle class other than con people into thinking that they will get a significant income tax cut. Tom MacArthur serves the greedy and powerful in our country and has a record that is diametrically opposed to the vision that NJ CD3 needs.
Andy Kim, in my meeting with him, has this vision and the compassion for others that is required in positive policy making and legislating. I will be proud to support him during the midterm elections of 2018 and I hope DailyKos will work hard for him as well! Tom MacArthur has got to go and this time, he will be up against a tough candidate!