This Diary is going to be quick since I have to get ready for work.
I checked my e-mail this morning to find that North Dakota Democratic House Member Earl Pomeroy has sent out a mass e-mail comming out against the public option stating that it will hurt North Dakota.
here is the text of the e-mail followed by an image he sent:
Dear Friends,
As you know, Congress is engaged in a vigorous debate over how to fix what’s broken in our health care system. Various reform proposals have passed four committees in the House and Senate, and the final committee, Senate Finance, is marking up its bill this week.
In July, the House Ways and Means Committee considered its version of the health care reform bill. There are many things in this bill that are positive, such as the tremendous increase in the number of people who would have affordable, meaningful insurance coverage, and the increase in choice that would come with the inclusion of the public insurance option.
However, the public option as structured under the bill is extremely unfair to North Dakota. It pays doctors and hospitals at the same rates Medicare does, which are far below those paid by Blue Cross Blue Shield and other private insurers in our state. These lower rates would most likely translate into a reduction in the quality and level of health care services in North Dakota, and that is unacceptable, so I was forced to vote against it.
The Grand Forks Herald agreed in their editorial today. As the Herald points out, "there is a reason to oppose the public option that is neither left nor right, neither liberal nor conservative. It is simply North Dakota." I encourage you to read the full editorial below.
Here is his contact numbers:
Washington Office
1501 Longworth House
Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2611
Bismarck District Office
Room 328, Federal Building
220 East Rosser Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58501
Phone: (701) 224-0355
Fargo District Office
3003 32nd Ave S.
Suite 6
Fargo, ND 58103
Phone: (701) 235-9760