‘I’m not afraid of it if it works’

WASILLA — A full house greeted Sen. Lisa Murkowski at a town hall meeting on health care issues Friday.

Estimating the crowd at over 500, Murkowski thanked attendees for showing up.

“I can only be a representative for you to the extent that I know what’s on your minds,” she said at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center.

She said that since the health care debate began, she’s heard numerous concerns from Alaskans. Some, she said, were worried the bill was moving too fast through Congress. Others were concerned about how much it would cost. Some were concerned about how much health care costs now.

She said she supports proposals that extend health care to those currently denied for having “pre-existing conditions.” And she wants people to be able to keep their health insurance if they like it.

But there are a number of things she doesn’t want. A mandate that employers provide insurance is one.

“We can’t be imposing the cost of reform on small businesses. Otherwise we drive them out, we drive them under,” she said.

Before she’d even ended her opening remarks, a dozen people had raised their hands to speak.

A number of people asked about reforming the current state of malpractice lawsuits, which many say is a big reason health care costs so much now.

“I do believe that tort reform must be part of the solution,” Murkowski said. “It’s gotten horrific, it’s gotten out of control.”

To concerns that Congress is trying to shove a health care bill down the throats of an unwilling public, Murkowski said she’s often been asked why she’s afraid of health care reform.

“My response has been, and I will give it to you: I’m not afraid of it if it works.”

But, she said, Medicare, one of the models on which some are hoping to base a national health care system, doesn’t work, at least not in Alaska, where doctors often refuse to treat Medicare patients. It’s also running out of money.

“Tell me why we should model the plan on Medicare, a broken system that’s going to be bankrupt in 10 years?”

Eddie Burke, an Anchorage talk radio host, stepped up to ask Murkowski a question. Murkowski, Burke said, had made statements at a previous town hall meeting that seemed to be aimed at refuting statements made by former Gov. Sarah Palin. Palin’s “death panels” remarks on her Facebook page briefly dominated national news.

Palin’s critics have since said that the “death panels” referred to were actually a provision for end of life counseling, not mandatory euthanasia.

Burke said the provision Palin was referring to has since been pulled.

“If you do agree with pulling that provision, do you owe Governor Palin an apology?” he asked.

“My concern, again, was how we label things. There are enough bad things already in this bill,” Murkowski replied. “Let’s be talking about the issues using terminology that isn’t more explosive than the bill already is.”

Though Burke generated some applause, the biggest applause of the morning and only standing ovation went to John Thomas of Wasilla.

“We’re heading toward a cliff at 150 miles per hour and your answer is, ‘Let’s go 100 miles per hour,’” he said.

Thomas was reacting to Murkowski’s statement that she supports government health care so long as it works. In his opinion, he said, government health care never works.

“By the grace and strength of God we will take our country back,” he said. “You can help us. But if you don’t, you’re fired.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.