Hawaii Group Part of Presidential Conference Call

Written by Tim Sakahara – tsakahara@kgmb9.com

August 19, 2009 06:41 PM

President Barack Obama says the country is closer than ever to passing universal healthcare which is why he says opponents are lying about the plan in order to kill the plan.

Here are some fast facts on the plan, democratic bills in the House and Senate would expand coverage to 46 million uninsured Americans. It includes a government run insurance option but still lets patients keep their own doctor or insurance plan if they choose.

It would stop insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions and partially pays for coverage with a tax on households making more than $350,000.

The White House says President Obama would go to the moon if it would help pass his healthcare reform plan. While he hasn’t gone that far today he did get on the phone with thousands of people from faith based organizations.

“Thank you all for participating in this call,” said President Obama.

If you were in the Empress Restaurant in Chinatown this morning you would’ve heard the phone conversation with the president. Only about 20 people in Hawaii from the group Faith Action for Community Equity or FACE were listening, but there were thousands more nationwide on the line.

The president took the opportunity to dispel myths about his plan particularly about abortions.

“You’ve heard that this is all going to mean government funding of abortion. Not true,” said President Obama.

“I know there has been a lot of misinformation in this debate and there are some folks out there who are frankly bearing false witness.”

“Inside of our organization we’ve been talking about what’s going to happen around abortion and I was pleased to hear he was absolutely solidly telling us federal funds would not be used for abortion. Period,” said Drew Astolfi, FACE State Director.

Congressman Neil Abercrombie was also at the restaurant to dispel rumors saying the plan would not create a death panel for the elderly or give insurance to illegal aliens.

“Obviously it’s complete nonsense. This is all right wing propaganda from people who have been influenced by those who want to engender fear and anxiety,” said Rep. Abercrombie.

“Demonizing or calling people who raise legitimate concerns conspirators is unhelpful to the process,” said Charles Djou, Honolulu City Councilmember.

Charles Djou, who wants to fill Abercrombie’s congressional seat, says healthcare reform is needed but there are better ways.

“Massive expansion of the government bureaucracy and creating a so called public option will deliver to the American public healthcare with the compassion of the IRS and the speed and efficiency of the United States Postal Service and I think a lot of Americans don’t like that,” said Djou. “I certainly think the President has correctly diagnosed that America needs healthcare reform. The problem I have is I think Congress’ proposal is the wrong prescription for our nation.”

Still those who were listening today heard enough.

“I feel like there has been a lot of static around the issue and not very many facts and I feel today we got the facts,” said Astolfi.

President Obama plans to continue the conference call approach, a sign democrats may be shying away from face to face meetings where opponents have lashed out.

Meanwhile Charles Djou plans to hold his own town hall meeting on health care next Tuesday at McKinley High School at 5:30.

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Obama Urges Local Clergy To Push Healthcare Reform

Reported by: Andrew Pereira

Email: apereira@khon2.com

Last Update: 8/19 8:37 pm

During a conference call Wednesday President Barack Obama urged faith based organizations in Hawaii and across the country to help push healthcare reform legislation through Congress.

“I need you to knock on doors (and) talk to your neighbors,” the president said during a ten minute address that was broadcast on the website faithforhealth.org.  “I need you to spread the facts and speak the truth.”

Mr. Obama used a large portion of his time to dispel what he called “fabrications” about the effort to pass sweeping legislation that would create a so-called public option for health insurance.

He said a government run health insurance plan would not pay for abortions, would not cover illegal aliens and would not include “death panels” to decide end-of-life care.

“Nothing that we’re doing obligates you to choose any plan other than the one that you have,” the president said, trumpeting a familiar line used during town hall meetings on the mainland.  “If you like your doctor you can keep seeing your doctor.”

Congressman Neil Abercrombie, democrat who represents Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District and is running for governor, also took the time to address those who listened to the president.  He said any public option would have to match or exceed private employer based health insurance offered in the islands.

“It means that we will have true competition among insurance companies to see to it who can deliver the best service to the public,” Abercrombie said in an interview with Khon2 before addressing representatives of faith based groups.

When asked about the possibility that Hawaii employers could drop private insurance in favor of the public option, Abercrombie said that could actually be a positive development for workers.

“If the public option is a better plan why wouldn’t we go to it,” quipped the congressman.

Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou, who’s running for Abercrombie’s seat in Congress, sees it differently.  He said increasing the size of government to cover the estimated 46 million people without health insurance is a “prescription that is worst than the “disease.”

“What you’re gonna get is healthcare with the compassion of the IRS and the efficiency of the postal service and that’s wrong.”

In order to truly improve healthcare and decrease costs, Djou insists tort reform should be a top priority.

“Capping non-economic damages by a quarter of a million dollars will go a long way to restraining this run-away growth in healthcare costs,” he said.  “It’s estimated that almost one-third of all medical procedures are done for so-called defensive medicine.”

Djou also called for equalizing the way individuals and corporations are taxed on health insurance and allowing the interstate sale of private plans.

“More competition from the private sector is what we need,” said Djou, “not more government.”

Last month the Congressional Budget Office reported H.R. 3200, one of three healthcare reform bills passed by House committees would cost about one trillion dollars over the next ten years.

Even with new revenue mechanisms, such as 5.4 percent surtax on families earning $350,000 or more, the CBO said the bill would increase the federal deficit $239 million through the years 2010 to 2019.

“I think the American people have some very legitimate concerns about the massive expansion of the government bureaucracy and spending increases that are going to be necessitated by a huge public program,” said Djou.

Abercrombie countered citizens with private health insurance are already paying for those without coverage.

“Right now in Hawaii there’s about a $700 (annual) charge that goes in, in added premiums to take care of the uninsured,” he said.

Rev. Bob Nakata, president of Faith Action for Community Equity or FACE, said he considers healthcare a national right, much like the freedom of speech and religion.

“We would be following our own mandates of our own religious leaders’ prophets to take care of each other,” he said.  “Healthcare should be there for everybody.”

Again, Djou disagrees.  “Yes, reform healthcare,” he said, “but to try to raise it to a legal standard I’m not so sure I would go that far.”

Members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation have no plans to hold town hall meetings on healthcare reform during their August recess and Rep. Abercrombie said the outrage seen at some events on the mainland is not grassroots.

“It’s pretty much initiated by the forces who have an economic interest in keeping things as they are,” he said.

Djou plans to hold his own town hall meeting on healthcare reform next Tuesday at the McKinley High School cafeteria in Honolulu starting at 5:30 p.m.

“I’ve invited the congressional delegation,” he said.  “I’m not sure that they will attend but I think that they should hear from the public here in Hawaii.”

Andrew may be reached at ph. 368-7273.

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Hawaii weighs in on president’s healthcare reform plan

By Leland Kim

HONOLULU (KHNL)  -   National healthcare reform has become a lightning rod of controversy.    Pres. Barack Obama is looking to overhaul the health insurance system, and provide coverage for every single American.  It’s a monumental task and he has many supporters, but some say it’s the wrong way to fix this problem.

It’s a huge task.  Right now there are 46 million Americans without health insurance, and they end up in places like The Queen’s ER, which was not meant for primary care.  Most agree we need to improve our healthcare system, but they disagree on the approach.

Throughout the country, this has been the scene at various town hall meetings on healthcare reform.     It’s a heated debate on who gets healthcare and who pays for it.

“Healthcare expenses are escalating, so people who can afford health insurance today, in the near future may not be able to afford it,” said Rev. Bob Nakata, a pastor at Kahaluu United Methodist Church and president of Faith Action for Community Equity.

Pres. Obama is making a push for nationalized healthcare.  He’s trying to rally support via nation-wide teleconference calls like this one in Chinatown.

“This debate over healthcare goes to the heart of who we are as a people,” Obama said. “I believe nobody in America should be denied basic healthcare because he or she lacks health insurance.”

Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, who supports the president’s plan, says the current system is too expensive.

“We’re going to try and cover everybody,” said Abercrombie.  ”Right now those of us who have insurance are paying a hidden tax of about $700 a year just to take care of those who don’t have insurance.”

But some say the president’s plan is not the way to go.

“I think a lot of Americans are very worried we have government run healthcare,” said Honolulu City Council Member Charles Djou.  ”Our medical services will be provided with all the compassion of the IRS and delivered with the efficiency of the postal service and I think these are serious, legitimate concerns Americans have.”

Djou says there’s a way to reform the system without the government’s direct intervention.

“What we need is tort reform,” he said. “We need to put a quarter of a million dollar cap on non-economic damages for doctors to bring down the use of defense medicine.  That would be far more effective than any government program.”

Obama’s plan looks to reduce insurance cost, put a limit on insurance companies, and expand coverage to 46 million uninsured Americans.  He has a tough climb in pushing this through in Washington, but some here believe this is a better option than what we have now.

“Yes, very hopeful and the president needs the support in order to get it through,” said Nakata.

Djou is planning a town hall meeting on Tuesday to find out what people in Hawaii think about the president’s plan.

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