By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Congress likely will pass health care reform by the end of the year, but probably without a government-run option, U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, said Monday.
The leader of the Blue Dog Democrats, a group of conservative House Democrats that successfully postponed a House vote on a health care reform bill until September, said while the debate has been all about covering uninsured, the focus should be on reforming the insurance industry and holding down costs for those who are insured.
“I do believe that we will get health care reform done this year,” Ross said in response to a question during his address at the Clinton School of Public Service. “At the end of the day, liberals will probably be screaming and saying we didn’t do enough, and conservatives will be screaming and saying we did too much.”
The congressman said the death of Massachusetts Democrat Ted Kennedy, an outspoken supporter of health care reform through much of his career, may serve a catalyst for Congress to address the issue in his honor.
Any health care reform, he told the students, should include a provision that prohibits health insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Greater reliance on living wills would cut costs by allowing families and doctors to know what types of emergency measures should be taken when a loved dying, but the measure should be optional, not mandatory, Ross said.
Ross said he had no regrets about leading the group that forced Congress to wait until after the August break to vote on health care reform, even though he and other members of Congress have sometimes faced shouting, jeering crowds at town hall meetings on the issue.
“More Americans are doing research,” he said. “This health care debate, to me, is the greatest demonstration of Democracy that we have seen in a very long time.”
The conservative Family Council planned to host a live online town hall meeting Monday night with panelists Dr. Eugene Smith, chairman of the Arkansas Physicians Resource Council, state Rep. Davey Carter, R-Cabot, and Family Council President Jerry Cox.
Talking to reporters after his appearance, Ross said, “I think we’re talking about the kind of health care insurance that ensures those that like what they have to be able to keep it, but yet for the self-employed, small businesses and uninsured, they will be able to be part of a larger group to purchase affordable health care.”
“Hopefully we’ll put some of the fundamental changes in place that will get health cost from growing twice the rate of inflation,” he said. “What the American people want us to do is go with what works and fix what’s broken.”
