| Activists Urge Senators to Support Public Option |
| Posted by Jaime Contois (jcontois) on Jan 15 2010 at 8:21 PM |
Talking Good Health
Activists and church groups on Tuesday converged on the district offices of U.S. Sens. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., to urge them to support a public option for health insurance.
At least three clergy members from Claremont and Charlestown met with a Shaheen staff member in her Claremont district office as part of an effort by the faith-based community, and more than 25 other residents organized by Working Families Win also weighed in in Claremont, according to Jaime Contois, the WFW New Hampshire coordinator.
The activists said they are concerned that the Senate is dumping the public option to get a final bill that conservative Democrats, and even a handful of Republicans, may support.
Contois said her group wants to make sure that Shaheen doesn't back away from a public option.
“Moderate Democrats are going to decide what's going to happen with health care reform this year. That means we need to have our concerns duly noted, so it's important that we are heard and that people’s stories and their voices are being brought to Washington. That's why we elect the leaders we elect,” Contois said.
Shaheen spokeswoman Nell McGarrity said Shaheen “has said for a long time that she supports a public option.”
But the Washington dance away from the public option was also evident in the following: “Her main goal is fixing health care reform, because the status quo is not sustainable. She would like there to be more competition … she thinks the public option is the best way to do that, but there are some other proposals out there that would also add competition to the market,” McGarrity said.