BY TOM GRACE
COOPERSTOWN NEWS BUREAU
Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens
Falls, said he may vote for the
health insurance reform bill
that is moving through Congress.
Murphy, who won a special
election in the 20th Congressional
District last spring to
succeed Kirsten Gillibrand,
voted no when the House of
Representatives passed its
version of health insurance
reform in November.
``I didn’t think the bill went
far enough to control healthcare
costs,’’ Murphy said Friday.
``We know we’re spending
twice as much as other industrialized
countries, and that’s
a real problem for people.’’
To gain his vote, proposed
reforms will have to make
health care substantially more
affordable, he said.
The bill passed by the Senate
in December controlled
some costs better than the
House version,
but had other
drawbacks and
would have
been expensive
for New York
state, he said.
Murphy said
he sees signs
the final bill
may include the best of the
House and Senate bills.
Procedurally, to avoid a
Republican filibuster in the
Senate, House members probably
will be asked to vote for
the Senate bill, with the understanding
that the final law
will incorporate changes now
being discussed.
Murphy cited two provisions
under discussion that he favors:
wellness incentives and
insurance exchanges.
``I think the wellness incentives
are good, where people
are rewarded for taking care
of their health,’’ he said. When
people control their weight,
their cholesterol and blood
pressure, ``they may not feel
better the next day but over five
years, statistically we know they
will be healthier,’’ he said.
Some states and companies,
including Safeway, have
adopted wellness plans that
have proven both successful
and popular, Murphy said .
Insurance exchanges would
``bring individuals and small
businesses together to give
them leverage against insurance
companies,’’ a way to
control the cycle of ever rising
premiums, he said.
As House and Senate Democratic
leaders and President
Barack Obama work to pass a
health insurance reform bill,
Republican opposition has
been increasing.
Thursday, in an e-mail to
The Daily Star, the National
Republican Congressional
Committee took aim at Murphy,
asking whether he will
vote for the compromise bill
in exchange for help in his reelection
bid.
``If Scott Murphy is fooled by the president’s
empty promises, he might as well pack up his office
and start looking for a new job now,” Ken
Spain, the NRCC communications director, said.
“Americans have repeatedly rejected the Democrats’
runaway health care agenda, but Murphy
continues to send the signal to voters that he’s
simply not listening. If Murphy takes the bait and
helps Democrats sneak this bill through Congress,
he should brace himself for impact on election
day.”
Asked about the GOP warning, Murphy said:
``They may look at things politically. I’m trying to
make the right decision on policy. I’m not a career
politician, whose life is about trying to get elected
to office.
``I’m trying to figure out how we can make the
system better for people in the 20th District and
all over the country.
``That’s why I’m spending the time to read the
bill, to get into the details, and if, at the end of the
day, I think it’s going to make the system better
for people in my district, I’m going to vote for it.’’
