Rep. John Tierney Explains To Donors Why He's Standing Firm On Meaningful Health Care Reform

We're getting close to the 7,000 donor mark in Blue America's campaign to thank progressive stalwarts who are taking a hard line on real health care reform by sticking with the public option. Dozens of bloggers, big and small, from all over the country have helped bring the total to almost $410,000. Monday Roll Call lauded the success of Darcy Burner-- who inspired the campaign-- has had in helping the usually disparate Progressive Caucus to hold together in the face of immense pressure from immensely powerful corporate Democrats, like Rahm Emanuel and Steny Hoyer, eager to give in to the siren songs of Insurance and medical lobbyists.

Last week, the first batch of netroots thank you checks went out to the 65 House members on our list. No check was for less than $3,000 and some of the more publicly forceful members-- like Barney Frank (D-MA), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), and Donna Edwards (D-MD)-- received significantly more contributions and larger checks. All week, I've been speaking with staffers who are eager to understand why ActBlue accounts that formerly had 2 or 3 donors now have 2 or 3 thousand donors. I'm enjoying the process of working with the staffers and explaining the netroots, ActBlue, the role of local and national bloggers and why strength in defending the public option has such resonance among Democratic activists. I'm usually fighting uphill battles; this isn't one of those.

Yesterday, as the first donor-- I gave a contribution to every single member on the day I built the website-- I got my first automated contributor thank you e-mail. It came from Congressman John Tierney, who represents a district at the northeastern tip of Massachusetts, and who has so far collected $3,632 from 1,632 individual contributors. Tierney has been an unswerving proponent of the kind of health care reform meant to relieve the burden from working families. His district is relatively prosperous (median income is $57,826) but there are still over 7,000 uninsured people and the legislation would have a great impact on small businesses and senior citizens in places like Lynn, Salem, Gloucester and Peabody. The report issued by the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week looks at what the legislation Tierney is working for would do for his constituents.

• Help for small businesses. Under the legislation, small businesses with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $40,000 qualify for tax credits of up to 50% of the costs of providing health insurance. There are up to 14,400 small businesses in the district that could qualify for these credits.

• Help for seniors with drug costs in the Part D donut hole. Each year, 9,200 seniors in the district hit the donut hole and are forced to pay their full drug costs, despite having Part D drug coverage. The legislation would provide them with immediate relief, cutting brand name drug costs in the donut hole by 50%, and ultimately eliminate the donut hole.

• Relieving the burden of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers. In 2008, health care providers in the district provided $44 million worth of uncompensated care, care that was provided to individuals who lacked insurance coverage and were unable to pay their bills. Under the legislation, these costs of uncompensated care would be virtually eliminated.

• Coverage of the uninsured. There are 24,000 uninsured individuals in the district, 4% of the district. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that nationwide, 97% of all Americans will have insurance coverage when the bill takes effect. If this benchmark is reached in the district, 7,000 people who currently do not have health insurance will receive coverage.

• No deficit spending. The cost of health care reform under the legislation is fully paid for: half through making the Medicare and Medicaid program more efficient and half through a surtax on the income of the wealthiest individuals. This surtax would affect only 6,400 households in the district. The surtax would not affect 98.0% of taxpayers in the district.

With that in mind, I want to share the letter I got from Congressman Tierney today, a letter I'm sure everyone who donated to his re-election campaign is likely to see in the next week:

Thank you for your recent generous contribution to my re-election campaign via ActBlue.  I was especially pleased to note that your donation came as a direct result of my support for true health insurance reform.
 
Even as we mourn the passing of one of the greatest leaders of our time, we owe it to our nation and to his memory to stay true to the course he set us upon-- to see that, truly, the work shall endure and the cause shall never die.
 
The American people deserve a healthy, intelligent, and serious conversation about health care reform.  I believe that a free exchange of informed ideas in a truly civil dialogue can lead to real, positive change in the daily lives of millions of Americans.
 
I have been a consistent advocate for meaningful health care reform since my very first campaign for Congress.  And by meaningful, I mean reforms that both control costs and extend coverage.  To me, it is both a moral imperative and smart economics, as true reform will only make us more competitive in an ever-connected world.
 
The Democratic aim for health insurance reform is and ought to be principally concerned with allowing every American access to quality, affordable health care.
 
The proposed legislation offers improved, more efficient and economical ways to compensate providers for care, for controlling any excess provider charges, and for reigning in the abuses of pharmaceutical and insurance companies, which far too often put profits before people.
 
Just handing over millions of new customers to insurance and prescription drug companies without demanding that they spend reasonable amounts of our premium dollars on actual medical care, that they reduce costs, and that they cease outrageous policies such as denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, capping coverage when it is most needed, or rescinding coverage after claims are filed is not “health insurance reform” that we should support.  It is not reform at all.
 
As the debate continues, there is great pressure to water down provisions in the legislation that would protect patients, consumers, and taxpayers.  Insurance and prescription drug companies and associated lobbying groups are spending heavily to back supposed “grass roots” efforts to eliminate consumer and taxpayer protection provisions from the bill-- or to simply kill the bill outright.  Their goal is simple: to maintain the status quo at all costs, or pass only a watered down bill that actually benefits them more than it reforms health insurance.  Many of those disrupting public forums and hollering in public without asking serious questions are their witting or unwitting pawns.
 
There are many legitimate questions that should be raised in public and debated.  Such a serious matter, with such real policy concerns, warrants consideration and a thoughtful debate, as opposed to uncivil hysteria based on misinformation and myth.
 
As this measure moves through the legislative process, there are any number of amendments or changes that could effect any decision by me or others to support or oppose the final legislation.  Open, civil debate will be helpful, both to me, as I continue to consider the matter and, hopefully, to those with serious, legitimate questions.
 
We need to put this debate back on a solid, rational policy footing, so that the issues of real concern to us are actually debated, considered, and resolved democratically and with civility.
 
Thank you for taking one simple step to help us continue the discussion about health care reform-- about why we need it and about why something in the nature of a strong public option is so critical to achieving significant, successful change.
  
Thank you for helping push for that dream that Senator Kennedy so deeply and powerfully believed in: accessible, quality, affordable health care for every single family, worker, senior, child, and taxpayer in this nation, no matter their means or their station in life.
 
Senator Kennedy believed health care is a fundamental right.  That belief is shared by hundreds of millions of Americans, a vast majority who want change.  And with your support, real change can still be within our reach.
 
Let us continue forward, remembering Senator Kennedy’s own words: “This is the cause of my life-- new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American-- north, south, east, west, young, old-- will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.”
 
Thank you for your support and your friendship,


John Tierney

Is your congressmember on the list? If he or she is, consider saying thank you. If he or she isn't, consider asking them why not.