McKeesport Daily News: Murphy, Doyle Split on Health Care Bill

Monday, March 22, 2010

 As expected, two Mon-Yough area House members split their vote on the Senate health care reform bill.

"This legislation will go a long way toward making quality health insurance more affordable for all Americans," Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, said of the bill passed 219-212 late Sunday.

"While (I was) in the Pennsylvania Senate, it was my Patient Bill of Rights legislation which ultimately became law that put doctors and patients back in control of their health care," Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, said. "With this bill, we will have to fight to take government out of the doctor's office."

The area's third House seat is vacant until a special May 18 election of a successor to the late Rep. John Murtha, D-Westmont.

"This legislation will continue funding a wasteful system, which accounts for $700 billion lost each year," Murphy said. "This includes $50 billion spent on preventable health care-acquired infections that take 100,000 lives every year."

"It will close the Medicare prescription drug doughnut hole and extend the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund," Doyle said. "It will increase competition in the health insurance industry and bring down consumer costs by creating a health insurance exchange."

While Doyle was among lawmakers who voted for a provision in the House bill that would continue Hyde Amendment prohibition of federal funding for elective abortions, most counters had Doyle among yes votes over the months between Senate passage and House action on the Senate bill.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and other anti-abortion House members agreed to vote yes after President Barack Obama issued an executive order "to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that federal funds are not used for abortion services except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered."

"The bill will end insurance industry practices like discriminating on the basis of pre-existing conditions, dropping coverage when a policy-holder becomes seriously ill, and capping annual and life-time benefits," Doyle said. "It will extend health insurance coverage to 30 million Americans who are currently uninsured and provide tax credits to help millions of Americans pay for health insurance."

Murphy said he worked on bipartisan solutions for the past year but many of the reforms he supported were not in the final bill.

"Examples include expanding the use of electronic medical records and health information technology to reduce costs, increase patient safety, and improve delivery of care; support for mental health parity legislation; and expanding patient access to Community Health Centers," Murphy said.

Republicans as a bloc voted no, but without pressure to change minds.

Oddly enough, Organizing For America, an outgrowth of President Barack Obama's 2008 Obama For America presidential campaign, was urging McKeesport voters to call Murphy, whose district does not include McKeesport.

Murphy's aides said their congressman did not discuss health care reform with the president during a Thursday White House Rose Garden signing ceremony.

Murphy was invited to watch Obama sign H.R. 2847, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act. He was one of six Republicans to vote for the bill aimed to keep transportation projects funded and speed hiring of unemployed workers through small business tax incentives.

"The more than $12 million in federal funds will help upgrade our road system, making it safer to travel and provide additional jobs in road construction," Murphy said.

OFA recently reached out to the McKeesport African-American Political Coalition, an outgrowth of Mon Valley for Obama. MAAPC expected a role in pushing the Obama educational agenda and predicted that Doyle will win re-election even if his support erodes due to his yes vote.

Both Doyle and Murphy are unopposed in primary races and have likely fall foes, Republican Melissa Haluszczak against Doyle in the 14th District and Democrat Dan Connolly against Murphy in the 18th.

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