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WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8) returned to Capitol Hill today after a district work session spent promoting the facts about landmark congressional proposals for national health care reform.
“The town hall meeting we had at Montclair State University last week got a lot of attention,” said Pascrell, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. “But it was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of all the work we did in the past month to help people understand the reality of the current state of the nation’s health care system and what Congress proposed to provide good, affordable health care to every American.”
Among Congressman Pascrell’s efforts to inform 8th District constituents about health care reform legislation were:
A Town Hall Meeting: Congressman Pascrell’s town hall meeting on Sept. 3 drew a crowd that filled the school’s 1,000-seat auditorium while another 250 people watched the event via simulcast at the on-campus conference center.
Two Telephone Town Hall Meetings: Thousands of constituents were reached through Congress Pascrell’s two telephone town hall events held on Aug. 11 and Sept. 2.
Constituent phone calls: Many constituents chose to dial direct to the district office with their questions about health care reform, and Congressman Pascrell and his staff were at the ready, taking their calls.
To The Point: In early August, Pascrell and his staff immediately went to work on the latest edition of the congressman’s issue-oriented talk show, “To The Point,” seen on cable television networks throughout the district. Pascrell’s guests were
Kate Aberger, M.D., attending physician, emergency department, St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson, N.J., Kelly Conklin, co-owner of Foley-Waite Associates, Bloomfield, N.J. and a member of the Main Street Alliance, and Kit Schackner, co-owner of Foley-Waite Associates, Bloomfield, N.J. who suffers from a chronic medical condition.
Op-Ed: Congressman Pascrell’s op-ed stressing the importance of a government-run health insurance option as a part of health care reform was published in The Herald News on Aug. 19 and The Record (of Bergen County) on Aug. 21.
Radio Interviews: Congressman Pascrell was interviewed on-air by WNYC’s Brian Lehrer and WOR’s Steve Malzberg on health care reform.
Television Interview: “New Jersey Now,” My 9, Fox Television
Web Site: Numerous facts about the status quo of the health care system published, as well as many debunked myths about the proposed health care reform.
Congressman Pascrell began the district work session having met twice with his Health Care Advisory Committee and authoring three provisions included in the House Ways and Means Committee’s version of the legislation:
Health Workforce Investment: This provision is aimed at addressing the shortage of nurses and other health care workers throughout the nation.
National Registry of Medical Devices: Originally proposed in June with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-25) as a hip and knee joint replacement registry, the national registry of medical devices will hold manufacturers accountable and reduce the number of replacement surgeries due to defective devices.
Continuing care hospitals pilot program: This legislation would create, on a trial basis, a new Medicare category for seriously ill or injured patients requiring post-acute care in order to simplify patients’ options, which currently include nursing homes, rehabilitation hospitals and long-term care facilities. Patients would only receive the services they need, and health care providers will receive reimbursements more easily. Ultimately, patients’ out-of-pocket costs would be reduced and their Medicare benefits would be used more efficiently.
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