From the office of state Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale:
Ericksen to discuss health care solutions at town hall meetingEricksen
in Bellingham Aug. 31
Event will be held at St. Luke’s Community Health Education CenterRep. Doug Ericksen will hold a health care town hall meeting Monday, Aug. 31, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The event will be held at St. Luke’s Community Health Education Center, Room A, in Bellingham. No RSVP is required.
Ericksen, who is the ranking Republican on the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, will brief attendees on solutions he introduced in the 2009 legislative session that would reduce the cost of, and increase access to, quality health care. Citizens will have an opportunity to express their views and ask questions.
Health care town hall meeting
Monday, Aug. 31
5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
St. Luke’s Community Health Education Center, Room A
3333 Squalicum Parkway
BellinghamTo view a video invitation to the event, please click here.
You can also hear Ericksen’s views on health care by clicking here.
Citizens who have questions about the event, or any other issue, can contact Ericksen at (360) 786-7980 or ericksen.doug@leg.wa.gov.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:52 PM
I can’t access your webmail.mcclatchy email account so the links don’t work.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:56 PM
ST, did you slip a picture of yourself in there?
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
August 28th, 2009 at 4:29 PM
Thanks for the catch, Dave. They should all be fixed.
August 29th, 2009 at 7:16 AM
At least the meeting should be calm. The Republican/Libertarian/anarchist/teabagger/birther gang of thugs doesn’t disrupt meetings of their own kind.
http://www.gocomics.com/davidhorsey/2009/08/28/
August 31st, 2009 at 8:44 AM
Pigs will surely fly when BB decides that making his point ain’t just about attacking those he disagrees with.
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
August 31st, 2009 at 8:46 AM
And the Pot calls out the Kettle once again.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:02 AM
I hope everyone read the Herald’s editorial yesterday on Doug’s town hall today. I think it was spot on in a lot of ways.
Most people, no matter what side they are on; want health care reform, but because of the trees we are not seeing the forest. In other words because of the chasm between those who want government run health care and those who do not, any reform has become the baby being thrown out with the bath water.
There are reforms a majority of us may find agreement with that will improve the cost of health care insurance, we should not let those reforms slip by because of the issues we do not agree on.
I hope tonight this Town hall meeting can have that kind of positve impact/outcome instead of the negative disagreements that are only increasing the depth and width of the government run health care chasm.
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
August 31st, 2009 at 2:04 PM
At the risk of beating this health-reform-by-government-mandate to death, I have hopes that Rep. Ericksen’s ideas, laid out in interview on KGMI earlier today, will find acceptance.
If the burden of providing health insurance is removed from employers, and every individual allowed to make his or her own health care arrangements, health insurance will be become competitive again, and rates will have to come down. Add on the benefit that people choose a plan with content that is suitable for them.
Of equal importance is tort reform, so that doctors will no longer have to practise expensive defensive medicine.
No one has a right to health care [see Constitution of the USA], nor does the government have a right to dictate to anyone what to do about health care.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Well folks, I went to this discussion last night, I got there at 5 and left a little after 6:30, the room was full with SRO in the back.
People from all point of views spoke. Mr. Ericksen gave a good overview of the bills he has been supporting on health care and what they could accomplish if passed.
I thought everyone was respectful of everyone else while I was there.
Overall I thought the discussions were a good ones and some great points were made.
So the question is, what’s next, we have the federal situation but what about what our state can do to improve the cost of health care in Washington State.
For myself, I intend to support some of the legislation that was presented last night, but here’s another thought, why can’t Doug and Kelli get together and have a forum about legislation they both can support, so that we as a whole, from both parties and independents alike can work together to actually accomplish health care reform, real reform as was discussed last night?
The only way we ever are going to accomplish anything is when we start working together instead of fighting with each other constantly.
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
September 1st, 2009 at 10:31 AM
Saving the Doctor from Practicing Expensive Defensive Medicine?
You said a mouthful!
Now, define that phrase.
For your wife,
your kids,
your Ma and your Pa.
I didn’t think so.
But,
Using local co-operation to reform health care is as useful as co-operating to stop a rainstorm or a freeway backup.
September 1st, 2009 at 11:45 AM
You can be either a cynic or someone who trys to make things better in what ever way you can, I prefer the latter.
Here’s a very good article and no matter your persuasion, you may just find it enlightening:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
September 1st, 2009 at 12:49 PM
It’s hardly cynical to observe the true source of the power of change.
And for those so hell-bent on Tort Reform,
I’ve never seen any definition of the problem that wasn’t aimed at the health care needs of someone else.
September 1st, 2009 at 3:29 PM
That article I posted from the Alantic is huge (in more ways than one) and even someone like ciz, someone of his superior wisdom, intellect and knowledge so much more so than most average regular people like me may if he deemed fit just might learn or gleem some morsel of new knowledge if he so chose to!
BTW, health reform and tort reform are two peas in a pod when it comes to the need of improvement and implementation.
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)
September 1st, 2009 at 4:34 PM
Citizen, AFY isn’t a trash-the-opposition-at-all-costs in the slightest. While I often disagree with him/her, he always has intelligent ideas and will stand behind a usual opponent if he likes what they say.
September 1st, 2009 at 5:09 PM
I don’t remember ever saying anything like that about anybody.
I try to speak to specific statements since they’re so much easier to recall.
I would invite you to do the same.
AFY!!! and I have a tacit understanding of each other,
and we learn more with each post.
September 1st, 2009 at 5:16 PM
Don’t like the costs and results of a medical malpractice lawsuit?
Don’t make any mistakes,
or cover-up the ones you do make,
or weasel out of your responsibility to your victim in any other fashion.
Your insurer charges you for each lawyer they hire to defend you,
they charge you for each made-up defense that may or may not prevail in court,
and then pay out the nose when they figure wrong in front of a jury that can feel the pain of the plaintiff.
Next time around,
they add all that to your premium.
And it’s the victim’s fault?
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Ciz ole buddy, we don’t disagree that a quack doctor (most doctors are not quacks, I hope we can agree on that) should be punished, run out of town (you bring the feathers, I’ll bring the tar), but where we disagree is I believe that a shyster lawyer (I hope we agree that most lawyers are not shysters) should not be allowed to bring frivolous lawsuits without consequences for his actions (like paying all legal cost associated) which loser pays would require.
AFY!! (informally known as AFY!!!)