The Salem News
Friday, August 14, 2009
In Peabody, protesters face off
over health care
By Matthew K. Roy
The health care debate raging across
the country made a stop yesterday in Peabody Square.
Supporters of President Obama's push
to reform the nation's health care system filled
traffic islands and street corners at the
intersection of Main, Foster and Central streets
downtown. They showed up as a counterpoint to a
rally planned by Bill Hudak, a Boxford lawyer
frustrated that Congressman John Tierney has not
held a town hall meeting on the issue.
"We are not here to talk about health
care," Hudak said to a crowd of supporters standing
outside Peabody District Court. "We are here to talk
about (Tierney's) accountability to us."
Hudak, a Republican, has announced he
will challenge Tierney, a Democrat from Salem, in
2010. He addressed the crowd through a megaphone,
first standing on the bumper of a Ford Expedition,
then on its roof.
"I called for this meeting because of
the sincere concern that our voices were not being
heard," Hudak said.
Minutes earlier, Hudak had walked
across the street and passed the throng of reform
supporters gathered along the sidewalk outside
Tierney's district office. Inside, he asked
Tierney's district director, Gary Barrett, if the
congressman would commit to holding a meeting before
health care legislation comes to a vote.
"We will adhere to our fall
schedule," Barrett said.
That schedule, over Tierney's 13
years in office, routinely includes fall town hall
meetings. Barrett said that he anticipated a meeting
would be held in advance of a vote. In the meantime,
Tierney will hold a "telephone town hall" on health
care, a medium the congressman has said he likes
because it can involve thousands of constituents.
Tierney was not in his office
yesterday. Communications Director Catherine McKenna
Ribeiro said the congressman was on a trip with his
wife and grandchildren.
Elsewhere in the country,
lawmaker-hosted town hall meetings have been testy
and at times unruly affairs, with passion for the
issue on both sides bubbling quickly to the surface.
Supporters yesterday held signs that
said "Yes to the Public Option," "Just Say No to
Status Quo" and "Insurance Profits are Bad for
Health Care."
"We're here in support of President
Obama and health care reform," Shari Wilkinson of
Newburyport said.
Norman Parker of Amesbury said reform
is needed to provide coverage to the millions of
Americans who are now uninsured.
"As a moral issue, you can't turn
away from that," he said.
Word of Hudak's rally spread over the
Internet and motivated pro-reform activists from
throughout the region and at least one union, the
Massachusetts Nurses Association, to make the trip
to Peabody.
Philip Kuhn, a retired Harvard
professor from Ipswich, said getting the country on
solid economic footing depended on health care
reform.
"The system doesn't work now," said
Susan Strauss of Salem, a General Electric retiree.
Outside the courthouse, where Hudak's
supporters stood, the signs read, "Mr. Tierney, why
won't you listen to us?" "No meeting, no guts" and
"Where is Tierney?"
"I believe that we should have a
voice," Joyce Swanson of Saugus said. "I believe
that we should be able to express our concerns."
"We're totally against the government
takeover of health care," Pat Fusco of Rockport
said.
Passing cars sporadically honked in
support of both sides. And isolated but brief
arguments broke out between individual members of
each group.
Police kept a close eye on the
activity. At 2 p.m., 90 minutes into the
demonstrations, Capt. Joseph Berardino said that
there had been no problems.
"They've followed every instruction
that we've given them," he said.
Play video
New England Cable News
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Health care anger on display
outside Mass. congressman's office
(NECN: Katie Davis, Peabody, Mass.) -
Its been a familiar story around the country.
Lawmakers returning home to their districts, getting
an earful from constituents about health care. Some
of that anger was on display today in Peabody,
Massachusetts.
At least 500 people showed up in the
town square today. Some came to support the
president's plan, but others believe their voices
aren't being heard.
The debate over health care reform
came to downtown Peabody on Thursday. As people on
both sides of the controversy demonstrated outside
the office of Congressman John Tierney.
Some opponents of the president's
plan complained the democratic congressman wasn't
listening to their concerns.
Cathy Bisani, Reform Opponent:
"Congressman Tierney is chicken little. I think it's
important that we kill this supposed healthcare
reform bill."
But Tierney’s office says he'll hold
several face-to-face town hall meetings this fall.
And rumors that a town hall meeting was cancelled
this month are false.
The congressman also plans so-called
"telephone town halls"--- conference calls with his
constituents. Tierney is travelling with his family
this week, But members of his staff met with local
residents at the Peabody office.
Catherine Ribeiro, Communications
Director: “Anyone who wants to drop by today, we
welcome them into the office. We'd love to have them
sit down and express their concerns or their
support, or whatever it is that they have on their
minds."
The demonstrators protesting against
the president's plan were organized in part by Bill
Hudak. A republican who makes no secret of how he
feels about the president. He's also challenging
Tierney for his seat.
Bill Hudak, Republican Challenger:
"Very many people have sent me a form letter that he
sends them, and they feel that their voices aren't
being heard. So the point of being here was to let
Mr. Tierney know that it's his job as a
representative of the people to meet with the
people."
As word of Hudak's plans for a
protest spread. Supporters of healthcare reform and
congressman Tierney also made their way downtown.
Jacquelyn Fitzhugh, Heath care Reform
Supporter: "Today we heard that the other side was
organizing against healthcare. I know many people in
our community that are in need of healthcare,
especially preventative care.”
Suzanne Hodes, Healthcare Reform
Supporter: "Even if you have health insurance, we
need reform. It's not just because a lot of people
aren't covered, but the system as a whole is
broken."
Peabody police were out here along
with the protestors to make sure the sidewalk stayed
clear in front of the Congressman's office. But
other than yelling and chanting, they didn't report
any problems.
The Lynn Item
Friday, August 14, 2009
Health debate hits home on North
Shore
By David Liscio
PEABODY - Approximately 100
sign-toting demonstrators gathered on the district
courthouse steps Thursday to rail against proposed
changes in the nation’s healthcare system,
denouncing President Barack Obama for his policies
and carrying their fight to U.S. Rep. John F.
Tierney’s office just across Peabody Square.
Nearer to Tierney’s office, hundreds
of healthcare reform advocates lined the street,
waving signs, ringing cowbells and chanting through
bullhorns in favor of change and support for the
congressman.
The anti-healthcare reform crowd was
led by Bill Hudak of Boxford, a Republican who has
challenged Tierney in the November election. Hudak,
arms crossed and confrontational, demanded to meet
with the Democrat congressman, only to learn from
staff members in the office lobby that Tierney is on
long-planned vacation with his wife, Patrice, and
their grandchildren.
Tierney aide Gary Barrett told Hudak
and his associates that the congressman has made
every effort to get out the message about healthcare
options to North Shore residents — through town
meetings in several communities, mailings, private
and group meetings with stakeholders like hospitals
and small business owners, a Web site clearinghouse
that can be accessed online, and a planned telephone
town hall event.
“The congressman has invited
discourse and tried to use every tool at his
disposal to make that happen,” said Barrett. “He is
proactive.”
Although Hudak accused Tierney of
ducking the issue and being unavailable to voters,
Tierney reached out to The Item last week and, in a
lengthy interview, explained his stance on
healthcare reform and why be believes it is in the
best interests for all Americans.
“If you lose your job, you should not
lose your insurance,” Tierney said. “Fourteen
thousand people a day are losing their jobs and
their health insurance. You should not be burdened
by that fear. And you should not be excluded from
coverage because of a pre-existing condition or have
your policy rescinded.”
According to Tierney, the cost of
healthcare is needlessly driven upward by insurance
companies that charge up to 40 percent in
administrative fees and pay their executives
astronomical salaries, in some cases $80,000 per
day.
“The gig is up for these companies,”
he said. “They don’t like what they’re hearing and
they’re doing everything they can to maintain the
status quo, including employing some very strong and
effective lobbyists. Right now people are seeing a
$50-million scare campaign paid for by these
companies that is not factual and purposely
distorts. It’s all part of the noise machine, but
the tide is turning.”
Critics of healthcare reform contend
that government-run programs are costly and
ineffective, but Tierney disagrees.
“Medicare costs taxpayers 3 cents on
a dollar. You can still make a profit without
gouging,” he said, noting that under the general
healthcare reform package, 85 percent of costs must
go toward direct patient care, while administrative
costs would be capped at 15 percent.
Medicare will be preserved, he said,
adding that the satisfaction rate among Medicare
users is higher than that among the privately
insured. “The Veterans’ Administration is government
health care and most veterans speak well of it. In
fact, the only people rationing healthcare these
days are the private insurance companies,” he said.
Under the reforms, a healthcare
surcharge would be imposed, based on household
income. Households with an adjusted gross annual
income in excess of $350,000, married and filing a
joint tax return, or those single taxpayers earning
$280,000, would contribute a small percentage of
their income toward the national healthcare fund.
“The healthcare surcharge of 1
percent applies only to those with a joint earned
income in excess of $350,000 but less than
$500,000,” said Tierney. “For a family making
$350,000 or less, no surcharge would apply.”
A family earning $501,000 would pay a
1.5-percent surcharge.
“These families in the highest income
brackets, making between $350,000 and $1 million,
would contribute to help provide access to
affordable healthcare for all Americans,” he said.
Tierney has reminded voters that the
pharmaceutical companies in 1993 succeeded in
killing a measure that would have allowed the bulk
purchase of prescription drugs n making them much
cheaper. When the initiative failed, many senior
citizens drove to Canada to buy their prescription
drugs at deep discount, chancing arrest for doing
so.
One reform proposal under discussion
involves a single-payer system that would remove the
insurance companies entirely, but that isn’t likely
to happen, Tierney said.
Another option, which Tierney favors,
establishes a sliding scale for healthcare costs
once a person reaches 21 years old. Currently, a
dependent who turns 21 cannot be included on the
family insurance plan unless they are still enrolled
in school.
“This would be a marketplace of
insurance companies and they would be able to take
advantage of all the new people coming into the
healthcare system,” he said, explaining that the
sliding scale would be implemented sometime between
2010 and 2013.
At Thursday’s twin rallies in
Peabody, those opposed to change carried signs with
slogans such as “Hands off My Health Care”, “No Bama”
and “You Have Run Out of Our Money.”
On the other side the street, change
advocates like Martha Finkelstein of Salem bore
simple messages: Hers read: “Say No to Status Quo.”
Others, like retirees Jerry and Judith Westerman of
Peabody, were there to support those without health
insurance. “I already have the best. I have Medicare
and it has paid for my cancer treatments and my
heart surgery. But I’m here today because everybody
should have it,” Jerry Westerman said. “This country
can afford it. We are overpaying for medical care
and I want to change that.”
Judith Westerman said she was forced
to close her small business because the health
insurance premiums were too high.
Tom Bishop of Lynn offered a similar
story of how he ran a Saugus hair salon until heath
insurance pushed him out of business. “We changed
providers three times in three years and we still
couldn’t afford it,” he said.
Jered Ayer of Lynn said he works at
GE and has a solid health plan, but everyone isn’t
as fortunate. “I was in the Army for three years and
the Marine Corps for four. I’ve paid my dues to this
country,” he said. “People here, everybody, should
be able to afford health insurance.”
Hudak told Tierney’s staff he was not
present to challenge or debate the congressman but
to engage in open discussion about the nation’s
healthcare system. Barrett countered that Tierney
would gladly meet face-to-face on any issue, as he
did at town meetings where open discussion of the
issues has been invited for the past seven years.
Besides, said Barrett, there are currently three
healthcare reform bills in the House of
Representatives and two in the Senate, and any
discussion might prove more productive when it
becomes clearer which bill will be given the most
consideration.
