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Behind Closed Doors
Posted by Randy | October 28, 2009

When I was home in Chesapeake over the weekend, I had several individuals ask me what I know about the status of the healthcare bill. If truth be told, I really don’t know much more than what my constituents know – I know what I read in the newspaper. Why? A small, select group of Democrat lawmakers and White House officials continue to make decisions on the healthcare bill behind closed doors, without regard to openness or transparency. The Washington Times points out the lack of transparency in the legislative process in an article it released yesterday:

 

By day, Democrats tout how open they have been while crafting a bill to reform the nation's health care system. By early evening, they're behind closed doors.

Three times last week, White House officials went to Capitol Hill to meet in closed sessions with top Senate Democrats to put together a health bill. They left with not much more than a thumbs up or a "we're making progress"-type comment to the reporters waiting outside.

It's not exactly the level of transparency that President Obama promised during the campaign, when he said health care talks would be aired live on C-SPAN.

 

What we do know is that this week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that he would include a government-run plan in the Senate healthcare bill. The bill includes a provision that would let states “opt out” and includes stiffer penalties on business owners who fail to provide health coverage. Senate leaders are working hard to rush the bill to the Senate floor within the next few weeks. Senator Reid plans to send the bill to the Congressional Budget Office for cost analysis this week (see my blog entry on the latest cost analysis here) and then bring the bill to the floor for a vote.

 

This type of rush-it-through process is not the proper way to craft any kind of bill. There is still an opportunity to get health care reform right, but it can't be done if the healthcare bill continues to be written in secret with artificial deadlines.

 

I’ve proposed a number of constructive healthcare solutions where both Democrats and Republicans agree would give us significant gains in healthcare reform. You can read about those here.
Comments
The opinions expressed below are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent those of this office.
  • Lois Haynes Tapner commented on 11/3/2009
    The health care discussions should absolutely NOT be behind closed doors. We have a right to know and to input on what will happen to us. This is a Democracy not a Communist State. They have no right to make these kind of extremely important and PERSONAL decisions for us. We don't work for them, they work for us. If they don't understand, just have them look at what happened in Virginia today, Republicans made a clean sweep and we've just started.!!!!
  • Thomas Gordon commented on 11/3/2009
    Randy: Certainly appreciate your support of our Constitution as you represent our district in the congress. This Health Care Reform that has been created in a vaccum by Pelosi's group just is not good for the country. I currently have health insurance and do not want the government controlling when and where I can go for medical treatment. The public option will destroy competition in the health care insurance industry. I am pro-life so you know how I feel about my taxes paying for an abortion. I also do not agree to my tax dollars supporting illegals. We just need to fix what is broken in the current system. We don't need to break the entire system just to insure 30 million Americans or whatever the figure really is as we know it today. Keep up the good work.
  • Joanne Richel commented on 11/3/2009
    Thank you Mr. Forbes, please continue to fight for full exclosure of any bills and no rushing anything through that the people cannot see till it is made into law. We all need to know what our representatives are doing to keep this country ... a land of the free! I appreciate your work and honestly and enjoy reading your blogs. Keep up the good work. Thank you again. I am proud to say I am one of your constituants.
  • David Burgoyne commented on 11/4/2009
    Congressman Forbes has some good ideas that should be incorporated in the new Health Care Bill but as the saying goes, "the devil is in the details." I understand this bill currently has 1900 pages and is being "fine tuned" behind closed doors. This is not the American way! We need complete transparency on this bill before it is rushed through. We need to see exactly what the American people have to gain with this bill and if the system isn't broken, let's not try to fix it.
  • Evangeline Thomas commented on 11/4/2009
    I completely support Congressman Randy Forbes, the public and the media have a right to know the exact wording of any health care bill that is up on the table. We are Americans, our Constitution plainly states "for the people, by the people" this means all Americans not just some Americans. We as citizens can not be expected to live our lives with blinders on. The government of our great Country needs our support. So show us, what you want us to support. We as citizens rightly know, if something is hidden, it is not in the best interest of the public. To be more blunt it will not stand up to scrutiny. Thanks for allowing me to voice my opinion, Evangeline Thomas
  • Ruth Collins-Dinger commented on 11/4/2009
    The American people absolutely deserve to know what is in the Healthcare Bill and how it will help everybody. Congress needs to remember that it works for the people not just so it can pat itself on the back and say we did what the President promised. A national healthcare bill should be crafted so that is can be understood by most without having to have a lawyer explain it.
  • Melissa McGinnis commented on 11/4/2009
    The proposals for the health care bill were (and continue to be) decided by congressional committees. They are proposals! All of them have a different focus and all are supposed to help with the debate about what would be best for the country. If you have an idea or an opinion then write your elected officials. Once again, we are getting focused on the wrong things! To spin this as "meeting behind closed doors" is unfair. If we lived in a communist state the health care bill would have been created by Obama and passed months ago. Obama has given this country more than enough time to decide what we want. Those in the House are dragging their feet to write something that we could all benefit from. The closing of the paper mill should make us all wish we had a public option that paper mill employees could take advantage of. I am disappointed in you, Forbes for continuing to create problems and fear rather than solutions.
  • Harlan & Kathy Baumgardner commented on 11/4/2009
    Again, this administration has shown the American people they are NOT insterested in our welfare. It seems to us this "rush thru" is more for "look what I/we did for all the American citizens". This personal glory will only bring more problems for everyone. Whenever you have to hide something, it's never good. I support Forbes in his attempt to stand up for all of us, be our voice and encouragement to succeed in this endeavor. May God bless.
  • William Madden commented on 11/4/2009
    Mr Randy Forbs I see that I am not the only one who thinks Harry Reid and Pelosi are out of contack with the American people.This so called Health Care Bill stinks to high heaven.The cost now has gone over one trillion dallors and still going up. And I am sure that we the people will not stand for it. At 1999 pages No one in congress has been able to read what has been put into it.And on top of this so called health care Bill has any one asked the doctors if they would work for pea nuts? I wonder if Barack Hussien Obama,Harry Reid and Pelosi have ever read the very first of the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, If not they should which say's we the people, when the goverment no longer serves the people,the people have the right to alter or abolish it. William H Madden Sr
  • Barbara Nelder commented on 11/5/2009
    I hope you keep going in the direction you are in, EXCEPT congress should have the same health care as is in the bill and they should fix medicare cause they are the ones that bankrupt it.
  • Theresa shaffer commented on 12/21/2009
    Please do not pass this legislation on helath care, it will ruin business, it will ruin this great country. I will fight to help vote every congressman and/or senator out of office in 2010. What has come of The United States of America. We as citizens have no voice in this bill. The majority of Americans do not want this bill. The elected officals are pushing it through for the Democratic party only. They will suffer in Nov 2010.
  • Dodjie Abad commented on 12/31/2009
    Dear Congressman Randy Forbes, I would like to express my gratitude for standing on fiscal conservatism against our previous and current president. Our need right now is to create jobs so that in the long run, people can buy their own insurance instead of creating dependency, encouraging laziness, and worst of all, government health care takeover. We don't deny that there is a need to health care reform. If a house has a broken window-just replace the window; there is no need to demolished the whole house to build a new one. There is no difference between running my budget in my house or running a budget in the white house. You just don't spend what you don't have. There is a cheaper, simplier, and legal way to hook up those who needs health insurance. Keep up the good work. Sincerely yours, Mr. Dodjie S. Abad
  • Doug Morris commented on 3/10/2010
    Randy-The Voice Of Most Of The American Public Is Against Government TakeOver Of Health Care-Yet President Obama And Nancy Perozi And The Rest Of The Democratic Party Are Turning There Back On The American People. Can You Tell Me Why Is This! This Land Is A Free Land-Not A Place For Socialism-The Thing To Do Is To Put This To A Public Vote And Not To Try And RAM this Down Our Throats! Ours Is A Better Country Than That-At Least I Pray It's So!
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