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US Rep. Tom Latham, R-Ames gave the audience at his Webster City listening post updates on many of the issues facing the legislature. But most of the people attending wanted to hear more about health care reform.

"I think maybe there may be some interest in those health care issues that are before Congress today," Latham said.

"The President has never really come out with a proposal," he said. "It's basically been in the House of Representatives."

Latham said there are currently three bills in the house, including a tax bill.

"That's the funding bill to pay for the health care reform. There tiding about $500 billion dollars out of Medicare and Medicaid, and then increasing taxes on small businesses and individuals to pay for it," he said.

Latham also discussed the house energy and commerce bill which features the government insurance option.

"Projections are that of the 170 million Americans who have insurance from their employer, about 114 million of those will go into the government plan, just because there isn't a level playing field, essentially," Latham said.

He also commented on the House Education and Workforce Committee Bill that he said "was in all reality a single payergovernment take over entirely of the healthcare system. That would allow states to dump off everything onto the federal government which they would do immediately if they could," he said.

Vic Jelenik of Webster City said as a self-employed worker, he believed that group was being hit the hardest when it comes to health care issues."What's happened with a lot of people is that their spouse carries the insurance," he said. "Given the example here in Webster City with Beam Industries leaving, that means my wife's job is eliminated and my health coverage is eliminated.

"So now, I'm in the open market buying insurance. I can't afford $15,000 per year and that's the going rate," he said.

Jelinek said he was in favor of the single payer system.

"Everybody pays, everybody benefits. There's no free rides," he said.

"We can't continue to burden industry with these healthcare costs, that's why they're leaving this country in droves," Jelinek said.

Latham said "I think you've hit on exactly what we should be focusing on. And maybe when Congress goes back, we can sit down on a bi-partisan basis and actually address what is the problem."

Jim Hendrian of Story City asked Latham about the health plan that government employees can access.

"The biggest problem with doing an association type health plan is basically each state wants to maintain jurisdication over insurance. The state commissioner will go crazy if you have national pools like that.

"The federal health care system-everybody thinks its government insurance. It is a pool of all the federal employees and I think there are about 200 different choices," he said.

That's what the health care system needs, Latham said.

"You need larger pools and then do away with pre-existing conditions so people can't be kicked out," he added.

Hendrian said he favored insurance portability.

Dave Hilton of Webster City thanked Latham for setting record straight on the so-called "death panels."

"Well, that was just never part of the bill," Latham said.

Hilton added that regardless of what people thought of President Obama, he should be applauded for bringing the matter of health care reform to the table.

Contact Anne Blankenship at editor@freemanjournal.net