Lance Brings Health Care Discussion to Union County

Congressman Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon County) visited the Fanwood Memorial Library Friday afternoon to share with locals his thoughts on the country's new health care reforms.

Lance voted against the bill, and told those in attendance Friday afternoon that his opinion has not changed since the overhaul was passed on March 21. However, the congressman said he wanted to make it very clear that he recognizes the importance of health care reforms. 

"I think we need health care reform, but I do not favor many of the provisions in this reform," Lance said, noting that he thinks the changes are the most important since the creation of Medicare in 1965.

One of the provisions in the bill that Lance does support is the inability to reject coverage for someone who has a preexisting condition. He also supports the ability for a parent to continue coverage of their child up until age 26.

Before the passing of the bill, Lance said he had met with a group of centrist Republicans known as the Tuesday Lunch Group, whom worked to create an alternative health care reform that was more to their liking and that would not have forced everyone to purchase health care. 

In addition, the congressman took issue with the medicine device tax in the reforms, which he said would be particularly harmful to New Jersey.

New Jersey is often known as the "medicine chest," Lance claimed, noting that "there are more pharmaceutical and medical device employees in this congressional district than in any other congressional district in the United States" and that they could be hit hard by the tax.

A small crowd attended Friday's meeting, and during the question-and-answer session one of the top concerns was that the cutting of Medicare reimbursement for doctors could force them to stop participating in the program.

The audience members who posed questions and shared stories about their lives were all very passionate about the issue, no matter what side they represented. Lance commented on the passion that he has seen on this issue by saying that there "was no glazing over of eyes on the health care issue."

Others asked whether Lance gets to hear from both sides of the coin (they felt that this area is mostly one-sided in its views), and how New Jersey would be affected by not being one of 35 states determined to be a high-risk pool. One woman said she was very saddened to hear that Lance had voted against these reforms, noting that she had previously e-mailed and called his office encouraging him to support it. Another woman expressed her disappointment with the lack of accountability and transparency in the process.

"This country needs strong fiscal responsibility in our government," she said, adding that she was appalled by the "ill-prepared people that are representing this country on C-SPAN."

Lance said that although the health care reforms have been passed, he does not believe that the discussion will end. The congressman said he predicts that November's elections will bring more Republicans into the Congress as a result. 

While some Republicans simply want the reforms repealed, "what I said is repeal, replace, and reform," he said.

 "These challenges are based on the human condition," Lance concluded.  "They were made by men and women and I think they can be solved by men and women."