News Item

The mood was somewhere between a pep rally and a tent revival — peppered with some heckling — when 1,600 people gathered Friday night for a health care forum at Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers.

The meeting was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV, R-Fort Myers, who spoke for about 15 minutes. Mack hit on most points of the Republican Party line, warning of higher taxes, cuts to Medicare, more government control and less freedom of choice in health care reform bills before the House and the Senate.

First, the crowd was welcomed by Fort Myers Mayor Jim Humphrey, who lent a dose of levity to a mostly tense evening by encouraging everyone to “go out and spend some discretionary income” at the city’s Art Walk, also taking place downtown.

Humphrey’s comment drew one of the few laughs of the night from a crowd that seemed divided on what has been called the “government option” for health care reform.

With a few protesters outside Harborside before the event, the forum took place less than 24 hours after the Senate Finance Committee wrapped up its proposal that would eliminate the public option. A Senate vote on the legislation is expected sometime next week.

Should it pass, it would go to a committee of senior legislators from health-related committees, who would hammer out a combined “conference report,” which would be up for vote in both the Senate and House. If it passed, the president would either sign the joint measure or veto it.

Revival of the public option brought Rebecca Brislain, 55, of Fort Myers to the meeting.

“I’m hoping to hear people give (Mack) a clear mandate that the public option is what we want,” Brislain said. “There’s the perception that we don’t want it out here in Lee County, and that’s wrong.”

But Brislain heard loud opposition to a government plan early in the evening from both Mack and others in attendance.

Mack began by characterizing current health care reform measures as “critical assaults on capitalism and freedom. ... The reform before Congress will bankrupt our country and put decisions in the hands of others,” he said.

Mack’s comment that “we need to stop turning to the federal government to solve all of our problems” drew impassioned applause and a standing ovation from about two-thirds of the crowd.

More than one audience member was there to find someone to help solve a problem.

That was clear during the 45-minute question-and-answer period.

The most passionate of them may have been Karen Rambeen, 51, of Naples.

In a quavering voice, Rambeen explained that she had acquired back problems working in the restaurant business. The restaurant at which she worked recently closed its doors, and she is now unemployed.

Rambeen said she can’t afford to buy health insurance, nor can she afford to pay for medical treatment out of pocket. She said she paid $2,000 for an MRI but could not address the problem it revealed because she had no more money and no insurance.

Mack acknowledged Rambeen’s “fear and emotion” and told her to stay after the forum and talk to his staff, because there were options already in place to help her. A few groans came from the audience in reply.

Panelist Jim Nathan, CEO of Lee Memorial Health System, then echoed a point he made in his opening remarks, hoping that a time of “cooler heads” could bring a solution that would satisfy both sides of the debate.

“Scaremongering won’t get us there ... bipartisan collaboration is the only way we will succeed,” Nathan said to applause from all corners of the room.

Illustrating a point about personal responsibility, Dr. Allen Weiss, president and CEO of NCH Health Care System, asked that all of the nonsmokers in the room stand.

Then he asked that everyone overweight or underweight sit down.

“And everyone who doesn’t eat the recommended servings of vegetables every day, sit down,” he said.

“There are things we can all do to keep health care costs down,” Weiss said, to mostly smiles from the crowd.

As the forum ended, Rob Sebastian, 61, of Cape Coral said he “heard exactly what I expected to hear. Congressman Mack’s mind is already made up — he’s under the control of the Republican Party and the insurance industry.”

Cheryl Couture, 47, had come from Naples to the forum and said she agreed with most of Mack’s position.

“I thought there were some really good suggestions tonight,” Couture said. “I wish all of Congress had been there to hear it.”

Lynne Fraser: “Without public option, I don’t see what incentive insurance companies have to help reduce overall costs.”

“I honestly believe in the law of public option. It should allow one universe to belong to one insurance pool that everyone is part of. It’s actually rated and brings down the rate to the lowest possible denominator.” — Panelist Al Hoffman.

Martha Rhea: “How many of your constituents are uninsured and what is your plan to fix that?”

“That’s a great question. I don’t exactly know the number, but through tax incentives, tort reforms and the ability to buy insurance across state lines, we can give more people the ability to have insurance.” — Mack.

“Should a 58-year-old woman be required to buy health insurance that includes pregnancy coverage? Even if she's a cougar?”

Under current bills, “people who make bad health choices, such as smoking, promiscuous sex, excessive consumption of alcohol, will pay the same as people who take care of themselves.”

Managing director of Wasmer, Schroeder & Co., former CEO of NCH Healthcare System

“Why will we not give them a book to understand their diabetes, but we will pay to cut their leg off ... Why do we tolerate this, as taxpayers?”

“If I may for just one moment be a little political,” Mack said to scattered laughter. “It’s not the Republicans that are stopping (reform), Democrats aren’t getting the support of their own party.”

Thank you for “joining me to achieve meaningful health care reform without a government takeover.”

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