People, Places & Events

If passed, health care reform
will not be able to be repealed
Monitor Staff Reports
KAUFMAN – U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling hosted town hall meetings throughout his district on Monday, starting in Chandler, followed by Mineola, Grand Saline, Kaufman and finishing in Forney. 
Large crowds turned out to hear the congressman and to be heard.
Several from the audience wanted to know: Can this bill be repealed if new members are voted into Congress in future years?
Hensarling expressed that as a practical matter, the government will not be able to turn back, once the bill is passed.
What can voters do to be sure HR 3200 does not pass?
“If the Blue Dog Democrats can be persuaded to vote against HR 3200, the bill might fail,” Hensarling answered.
He suggested that citizens contact their family members, friends and business associates who are represented by a Blue Dog Democrat and ask them to contact their representative to vote against HR 3200.
Although Hensarling is for health care reform for a variety of reasons, he does not support HR 3200.
“I will admit that I have read portions of HR 3200, but have not read it all,” Hensarling said in referring to the 1,018-page bill.
Hensarling said the Democrats have the members to pass the bill.
The meeting, originally scheduled at the Kaufman County Courthouse Annex, had to be moved to Maples Hall to accommodate the large number of people attending.
Opposition claims disputed on website
A new website recently introduced by the White House was set up to dispute false claims about the proposed health care bill. You can check it out at www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck.

Town meetings discuss
health care reform bill
Special to The Monitor
CHANDLER–Congressman Jeb Hensarling discussed solutions to our nation’s health care crisis with Henderson County residents Monday, less than two weeks after a key House of Representatives committee approved legislation that will set the stage for a government takeover of health care.
“Many of the solutions to our most challenging health care problems can be found in places like Chandler, Brownsboro, Athens and Seven Points rather than in Washington,” Hensarling said.
“I was encouraged by the feedback and solutions I heard from patients today. There is no doubt that we must fix health care in our country. I want to ensure that you can have access to the health care you need, when you need it and at a price you can afford,” he said.
Hensarling opened the meeting by discussing his principles for health care reform. When he served as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, Hensarling commissioned a Health Care Task Force to develop a patient-centered health care reform plan.
The task force developed the following principles that guide Hensarling’s approach to the September showdown on government ran health care:
• Every American, regardless of health or financial status, should have access to affordable health care coverage of their choice. Nobody should go bankrupt because they get sick.
• Health care in America should be family-focused and patient-centered. It must put patients, in consultation with their doctors, in control of their health care. Your health care decisions should not be made by your employer, a health care plan selected by your employer or the government.
• People should own and control their health care plan, and it should be personal and portable.
• Americans who are happy with their current plan should be allowed to keep it.
• Forcing Americans into a government health care program will not solve America’s health care challenges.
“Every American – no matter how sick they are, and regardless of their financial status – should have access to health care. Americans should know that if they get sick, they can get the care they need, when they need it and that they won’t go bankrupt in the process,” Hensarling said.
Hensarling also discussed the evidence out of the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that nine in 10 Americans believe their existing plan meets their projected health needs.
“While many East Texans need access to care, those who are happy with their current plan shouldn’t be forced to give it up,” Hensarling said.
The congressman followed with an overview of what drives up the cost of health care, making unaffordable for too many Americans.
“Health care is expensive in America because there is so much waste, fraud and abuse associated with it. That’s what happens when the government and insurance companies make too may decisions about your care,” he said.
“I’ve voted for reasonable medical liability reforms that the American Medical Association has noted could save between $70 billion and $126 billion in one year alone.
“There’s something wrong when it’s easier to sue the doctor than it is to see the doctor. This is one example of who we can cut costs and improve care. We should focus on things like preventative care, wellness programs and medical breakthroughs,” he said.
The discussion then turned to a review of the health care plan offered by Washington Democrats.
Hensarling praised them for sharing his goal of quality, affordable health for all Americans, but questioned the ultimate results of their proposals.
“If you like the way the government is running our banks, our mortgage companies, AIG and General Motors, you’ll love their takeover of your health care,” Hensarling said.
“Congress needs to remember the Hippocratic oath when crafting a plan – ‘first do no harm.’ I am cautious about the proposals I have seen because
• bureaucrats would stand between doctors and patients in the exam room,
• they will delay treatment and produce lower quality care for East Texans and
• they would force 120 million Americans out of their current health care plan,” he said.
Hensarling talked about the difference between patient-centered health care and a government takeover.
“Frankly, I’d prefer to trust the opinion of a physician, with their years of training, rather than government bureaucrat when it comes to the care my constituents and family receive,” Hensarling said.
“And when it comes to prompt treatment, I cannot imagine what it would be like for my wife and me to wait on a bureaucrat to decide when – or if – one of our children can receive a treatment that a doctor has ordered for them.
“To watch my children suffer as we wait for government approval would be too much to bear. I have serious concerns about the quality of care in a system than prioritizes controlling costs over providing care,” he said.
Hensarling also addressed a growing concern of many older Americans whose decisions about end-of-life treatment could end up in the hands of a Washington bureaucrat.
“Frankly, I’d be worried. Patients and their families should make the ultimate decisions about how end-of-life care is delivered, not a bureaucrat who doesn’t think a treatment such or a test is ‘cost efficient,’” he said.
Hensarling praised the accomplishments of American innovation in health care and expressed concern about the chilling effect a government takeover would have on new treatments.
“As a result of American breakthroughs, we lead the world in access to technologies like MRIs, and allowing those afflicted by diseases like cancer to enjoy a higher rate of survival than our European counterparts.
“A government takeover of health care will stifle these inventions that have made us leaders, leading to less choice and fewer treatment options for our parents, spouses and children,” he said.
“There is a fundamental decision being made in this debate over who will control health care in America. Will it be parents, families and doctors?
“Or, will it be Washington bureaucrats or insurance company accountants? I am ready to work together with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to deliver a health care program that works – but I cannot support a system that emphasizes cost over quality and chooses the opinion of the government over that of the physician,” Hensarling said.
More meetings in Henderson County are to take place toward the end of November.
Check The Monitor’s News in Brief listings for dates and times.

Area business leaders urged
to support United Way drive
By Kerry Yancey
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–United Way affects everyone in some fashion, the president of the Henderson County United Way fund-raising drive told area business leaders Aug. 6.
“It’s important for us all to get behind the United Way,” Reuben Austin said during the Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon.
Austin pointed to the Family Resource Center in Gun Barrel City, the American Red Cross and the East Texas Crisis Center in Athens as examples of local agencies that obtain funding through the annual United Way campaign, which will kick off this month.
“We benefit everything from child care to Boy Scouts,” Austin said.
He introduced three luncheon attendees – UW board members Eston Williams, Ralph Monroe and Ralph Fortner – and also pointed to Mabank’s Solar Turbines as one of the campaign’s largest single contributors.
Austin said the United Way appropriations committee has to winnow down a stack of deserving requests each year, and introduced Carolyn Barnett to speak about the Henderson County CASA program.
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers act as advocates for children who are in the foster care system, Barnett explained.
“We make a commitment to stay with the child while they are in the legal system,” she said. Most of the time, that’s usually a year, but it can be up to 18 months, she added.
CASA volunteers attend court sessions with the child, and represent the child’s needs and desires while he/she is going through the legal process.
“During that time, the CASA volunteer is usually the only adult to consistently stay with the child,” Barnett said.
Out of the approximately 18,690 children under age 18 in Henderson County, there were 1,085 who were reportedly victims of sexual/physical abuse during 2008, according to Child Protective Services (CPS) records, she said.
“There were 432 confirmed victims,” she said. “Of those, 101 were removed from their home and put into foster care.”
Of the 274 children in CPS/foster care last year, 129 came from the western end of the county, Barnett said.
Parental drug abuse is by far the most common reason for children to be removed from the home and placed in state custody, she said.
“According to CPS records, 89 percent of their cases has to do with drugs in the home,” Barnett said.
“What you have to realize is that a child coming out of a meth house usually has nothing but the clothes they have on,” she pointed out. “Often, the babies who come from a meth house have a higher level of meth in their bodies than the adults. It’s really a sad situation.”
CASA volunteers go through 30 hours of training before they are matched with their first child.
“We need to get the word out, and we definitely need more volunteers to help serve these children,” Barnett said.
“This is just one of the agencies that we deal with every year,” Austin said as he returned to the podium.
This year’s United Way goal is $176,500, he said.
“The good news is that we’re almost there (at the goal) already,” Austin said. “The bad news is that it’s (the money) still in your pockets.”
Residents and businesses in the Cedar Creek Lake area are always some of the United Way’s biggest contributors, Austin said.
“It’s up to all of us to make a difference,” he said. “I’ll leave you with that challenge – do what you can to make a difference.”
In other business, the chamber members:
• were reminded of the Rotary Club’s Celebrity Waiter Dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15.
• heard the chamber’s July 20 Red Hot “18” golf tournament was a huge success, with a record 21 teams participating.
• were reminded of the chamber’s annual “Night at the Red Garter Saloon” fund-raiser, set Saturday, Sept. 12, at Promenade Hall in Tool.
• heard Kathy Kendrick and Fortner were the top two prize-winners in the chamber’s recent membership drive.
• witnessed Ambassador president Sharon Strickland honoring Paul Edmondson, manager of Walmart No. 516 in Gun Barrel City, with the chamber’s “Business of the Month” certificate.
Citing a number of rumors circulating about Walmart, Edmondson said, “We are staying put.”
There will be a remodeling project next year, he added.
The store is being forced to curtail the use of its front sidewalk as a base for numerous fund-raising activities, Edmondson added. “We’ll be able to do only two or three on the sidewalk throughout the year,” he said.
• heard Main Place Cinema in Seven Points was sponsoring the luncheon.
Main Place Cinema general manager Mary Valentin said starting Monday, the theater will offer a free classic movie at 1 p.m. each second Monday, and Tuesday nights would be providing a free family/Christmas movie.
• heard the Texas Workforce Commission will be holding a job fair for residents in the Gun Barrel City/Seven Points/Tool area Tuesday, Sept. 29.
• heard the Gun Barrel City Chapter will begin holding monthly meetings at 8 a.m. the third Thursday at Sweet Mimi’s. The meetings will be open to any chamber member or visitor.