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April 07, 2010
Etheridge: Support for health care law will grow
News and Observer
Democratic U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge said he believes support for the health care law will grow as the public becomes more aware of the benefits.
He said Republicans have been making false claims about the health care law, calling it, among other things, a "government takeover" of health care, Rob Christensen reports.
"It's not true," Etheridge said during a meeting with editors and reporters of The News and Observer on Wednesday morning. "We are putting together a framework that operates in the private sector."
He said supporters need to explain how the health care law will benefit people, such as those with pre-existing conditions such as cancer or those who have had a heart attack or who are pregnant. Under the new law, those people would have an easier time getting health insurance, Etheridge said.
"We have to push back," (against opponents) Etheridge said. "We have to tell the truth. It's hard to get the truth out. It's a lot easier to be against something."
He said the criticisms made against the health care law are similar to those made against other social legislation.
"If you go back and read about what happened in Medicare in the sixties and Social Security in the thirties a lot of the same words were being used," Etheridge said. "But doing nothing doesn't improve the system. Doing nothing, it gets worst. Doing nothing and insurance costs go up. More people are uninsured."
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Etheridge downplayed the political risk to his vote for the health care bill. A poll showed that a majority in his district opposed the measure.
"I've never made a decision based on polls," Etheridge said. "I think being in office is important. But doing the right thing is more important."
He said public opinion toward the health care law may be more favorable in November when people see how it actually works in practice.
"There were a lot of people voting for this thing who probably in a lot more vulnerable position than I would be," Etheridge said. "There were a lot of freshmen and sophomores who will have a tough time. They don't have the foundation out there. I've been in office long enough, that if I can't withstand it, an issue that is important to the American people (where) twenty-five percent of the people in the 2nd district don't have health insurance...
"I've got a district," Etheridge said, "if we do the right thing, I should be okay."
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