U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., endured a slew of boos and hisses Friday as she faced questions from Omahans and others upset at the secrecy in which Republicans are crafting a health care bill in Congress. <\/p>\n
One man told Fischer that he believed Republicans were hiding the bill because they knew it would drive up health care costs for many Americans. <\/p>\n
Fischer did not condemn the process, but she also did not aggressively defend the Senate GOP leaders who are writing the bill. She told about 140 people gathered at a town hall meeting in Omaha that she would prefer a public hearing be held or Democrats be allowed to be involved in the process or both. <\/p>\n
But Fischer made it clear it was not her call. <\/p>\n
Im from Nebraska, where we have a public hearing on every bill introduced in the Legislature. I think thats a system that I would, of course, always endorse. But that doesnt (always) happen in Congress, Fischer said. <\/p>\n
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others are currently writing the Senates own version of a repeal of Obamacare with no plans to hold either a public hearing or a public drafting process. So far, Fischer indicated, only Republicans have been a part of the process. <\/p>\n
Fischer held her meeting at Metropolitan Community College in north Omaha with a heavy police presence because of this weeks shooting at an Alexandria, Virginia, ballfield, during which a Republican congressman was shot. One police officer said it was better to be safe than sorry. <\/p>\n
Fischer appeared unfazed by the sometimes raucous crowd, even when she felt compelled to gently chide people for being loud and interrupting her answers. I would hope we can continue to show respect here. Were in Omaha. Were in Nebraska, she said. <\/p>\n
A core group of the people who attended the meeting were there to express their concerns about health care and Republican efforts in Congress to repeal the controversial Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. They argued that the law has made it much more affordable for people with pre-existing conditions to acquire health care. <\/p>\n
Several also argued to thunderous applause that the time had come in this country to adopt a public health care system similar to other developed countries such as Canada and Sweden. <\/p>\n
Theres a lot of people who make a lot of money off of our health and I dont think thats right, one man told Fischer. <\/p>\n
Fischer made it clear she did not support universal health care or Obamacare. <\/p>\n
She said that although she may not be totally comfortable with the way in which the current bill was being written in Congress, she believed that there had been plenty of discussion and debate over the years and that Republicans have been clear where they stood: They want repeal of Obamacare and its requirement that all Americans acquire insurance or face a penalty. <\/p>\n
I am supportive of the marketplace, she said. <\/p>\n
But Fischer said any bill must include provisions to ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to health insurance. <\/p>\n
She also appeared to assure the crowd that she would not vote on a bill until its price tag and its impact on this nations health care system had been analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office and was known to the public. <\/p>\n
We need a CBO score. I want to see a CBO score before I vote, she said. <\/p>\n
Health care wasnt the only issue that prompted the boos to rain down upon Fischer. She also earned a round of heckling and hisses when she commented on President Donald Trumps proposed travel ban. <\/p>\n
Fischer said the U.S. should never ban people for religious reasons but it should be able to ban people from countries such as Syria, where it is difficult to do background checks on its people. We cannot vet people right now from Syria, she said, because you have a country right now in chaos. <\/p>\n
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Raucous crowd quizzes Deb Fischer on health-care bill being crafted in Senate - Omaha World-Herald<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" U.S. Continue reading