Lawmakers keep talking with constituents about health overhaul

Lawmakers from both parties are continuing town hall health care conversations.

Las Vegas Sun: "Before taking the stage as the keynote speaker at a pro-health care reform rally Monday night at UNLV, Sen. Harry Reid had made his message clear, and he tried to drive it home with the first words out of his mouth. 'Health care is a moral issue,' Reid said."

At the private rally, Reid, the majority leader, said, "The sooner we fix it, the sooner we will all benefit from increased access and lower costs. It's not only the right thing to do, it's the economically smart thing to do" (Twitchell, 9/1).

The Associated Press: In Allentown, Pa., the two potential rivals for Arlen Specter's Senate seat shared the stage at a town hall, part of their "informal pact" to oust the incumbent, an observer said. Pat Toomey, a former conservative Republican congressman prompted Specter's shift to the Democratic party because of his strong support among the GOP base.  At the event, he called Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., who is challenging Specter in the Democratic primary, "extremely liberal."

The AP reports: "Sestak strongly advocates optional government-run insurance coverage as a key element of a comprehensive reform plan, like the pending House bill he helped write. Toomey ... prefers tax incentives to help Americans who buy private health insurance and medical malpractice reforms" (Jackson, 8/31).

News-Leader: The Springfield, Mo., paper reports that Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., "vowed Monday to vote against a health care reform bill if it doesn't include 'legal restraints' to ensure a government-run insurance option doesn't become the only choice." She said she knows Missourians will not tolerate single-payer health care based on her experience at 10 town halls (Livengood, 9/31).