Rep. Andrews argues health bill still needed

Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) gave a public talk on "Healthcare Reform and the State of the Economy" at the Wilson School on Monday afternoon. He discussed the stress on the current healthcare system and the necessity of healthcare reform.

Andrews explained that problems of “productivity” plagued the healthcare system, citing issues such as the number of Americans without coverage and the extremely high cost of the present system.

Ideally, his idea of healthcare reform would create "the most robust public option we could [to] compete with the private sector," Andrews said. Such a solution is impossible in the contemporary political environment, he explained, but he still believes universal healthcare coverage is a realistic goal.

"I don't think [the Democrats] … have all the answers,” Andrews said. “I don't think our plan is perfect or obviously better than anyone else's, [but] this plan will significantly reduce costs."

Andrews added that the plan will result in "minimal disruption for people who are happy with the coverage they have."

"I think it's what really separates us from the Republicans ... We believe that covering everyone is really essential to getting costs under control," he explained. "Let's work together and figure out a way to do it."

Andrews also discussed “controversial” and “non-controversial” ideas at the center of the debate over healthcare reform.

Controversial issues in healthcare reform include the promotion of interstate competition among healthcare providers, an idea largely championed by Republicans, Andrews said. Modernizing medical-record systems is a non-controversial idea, he explained.

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"If I were not conscious [in a hospital], I would not be able to tell the medical technicians that I'm asthmatic," Andrews said. "It's possible that there would be erroneous care given to me because I'm not able to articulate my medical history." He explained that current rules governing the release of medical information make it difficult for healthcare workers to quickly obtain patient histories in emergency situations.

Of the roughly 40 people who attended the lecture, only some were students.

Irene Zhang '12, who said that she attended the event because she is interested in health policy, noted she was "surprised" at the low student turnout and that the event "could have been publicized better." She added, though, that she was pleased with the talk.

"I thought it was really well-spoken," Zhang explained. "He did a good job of presenting a mix of political ideals [and reality]."

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Kameron Knab '12, who said he attended the talk because he cares about healthcare reform, noted that Andrews was successful in explaining a complicated topic in a way that made it "accessible."

"He does an excellent job of clarifying misinformation, he's concise, speaks to the point and did a really good job of explaining," Knab said. "I follow politics pretty closely, so nothing was too new ... [but] again I have to stress what a good job he did."

Andrews closed his talk with a reminder of the economic and social ramifications of continued stress on the current healthcare system. Knab said that this call for action was one he stood behind.

"If we want to get this [healthcare reform] passed, we're going to have [to have] more active participation," he explained. "Something reminiscent of the tea parties, but for liberals."