5,132 people give Bart an earful

NEWS RELEASE

CONGRESSMAN BART STUPAK 1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN

************************* Stupak holds third town hall meeting

5,132 Northern Michigan residents join the call

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) held his third telephone town hall meeting last Wednesday, speaking with more than 5,000 residents across Northern Michigan about a wide range of issues.

Most of the questions asked during the course of the town hall focused on issues surrounding health care reform.

“As Congress continues to work on health care reform, this telephone town hall provided another opportunity to address concerns with health care reform legislation and clear up some of the common myths currently circulating on this issue,” Stupak said.

“I continue to find this format to be an effective way to reach constituents across my vast district. These telephone town halls are not a replacement for traditional town halls, they simply provide me with additional opportunities to speak to and hear from residents across Northern Michigan.”

Stupak’s third telephone town hall had the highest participation yet, with 5,132 people representing all 31 counties in the First Congressional District joining the call.

Over the course of the hour Stupak answered questions from communities across the district, including Bellaire, Gaylord, Gladwin, Marquette, Pinconning, Curtis, Wells, Crystal Falls, Harbor Springs and Houghton.

Much of the town hall focused on health care reform.

Congressman Stupak set the record straight on several myths surrounding who and what will be covered under H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.

Stupak also expressed several of his concerns with the bill, including that it does not effectively control rising health care costs, does not do enough to encourage true competition in the health insurance market, and builds on a system that rewards ineffectiveness instead of quality.

In addition to health care reform, Stupak addressed the issues of high gas prices, the possibility of the U.S. Post Office going to a five-day delivery schedule, and the importance of enforcing U.S. trade laws.

“These telephone town halls provide people with an opportunity to ask questions and receive information first hand in the comfort of their own home,” Stupak said. “With the highest number of people yet joining this telephone town hall, we had another strong set of questions. I have heard from many constituents who enjoy participating and who engage in family discussions about current issues because of this format.”

On September 26, Congressman Stupak held a town hall meeting in Negaunee attended by more than 150 people.

Earlier in the month he held two televised call-in town halls with WNMU and WCMU public television and radio to answer questions about health care and the economy.

The programs reached tens of thousands of people across a vast geographic area.

In July, 3,537 constituents joined an hour-long call with Stupak, held in the midst of consideration of health care reform legislation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Residents of Michigan’s First Congressional District can sign up to receive email notice of Stupak’s town hall meetings and to be included in the next telephone town hall meeting by visiting here and selecting “E-mail and Telephone Town Hall Sign-Up” or by calling Stupak’s office at 1-800-950-7371.

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