The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

January 7, 2010

Dahlkemper weighs in on health reform

By Matt Snyder

MERCER COUNTY — As health care reform bills passed by the House and Senate are reconciled this month, Democrats are rallying for the final vote that could propel the legislation to the President’s desk.

While some of her fellow conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats voted against the House bill on the grounds that it cost too much, U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, Erie, D-3rd District, supported it.

On Thursday, she told The Herald that passing some type of reform is necessary and indicated she was likely to support a final bill being worked out by Democratic leaders of the House and Senate.

“We need to get something passed,” Mrs. Dahlkemper said.

Mrs. Dahlkemper, a freshman legislator who is running for re-election this year, offered her take on health care and other issues during a meeting with The Herald’s editors.

Mrs. Dahlkemper said she is concerned about differences between the House and Senate versions but said she can’t see any single issue that’s a “deal breaker.”

Among Mrs. Dahlkemper’s concerns: the Senate version of the bill dropped the public option, softened the House’s ban on taxpayer funding for abortions, and would pay for the plan by taxing so-called “Cadillac” health care plans, instead of a tax on the rich.

According to Mrs. Dahlkemper, the tax on high-earners would effect only those earning more than $1 million, which is about 247 of her 600,000 constituents. Meanwhile, people like teachers and others with generous health coverage may have their health care benefits taxed in the Senate version, she said.

She favors a public option, but said that if insurance companies can’t reduce premiums, the public option could be grafted back into the bill at a later date.

Abortion seemed to be more a sticking point for Mrs. Dahlkemper, who said she is working with anti-abortion representatives to keep taxpayer dollars from paying for abortions.

Mrs. Dahlkemper campaigned in part on her pro-life stance and supported the Stupak Amendment in the House version of the bill – the amendment preventing federal dollars from funding abortion in health care reform.

It could create a problem for Mrs. Dahlkemper if the final version of the bill takes a softer stance on federal dollars for abortion, since she also campaigned heavily on health care reform. She would not commit to whether or not abortion could sway her vote.

She did speak on the need for health care reform. She said there are plenty of “sad stories and tragedies” in her district because people have lacked health care coverage. She said many families are one medical emergency away from bankruptcy.

“It could happen to you, tomorrow, if you happen to have bad luck today,” she said.

Mrs. Dahlkemper acknowledged that the health reform bill would be a “Democrat bill,” but added that Republicans have put forward no meaningful reforms of their own.

Also Thursday, Mrs. Dahlkemper reflected on her first year in office, which featured important votes besides health care.

“There were no easy votes this year and not too many easy days,” she said.

Mrs. Dahlkemper voted in favor of the stimulus and voted against environmental legislation that featured cap-and-trade.

She defended her stimulus vote, saying that it likely prevented an even worse Depression, but also said the Obama administration made a mistake in predicting it would lower unemployment. She argued that it still helped put the brakes on rising unemployment.

In the past, she has said the cap-and-trade legislation would have disproportionately hurt business in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Text Only
Local News
  • State cuts trickle down to township

    Brookfield Township “is in a world of hurt.”

    February 9, 2012

  • Toth takes $30k to settle lawsuit

    It’s typical for lawsuit settlement agreements to include a confidentiality clause that bars the parties from discussing the terms of the settlement.

    February 9, 2012

  • Taking flight

    Some kids probably daydream about sending their homework up into the atmosphere, but that really happened this week for a few classes of Jamestown Area High School students.

    February 9, 2012

  • GC man called suspect in Jan. 27 bank robbery

    A Grove City man charged with robbing a Zelienople bank Monday is a suspect in the Jan. 27 robbery of a Sandy Lake bank.

    February 8, 2012

  • Committee to focus on finances for future

    Sharon city leaders have money on their minds as they look to the future of the once-vibrant town struggling with a limited tax base and higher costs of doing business.

    February 8, 2012

  • Summer work turns into year-round part-time job

    A Sharpsville resident asked council members this week why the man hired as summer help is still on the payroll in the middle of winter.

    February 8, 2012

  • Police ask public to be their eyes

    Officials and residents of Farrell and Sharon discussed the good things and problems in their towns, and heard how a neighborhood that faced a similar situation fought back Tuesday at the second Taking Back Our City meeting.

    February 8, 2012

  • Labor Dept.: Franchise’s workers not paid properly

    The owners of the Brookfield Subway restaurant have been paying their employees less than minimum wage, shorting them on overtime pay and violating child labor laws for two years, a federal lawsuit alleges.

    February 7, 2012

  • Insecurity: Firm loses more local clients

    Reynolds Area School District is scrambling to find people to work security at upcoming games after finding out the Pittsburgh-area security firm they were using had some guards who were convicted felons or sex offenders.
    “That was a shock, believe me,” said school board President John Lowry.

    February 7, 2012

  • School budget predictions improve

    The upshot to planning for a worst-case scenario is it makes any change an improvement.
    Such is the case with Farrell Area School District’s finances, business manager William Dungee told school board members Monday.

    February 7, 2012