Sanders faces voters at health care meeting

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(Host)  Senator Bernie Sanders faced tough questions this weekend during two town meetings on health care reform.   Lawmakers have been holding similar town meetings across the country and many have turned into shouting matches with angry protestors.  

VPR’s Nina Keck attended Sanders’ first meeting in Rutland and filed this report.

(Keck)   Live music lightened the mood, but signs carried by many in the crowd showed just how strongly people feel about the health care debate.  By 10:00 Saturday morning more than 200 people packed the inside of Rutland’s Unitarian Church and even more waited outside.  Senator Bernie Sanders quickly set the tone.

(Sanders)  "You all have seen TV and you’ve seen all these ruckuses and disturbances and people trying to shut down other people. . . . . well these that is not what the state of VT is about . (cheering) 

(Keck)    Sanders spent over 90 minutes taking questions in equal measure from those inside and outside the church and from all sides of the issue.   The Vermont lawmaker, however, made it clear he believes overhauling the system is crucial.

(Sanders) "18,000 people a year die in the United States of America every year because they do not get to a doctor when they should.   That is unacceptable in my view." (cheering) 

(Keck)  But many in the crowd voiced skepticism that a government so mired in debt could afford to provide more health care coverage.   How could it not raise my taxes one man asked?   Others worried that government health care would force private insurance out of business.

Pawlett resident Don DiChiara wanted to know why more wasn’t being done to regulate malpractice.

(DiChiara) "Why Bernie have we not talked about lawyers in this?" (cheering)  

(Keck)  Outside the church, Poultney resident Anne Gibbs described how her husband’s high blood pressure has stymied their efforts to find insurance.

(Gibbs) "We’ve been turned down and turned down and turned down.   We want a child but we don’t want a child if we don’t have health care and we can’t afford to pay the medical to have a baby. 

(Sanders)   Do you think the insurance companies should be entitled to deny Anne’s family health care?

(Crowd) Nooooo!

(Sanders)  That is exactly what we’re trying to do away with." (cheering)  

(Keck)   While emotions ran high, the debate remained civil despite some shouting.   There was a larger than usual police presence in Rutland, but no problems were reported.  Local resident Don O’Connell says Vermonters should feel good about that.

(O’Connell)  "I was really concerned that people would come just with the object of disrupting the conversation and I was proud that we were able to show a respectful discussion and hopefully show the rest of the country how it’s supposed to be done."

(Keck)   In addition to meetings in Rutland and Arlington, Senator Sanders has scheduled one more such meeting next Sunday in Peacham. 

For VPR news I’m Nina Keck in Rutland.

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