Health care debate turns local

The new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives today takes up its pledge to attempt to repeal or rewrite major health care reform legislation passed by Congress last year.

Many groups have jumped to get in a word, pro or con — with Southwest Washington getting its piece of the action.

Democratic Party-linked advocates will stage an 11 a.m. press conference in downtown Vancouver.

Local volunteers and small business owners “will share how the Affordable Care Act has positively affected their lives and will help grow their business,” say leaders of the Washington state arm of the Democratic grass-roots group Organizing for America.

Supporters will discuss the patients’ rights and antifraud portions of the new law, along with its other facets, outside the Java House, 210 W. Evergreen Blvd.

At 3 p.m., Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, will join U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on a conference call for news reporters “to discuss the impact a repeal would have on Washington state’s economy, residents and businesses,” the White House announced.

Repeal would restrict access to affordable health insurance, saddle small businesses “with skyrocketing health care costs and explode national and state deficits,” and would resurrect discrimination over pre-existing conditions, according to a White House news release.

A special link said to spell out impact of repeal on Washington state has been posted: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/repealcosts/wa.html.

In the 4 o’clock hour, freshman U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, is due to make her inaugural House floor speech, on the law’s proposed repeal.

Her allotted one-minute statement in support of “restarting health care reform” should come between 4 and 4:20 p.m., her Washington, D.C., office announced.

The floor session may be seen live on C-SPAN television (Channel 24 on Comcast cable locally) or live-streaming video at: http://www.c-span.org.