EHN's Town Hall Meeting Marked by Substance, Lack of Shouting

Norton began with some brief remarks (after a roughly 15-minute delay), noting that she did not intend to make a speech. She said that more than 2,000 residents had sent letters and emails to her office about the current health-care reform debate. Of those, she said that only nine expressed opposition to the concept of reform altogether, while fewer than 300 said they were in favor of reform but would prefer not to see a government-run public option. Later, Norton would mention that the most angry, negative messages she had received were from non-D.C. residents, who she speculated were organized by the "Tea Party people."

Three District residents who had been invited to the event were then given the microphone. Each had a story to tell about nightmarish experiences with the health-care system. Jennifer Abbott, a 26-year-old EMT trainee who suffers from asthma, talked about being on both ends of the decision to refuse treatment from paramedics for fear of the high cost, both as a patient and witnessing it as a medical professional. Joseph Cobb, a single father with diabetes, said he had to pay $1300 a month in insurance premiums to cover his family until he finally lost his job and could no longer afford it. And Rachel Newman, a sound technician who has alternated between being a freelance and full-time employee her entire career, has run the gamut between having great insurance to not having any, depending on her employment status.

Three expert panelists, Linda Blumberg of the Urban Institute, Elizabeth Carpenter from the New America Foundation, and Karen Pollitz from Georgetown University then fielded questions from the audience. Like nearly any event of this nature, there were a few questioners who displayed a real affection for the sounds of their own voices, but this q&a session was marked more by its substance than anything else. Questions ranged from how reform would affect Medicare, to whether enforcement of any proposed new rules would actually work, to whether people with pre-existing conditions would really have an easier time under reform. A couple questions also went outside the topic for the evening, including the current state of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and of D.C.’s free clinics.

Norton ultimately expressed the consensus view that a public option will not be included in the final version of the bill, noting that she would prefer to see it included.

"I believe [the bill] will fall far short of what it deserves to be," Norton said.

As the audience filed out of the auditorium at the end of the town hall, few expressed surprise that the District's version of this event never degraded to a shouting match.

"The most contentious thing that happened was probably the people complaining about needing to use the bathroom at the beginning," said Ward 6 resident Colin O'Brien, 33, referring to the event's late start combined with heavy security that blocked access to certain doors.