Those of you who had the displeasure of observing media coverage of the health care town hall debates this summer probably wished, like I did, that you could drop in on your own town hall and act…well…normal. Now’s your chance: our own U.S. Representative Ed Markey (D-Malden), a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, is hosting a health care reform town hall meeting Monday evening (Oct. 12th) at Arlington Town Hall (730 Massachusetts Avenue) starting at 6:30 p.m.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is one of three committees with jurisdiction over health care policy.
“We are embarking on an historic debate on a long-overdue effort to reform our nation’s health care system,” said Markey in a statement. “It is important for me to present the case for this vital legislation to my constituents and listen to their thoughts and concerns as the House is preparing to vote.”
While it seems like progress is being made towards a consensus bill on a health care reform bill, there’s still lots up for grabs as the House and Senate work to reconcile competing bills, and special interest groups critical to make sure that constituents concerns are heard in addition to, say, pharmaceutical companies and other interested parties.