WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) held his fourth telephone town hall meeting Wednesday, speaking with more than 4,700 residents across Northern Michigan about a wide range of issues, including health care, jobs and the economy.
“This telephone town hall was an opportunity to discuss the health care reform bill that recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as answer questions about some of the biggest issues facing Northern Michigan residents today, including the economy and job creation,” Stupak said. “We had another strong turnout of people on the call with an hour of good questions on a range of topics. These telephone town halls allow me to address concerns and answer questions from people across my vast district, all from the comfort of their own home.”
During Stupak’s fourth telephone town hall 4,752 people representing all 31 counties in the First Congressional District joined the call. Over the course of the hour Stupak answered questions from communities across the district, including Bay County, Cheboygan, Covington, Grayling, Ironwood, Marquette, McMillan, Standish, and Trenary.
Several of the questions during the telephone town hall focused on the health care reform bill that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on November 7. Stupak addressed several issues about H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, including how it would make the health insurance industry more competitive by repealing the anti-trust exemption for the health care insurance industry and creating a public health insurance option. He also explained new Medicare benefits for seniors. Under H.R. 3962 the Medicare Part D prescription drug “donut hole” would be closed by 2016 and 100 percent of the cost of preventative care such as yearly physicals and diabetes screening would be covered.
In addition to health care reform, Stupak addressed the issues of job creation, the importance of enforcing U.S. trade laws, unemployment benefits, heating costs, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“These telephone town halls are another way for me to reach out to and hear from people across the First District,” Stupak said. “Whether I am doing telephone town halls or in-person town halls I enjoy talking to constituents. The responses I receive from town halls, as well as from the calls, letters, emails and faxes to my office continue to provide valuable feedback on the critical issues we face today.”
Residents of Michigan’s First Congressional District can sign up to receive email notice of Stupak’s town hall meetings and to be included in the next telephone town hall meeting by visiting www.house.gov/stupak and selecting “E-mail and Telephone Town Hall Sign-Up” or by calling Stupak’s office at 1-800-950-7371.
