Adrian Daily Telegram: Walberg addresses issues at town hall meeting
April 30, 2015
CAMBRIDGE TWP. — Medicare, Social Security, and government accountability were some of several topics addressed Tuesday at a town hall meeting hosted by U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg Tuesday at the Cambridge Township Hall.
Walberg, R-Tipton, spent an hour answering questions 38 members of the audience wrote down on note cards.
Walberg said representatives in Washington have had "three good weeks. We've accomplished a number of things that are important to deal with."
One of those issues, he said, was a bill signed into law two weeks ago by President Barack Obama that aims to fix Medicare's doctor payments. The Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate has had 17 fixes over the years, but that recent bipartisan action may have permanently solved the issues tied to Medicare and physician services.
"We will pay for Medicare based on commitments we made and carry that out forever," Walberg said. One question posed by an audience member asked about if health insurance will ever be allowed to be sold across state lines, especially for the benefit of senior citizens.
Walberg said the matter of allowing people to shop for competitive rates is being addressed in several bills.
"There are several proposed alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, also known as ‘Obamacare,' " Walberg said. "These bills do a number of things, including allowing insurance to be purchased across state lines. Life, car insurance — you're able to purchase anywhere in the country. With health insurance, we don't allow that to take place right now. Especially for seniors, you can generally get better coverage in states like Nevada — where the tax structure is friendly to the many seniors who move there — and Florida. Competition reduces prices."
Another audience member asked through a submitted card what the status is on the investigation centered on the attack in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012. Militants there attacked the U.S. diplomatic mission and killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Walberg sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has investigated the attack.
"We're still on it, investigating who knew what, what laws were violated," Walberg said. "I am sure former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is not happy about (the investigation)."
Walberg said those in power at the time of the attack have made the Benghazi investigation — and others, such as the "Fast and Furious" gunrunning case along the Mexican border and the IRS scrutinizing conservative political groups — difficult at times.
"Every step of the way, whether it's been ‘Fast and Furious,' or the IRS, there's been no help from this adminstration asking people to comply," Walberg said. "We said, ‘Don't stonewall us,' but that doesn't happen."
Walberg said the committee has received documents tied to the attack and its aftermath, "but most of them are redacted."
"Additionally," Walberg said, "we have no prosecutory power in committees."
Carol Timm of Brooklyn said after the meeting that though she considers herself liberal and doesn't agree with everything Walberg says, she appreciated his overview of the hot-button topics.
"I like that he encouraged us to not limit yourself to one news source," she said. "I do not depend on one channel for my news; all our media has problems doing investigative, good reporting on important topics like free trade."
Tom McMichael of Onsted said he appreciated the organization of the meeting and that the audience provided a "nice variety" of questions.
"I felt his answers came both full and complete," McMichael said.
Walberg said after the meeting the audience was a "good group of people with good questions" and is an accurate cross-section of other forums he's hosted.
"What I hear most from people is their concern about the cost of government, illegal immigrants, and they're concerned with what Republicans and Democrats are doing to push back against (bad government)," he said.
Walberg, R-Tipton, spent an hour answering questions 38 members of the audience wrote down on note cards.
Walberg said representatives in Washington have had "three good weeks. We've accomplished a number of things that are important to deal with."
One of those issues, he said, was a bill signed into law two weeks ago by President Barack Obama that aims to fix Medicare's doctor payments. The Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate has had 17 fixes over the years, but that recent bipartisan action may have permanently solved the issues tied to Medicare and physician services.
"We will pay for Medicare based on commitments we made and carry that out forever," Walberg said. One question posed by an audience member asked about if health insurance will ever be allowed to be sold across state lines, especially for the benefit of senior citizens.
Walberg said the matter of allowing people to shop for competitive rates is being addressed in several bills.
"There are several proposed alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, also known as ‘Obamacare,' " Walberg said. "These bills do a number of things, including allowing insurance to be purchased across state lines. Life, car insurance — you're able to purchase anywhere in the country. With health insurance, we don't allow that to take place right now. Especially for seniors, you can generally get better coverage in states like Nevada — where the tax structure is friendly to the many seniors who move there — and Florida. Competition reduces prices."
Another audience member asked through a submitted card what the status is on the investigation centered on the attack in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012. Militants there attacked the U.S. diplomatic mission and killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Walberg sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has investigated the attack.
"We're still on it, investigating who knew what, what laws were violated," Walberg said. "I am sure former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is not happy about (the investigation)."
Walberg said those in power at the time of the attack have made the Benghazi investigation — and others, such as the "Fast and Furious" gunrunning case along the Mexican border and the IRS scrutinizing conservative political groups — difficult at times.
"Every step of the way, whether it's been ‘Fast and Furious,' or the IRS, there's been no help from this adminstration asking people to comply," Walberg said. "We said, ‘Don't stonewall us,' but that doesn't happen."
Walberg said the committee has received documents tied to the attack and its aftermath, "but most of them are redacted."
"Additionally," Walberg said, "we have no prosecutory power in committees."
Carol Timm of Brooklyn said after the meeting that though she considers herself liberal and doesn't agree with everything Walberg says, she appreciated his overview of the hot-button topics.
"I like that he encouraged us to not limit yourself to one news source," she said. "I do not depend on one channel for my news; all our media has problems doing investigative, good reporting on important topics like free trade."
Tom McMichael of Onsted said he appreciated the organization of the meeting and that the audience provided a "nice variety" of questions.
"I felt his answers came both full and complete," McMichael said.
Walberg said after the meeting the audience was a "good group of people with good questions" and is an accurate cross-section of other forums he's hosted.
"What I hear most from people is their concern about the cost of government, illegal immigrants, and they're concerned with what Republicans and Democrats are doing to push back against (bad government)," he said.
Click here to read the original article in the Adrian Daily Telegram.