Perriello hears criticism, praise for vote on health care bill

U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello’s vote in favor of the sweeping health care reform package that narrowly passed the House of Representatives late Saturday is drawing cheers from his supporters and outrage from opponents.

Perriello — a Democrat from the 5th District who held 21 town hall meetings over the summer to gather input on the bill — said in a statement that the measure was a “profound shift away from the status quo towards progress and better, cheaper health care for more Americans.”

The bill, he said, will make health care more affordable for the middle class, provide security for seniors and reduce the federal deficit.

“Whether for or against health care reform, most people in the district asked me to fight for deficit reduction, a fair shake for rural doctors, and no federal funding for abortions. I helped to score major victories on all three fronts,” Perriello said in the statement. “Today’s vote on health care legislation came down to a simple choice for me: do we sit back and let premiums skyrocket for middle-class families and small businesses, and watch the cost of prescription drugs bankrupt seniors and the cost of health care bankrupt the federal government? Or do we take this step today to support middle-class families and small businesses by encouraging competition to bring down premiums?

“The time to act is now, because Virginians deserve a competitive health care market,” he continued. “They deserve access to affordable health care, and they deserve better choices when purchasing insurance.”

Republicans roundly condemned Perriello’s vote.

“Congressman Perriello let us down today,” state Sen. Robert Hurt, a Chatham Republican who is seeking the GOP nomination against Perriello, said in a statement. “He held 21 different town hall meetings this summer where Central and Southside Virginians voiced their deeply held opposition to a government takeover of health care; instead of listening, he chose to ignore our concerns — putting his liberal beliefs and party loyalty ahead of what’s best for us.”

Hurt said the bill will harm struggling residents and damage the economy of the 5th District, which runs from Charlottesville to Danville.

“Make no mistake: This bill is a devastating blow to our economy at just the wrong time. With job losses continuing to mount, Congressman Perriello voted to raise taxes on small businesses,” Hurt said in the statement. “With seniors getting squeezed, he voted to slash Medicare benefits. With Virginians working harder for less, he voted to give taxpayer-funded health care benefits to illegal immigrants. Because of our congressman’s actions, one-sixth of our economy may be subject to government control. The consequences are monumental: premiums will rise even faster, bureaucrats will be in charge of health care decisions and the quality of patient care will suffer.”

Katie Wright, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, echoed that sentiment in a statement.

“Tom Perriello voted to turn one-sixth of the U.S. economy over to government bureaucrats,” she said. “A vote for the Obama-Pelosi health care bill means higher taxes on Virginia’s families and small businesses, cuts to Medicare for Virginia’s seniors, and an increase in premiums when Virginia’s families go to the doctor. Congressman Perriello has pulled the classic Washington move — he says one thing to his constituents, but when he is back in Washington, he votes against their interests.”

Perriello said he successfully won inclusion of several ideas in the bill that were raised during his more than 100 hours of town hall meetings.

“Our work on this bill is not over,” he said in his statement. “As health care legislation advances through Congress, I will work with my colleagues in the Senate to push for better interstate competition. But I am proud of the changes I fought for. After hearing from my constituents during over 100 hours of town hall meetings in August, and by continuing those conversations in the months since, I worked to include their ideas in the bill, pushing for legislation that now protects Medicare, ensures deficit neutrality, encourages wellness and preventive care and protects small businesses.”