Conyers says health care overhaul must be acted on now

Norwich - The second most senior member of Congress said he would "hold his nose" and vote for whatever health care reform bill finally emerges from House-Senate negotiations rather than lose an opportunity that may not come again for many years.

"If we vote everything down and start over," said Rep. John Conyers Jr., the Democrat who has represented his Detroit district since 1965, "we'll be thrown back years and years. We've got to take the best we can get and keep building on it."

Conyers, speaking at a forum on health care and jobs sponsored by the Norwich NAACP, is one of only two still in Congress who were there when Medicare was first adopted in 1965. Like current health reform proposals, Medicare at the time was very controversial and in its original version was flawed, but has been improved over the years just as a plan to reform the health care system can, he said. Both the House and the Senate bill are flawed, he said, but the compromise version that will be cobbled together in the Conference Committee negotiations will at least be a starting point.

Finding ways to cut health care costs and provide care to the uninsured is essential for the country's economic well-being, he said. Insurance companies, he argued, are the root of the problem, making record profits even as they are denying coverage to more people.

"Universal health care is practiced more or less successfully in every other industrialized country," said Conyers. "We need a universal health care system. To have so many millions of people without any ability to afford health care is immoral, indefensible."

The audience of about 75 people in the auditorium of Kelly Middle School applauded his remarks, and gave him a standing ovation when he concluded. Conyers urged them as constituents of Sen. Joe Lieberman to contact him and tell him to change his mind and give his support to health reform.

"We are one vote short," he said. "I appeal to you to talk to Joe Lieberman. I'm appealing to you to appeal to him. It's literally in his hands."

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said he's hopeful that President Obama's open meeting Feb. 25 to hear Republican and Democratic ideas on how to move forward on health reform will be productive.

"Republican ideas have been incorporated into both bills," he said. "Having an open and public discussion hopefully is a way to restart the process."

j.benson@theday.com