Public Forum on U.S. Healthcare Reform" featuring Wyoming US Senator Mike Enzi was sponsored by Public Policy Committee of the Campbell County Chamber of Commerce, Gillette, Wyoming.
By By Black Hills Today.com staff writer - Kathy L. Swensen
Enzi Healthcare Reform - Gillette, Wyoming
The Campbell County Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee was the Sponsor of the “Public Forum on U.S. Healthcare Reform," featuring Senator Mike Enzi, was held at South Campus of Campbell County High Schools, Gillette, Wyoming. The panel presentation convened at 5:30 – 7 PM on Monday, August 24, 2009. Julie Simon, President of the Campbell County Chamber of Commerce, Gillette, Wy., served as Emcee for this important event.
VIP panelists were: Wyoming U.S. Senator John Barrasso, MD; Wyoming State Representative Timothy Hallinan, elected in 2006 & 2008, currently serving on state Labor, Health & Social Services, and Transportation and Military Affairs Committees; Dr. Carol Hungerford, President of WyDA (Wyoming Dental Association) 2008-2009; Ken Clouston, current Vice President of the Wyoming Physical Therapy Association; Bob Neuwirth MD, Hospitalist Medical Director and Medical Director of the outpatient Dialysys unit; Campbell County Memorial Hospital Chronic Care, and 2008 Fellow of American College of Physicians; Andy Fitzgerald, Executive Vice President and CFO Campbell County Memorial Hospital; Sue Howard, Wyoming Nurses Association; and Dan Perdue, President of WHA - Wyoming Hospital Association. WHA serves as the voice of Wyoming hospitals before local, state, regional, and national legislative and regulatory bodies, the media, and the general public.
Emcee, Julie Simon, President of Campbell County Chamber of Commerce, gave guidelines for the evenings events, and introduced George McMurtry, a former State Representative, former ER Director, and retired Public Health Officer. McMurtry said: “you never give a legislator a microphone, they'll never give it up!” He said he was pleased and privileged to introduce U.S. Senator, Mike Enzi, the Senior Senator from Wyoming, who was Mayor of Gillette, when they first met.
Kicking off the opening statements to an audience of approximately 1,000, U.S. Senator Michael B. Enzi, sworn in as Wyoming's 20th United States Senator, 1997, extended a thank you to U.S. Senator John Barasso for attending at the last minute. Senator Enzi currently serves on these three MAJOR U.S. SENATE Committees:
1) Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; 2) Finance; and 3) Budget.
Quoting the Sponsor, the Campbell County Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee's flier available to the attending crowd, “Senator Enzi has a unique way of breaking down party lines and working across the aisle. His way of working across party lines is gaining momentum around the nation's capital. Since 2005, under his 80% rule, he has had 39 bills go through the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and be signed into law by the President. Enzi believes that people can agree on 80% of the time and if they leave the other 20% out they can get a lot done. With that mentality he has turned one of the most contentious Senate committees into one of the most productive.”
Senator Enzi said opening thank-yous and suggestions to audience for submitting written questions, and pointed out his staff in the room, and for those who had personal and private concerns, to go to them with those issues. Senator Enzi said the only topic addressed at this event was going to be about Healthcare. Enzi said that this Healthcare Reform Bill is the biggest bill he's ever worked on, and with the most impact on private citizens, and a bigger bill than anyone can imagine. He said, “I've never worked on any bill that affects 100% of the people of the United States, a 100% of the businesses, and 100% of the Providers.”
He also said, “I've spent a lot of time building up trust across the aisle, a lot of time building productivity across the aisle, and it' s resulted in being able to pass some bills for YOU. I am one of the two most conservative Senators currently in the Senate. Barrasso & I as the two most conservative, worked with Senator Kennedy, one of the 3 most liberal in the Senate, and we were still able to get a lot done. Then, Senator Enzi proceeded to tell about how things in the committees began to work better. See Senator Enzi's "10 Steps to solve Healthcare in the US," on his own website.
Click below to continue viewing the following video segments of this 2 hour event:
Thank you for your time taken to view these important representations of Health Care concerns, not only in Wyoming, but representing the same issues across all states of our United States of America. www.blackhillstoday.com
