As long as I've known him, Frank Pallone has been willing to jump in and try new ways of talking to people. This Twitter Town Hall - which you can read along with here - was pretty cool, no doubt about it. Follow him here. - Rosi
I want to thank everyone who took part in my first Twitter Town Hall - I had a great time doing it and I'm looking forward to coming back again to answer questions on different issues. Congress is truly making history by reforming the health care system. Seven presidents tried - none were successful. We are now on the verge of sending President Obama reforms that will lower premiums, increase competition, and increase access to near universal levels.
But this would not have been possible without you. Citizen participation is important, so when a new technology like Twitter comes along and gives me a new medium to reach constituents and activists - I am happy to embrace it.
We had a lively discussion about the effects of the bill on Medicare, how mandates may affect students and what people can expect when the bill is law. We dispelled myths about the bill and clarified the bill's intentions.
After health care reform is passed and nearly 30 million more Americans are covered there will still be challenges ahead. Climate change, Afghanistan, financial regulation, and a slew of other issues need to be tackled - and we need all of you helping us to combat the special interests. I know some progressives are disheartened by the Senate stripping the public option out of the reform package and so was I. But we must keep our eyes open to the big picture. The public option would only affect approximately 5 million Americans;whereas, the health exchanges we are creating will affect over 30 million. In addition, this bill ends discriminatory practices such as pre-existing conditions and expands Medicaid, among other important reforms. This is real progress on an important American issue.
Thank you again for participating. I hope you'll enjoy some behind the scenes photos and video from the Town Hall and if you have any other questions please visit Pallone for New Jersey . And if you aren't already, please follow me on Twitter so you can participate next time.
