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PLATTSBURGH — North Country Congressman William Owens says he has not made up his mind on how he will vote on the health-care reform package, but he promises politics will not sway him.
"I am not going to be pressured by anybody," Owens said Tuesday.
"I am going to do what is in the best interests of my district."
KEY VOTES
Owens is seen as one of four key Democratic votes in Congress from Upstate New York on the controversial health-care-reform bill.
Although he has expressed support for forms of the bill so far, Owens said he wants to see the official language of the bill before he commits to the final package.
A vote is expected by this weekend as the nation watches closely.
PRESSURED?
In recent days, national reports have said that Owens and other swing-vote Democrats are being pressured and threatened by party leaders and health-care unions who want the bill to pass.
If they don't vote for the bill, the party and unions have reportedly threatened to not only pull support in this year's election but to back opponents.
Owens, a former Plattsburgh attorney who won a special election for the seat in the 23rd District last year, said Tuesday that he has not been threatened in any way.
"No one has had that conversation with me. I think they know me well enough that they know that won't work."
OWENS CONCERNS
Owens said he is mainly concerned about a provision in the Senate version of the bill that could mean a $4 billion to $5 billion hit for New York in reimbursements.
He is also concerned about how taxes on health-care benefits will affect people in the district.
"I want to see the final language because sometimes there is a big slip in what they say and what the actual language is."
Owens's victory last November marked the first time a Democrat has won the seat since 1852. The district covers 11 counties from Lake Ontario in the west to Lake Champlain in the east.
Many political observers believe that Owens's vote on health care will determine whether he gets re-elected this year.
Owens said he is not worried about any potential fallout.
"That's politics. I am going to do what, in my judgment, is best for my district."
JOB POTENTIAL
Owens ran on a platform of job creation in the North Country, and he said health-care reform could mean more jobs.
"One of the largest areas of job growth is in health care, and with this reform, we may get more job growth in the health-care industry."
UNYTEA ISSUES
The health-care reform bill is not a hit with everyone.
The head of the Upstate New York Tea Party says deciding on the bill should be easy for Owens.
"There is no reason for the congressman to be undecided," Tea Party organizer Mark L. Barie said. "The Senate version calls for $500 billion in new taxes, and it spends a trillion dollars we don't have."
Tort reform is a big debate in the health-care fight.
Barie said that about $200 billion is wasted every year on defensive medicine that is ordered to protect doctors from possible lawsuits.
"For $200 billion, you could issue a health-insurance voucher to every uninsured man, woman and child in the United States.
"If Mr. Owens was truly serious about helping the uninsured, he'd be telling his colleagues in the Bar Association to take the hit instead of his constituents."
E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com
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