Pashinski lobbies feds for health care reform

Aug. 09--WILKES-BARRE -- State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski made the case that universal health care is a moral right at a packed public forum Tuesday night.

Pashinski, D-121, Wilkes-Barre, invited constituents to a discussion about the out-of-control cost of health care, which he said is caused by insurance company price gouging and corporate greed.

He spoke to a receptive audience that filled a meeting room at Rodano's restaurant and bar in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Every seat was filled and people stood against the walls as Pashinski passionately made the case that "everyone in the United States should have health care."

"Health care is not a choice," Pashinski said. "It's life and death and we can't forget that. ... You cannot put a price on life and death."

The state lawmaker said he will take his case to the federal level.

Earlier Tuesday, Pashinski said he is sending a letter to the Northeast Pennsylvania delegation in the U.S. Congress, challenging them to get behind his idea to launch a health care task force to come up with solutions to solve what he repeatedly called a "crisis."

At the evening forum, Pashinski outlined his plan.

The task force should have "one year to rip apart the system," Pashinski said.

"All of which will be transparent to you, the people," he told the audience.

The task force would issue monthly reports and status updates, he said.

The federal government would fully fund health care exchanges for one year as the task force did its job, Pashinski said.

The veteran Democrat took a jab at the efforts of some Republicans in Congress to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

"When the Affordable Care Act fails, millions of people will suffer," he said. "This is inhumane."

Pashinski said all Americans should be entitled to a basic health care plan, which he called the "Chevy" model. Those who could afford it could splurge for the more extensive "Cadillac" and "Mercedes" packages, he said.

Pashinski described a decades-long deterioration in the affordability of health care for working-class Americans.

"In the '50s and '60s health care was not a problem," he said.

During the 1990s it became difficult for many Americans to afford decent health care, Pashinski said.

He placed much of the blame on greed, pointing to last year's 400 percent increase in the cost of EpiPens, which can save the lives of those suffering from severe allergic reactions.

"Think about this," he said. "It costs more than your mortgage or your car payment. We are being gouged."

On Tuesday evening, Pashinski described his efforts to lobby for health care reform over the past decade, since he participated in a task force dedicated to the topic in 2008.

Earlier Tuesday, he vowed he would continue to fight for affordable health care for all Americans.

"This is the starting point -- here in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania," he said. "I'm not going to stop."

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