Congressman Spratt defends vote on health care

By Matt Garfield of thestate.com

U.S. Rep. John Spratt joined Democrats in celebrating passage of health care reform Monday – but said he would’ve preferred a different approach to reach this point.

“Frankly, I would’ve done it differently had it been my call,” Spratt told The Herald in his first comments since Sunday night’s vote. “I would’ve done it in steps or stages. By taking on the whole bucketful of issues and problems, it only made it (more) complex.”

Incremental changes would’ve made it easier to win over skeptics, the York Democrat said. “At each stage, you would’ve brought the constituency affected by the changes along with you.”

But Spratt had plenty of praise for the final product. He said reforms will lower deficits by $143 billion over the next 10 years and by $1.2 trillion over the following 10 years, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.

Most Americans will keep the same insurance providers, but newly created exchanges will provide an option to those without suitable plans, Spratt said. Individuals without coverage could have access after 2013, and small businesses could phase into coverage over time.

Spratt doesn’t know if he’ll suffer politically for his support of the bill. South Carolina’s longest-serving congressman pledged to defend his vote as he campaigns for a 15th term.

“If people understand the logic and the actual extent of the policies…I think they’re persuadable,” he said. “Explaining the way this jigsaw puzzle was put together is extremely difficult to do. It will take a while.”

Critics blast the bill as a government takeover. Among the opponents is Dr. Sushil Singhi, a doctor with Carolina Cardiology Associates in Rock Hill, who called the bill “catastrophic” for its intrusion into the health care system.

“I am shocked and stunned by the governmental proposed involvement,” he said.

But Spratt said he also heard from supporters, including Piedmont Medical Center chief executive Charlie Miller, who wrote a letter describing how the current system is unsustainable; and from 150 cancer survivors who delivered a letter on Sunday urging Spratt to make insurance more affordable.

An unexpected role

It wasn’t until midway through Sunday night’s debate on the House floor that Spratt realized he would play a starring role.

Members of the House Budget Committee were the last to give speeches before the vote, which meant that Spratt’s job as chairman was to manage the time – and then welcome Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the chamber.

“I was where the action was when the bill had to be called from the clerk’s desk,” Spratt said. “It was like sharing a moment in history. But I really didn’t have much time to reflect on it.”

Spratt’s role drew swift criticism from his sole declared challenger in the fall election – Republican Mick Mulvaney, who represents parts of York and Lancaster counties in the S.C. Senate.

Mulvaney began circulating an e-mail petition at 11:20 p.m. Sunday – just minutes after the House approved the health care bill – asking 5th Congressional District residents to “formally reprimand” Spratt by voting against his re-election bid on Nov. 2.

At his town hall forums last summer, Spratt left constituents with the impression he was undecided on the bill, Mulvaney said. But when he returned to Capitol Hill, Spratt helped move the legislation through the House.

“It’s that disingenuousness that I think is really starting to rub people the wrong way – saying one thing down here and doing another in D.C.,” Mulvaney said. “That’s not right.”

A recent poll showed Spratt with a 46 percent to 39 percent lead over Mulvaney. It was the first survey taken in Spratt’s 5th District, which stretches across 14 counties, from the rural Pee Dee to York, Chester and Lancaster counties.

Spratt said he’s fine with health care reform being a pivotal issue in the fall campaign.

“I’m not going to run away from it, that’s for sure.”