Tea Party panelist: Dump employer-funded health care

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By Ben Sutherly, Staff Writer Updated 10:57 PM Tuesday, August 18, 2009

MORAINE — A Dayton Tea Party panelist thinks employer-funded health care should be dumped in favor of individual ownership of health insurance.

Such health plans should be tax-deductible and have high deductibles, with tax incentives to discourage overspending, said Dr. David Westbrock, who practices in Centerville.

Such reform also must involve transparency, with all providers of health-care services disclosing their prices, he told 250 people Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Mandalay Banquet Center.

Panelist Bryan Bucklew of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association said area hospitals oppose current plans before Congress.

Some audience members expressed dismay that they didn’t have a chance to express their feelings about health care directly to U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, as has been done at other town hall meetings throughout the country.

A Turner spokesman said the congressman instead attended an annual meeting of the National Park Service leadership in Dayton. A Turner flier said he would vote against the administration’s health care plan.

Prior to the Tea Party, 40 people rallied at the banquet center entrance, in favor of government intervention in health-care reform.

They sported signs with messages such as “Love Thy Neighbor/Support Reform,” and chanted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, scare tactics have got to go.”

Dr. Matthew Noordsij-Jones, 30, a resident at Wright State University, showed up in his white coat and waved at passing motorists on River Road. The perception that legislation will mean the government dictates one’s doctor is a misconception, he said.

“Reform has got to happen,” said Pete Houvouras of Communications Workers of America Local 4322. “We need to bring the insurance companies down a level.”

Other Dayton Tea Party health care forums are to be held Aug. 25 in Piqua, Aug. 26 in Kettering, and Aug. 27 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Tuesday’s event was paid for by organizer Rob Scott, who asked those attending for donations to cover costs.

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