Rallying for their voices to be heard in DC

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By Jamie Ertle-Durden - email

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - Across the country, citizens are fighting over health care. And at home, they want their voices heard.

A group of two dozen Democrats rallied at Congressman Jack Kingston's office around noon on Friday. Kingston is in Washington D.C. but that didn't stop them from marching with signs and sounding off on what they believe the most important vote of their lives: an affordable health care plan for all Americans.

"More than 60 percent of the people in the United States are insured by their employer, and healthcare for most small employers is a huge expense," said David Nagle. "If the public option was there, the fear is that the public option would be cheap, well, people who have small business need cheap insurance."

It's the public option that's driving a wedge between parties. "There is no way I can pass a bill without a public option," said speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi.

And it's not just locals concerned about their Republican representatives; President Obama doesn't know if there is any support at the top either.

And if there is no Republican support, top democrats confirm they're preparing for a "go it alone" approach. This would mean splitting health care reform into two parts.

Into one bill would go reforms on which there is bipartisan agreement, such as making insurance portable and requiring companies to take customers despite pre-existing conditions.

The second bill, which democrats could pass with a simple majority and no republican votes, would include more expensive and controversial changes, such as the public insurance option, which many democrats consider non negotiable.

Other rally attendees at Kingston's office think that there's a lot of scare tactics going on.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there that's being said about 'death panels' and such things that are not true. They're trying to put fear in the hearts of the American people," said Miguel Camacho.

"We know that the plan provides for those who are happy with what they have to keep it, and what we want to say is don't stand in the way," said Larry Pelligrini.