Connecticut Local Politics

Rep. Chris Shays, along with Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), will be in Norwalk (Norwalk Hospital) today at 3:30 to announce the introduction of the American Health Benefits Programs. Billed as “the first bipartisan universal health care plan to originate in the U.S. House of Representatives” (Press Release), AHBP is “is modeled after the successful Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.”

I’d like to welcome Chris Shays to supporting the improvement in Health Coverage. Here is Shays, “Cost and access to health care remains among the top concerns of residents of the Fourth District.” [emphasis mine] Really? It remains a top concern? Then where was Chris Shays on this exact bill when it was introduced in 2004 and 2005? Because he wasn’t a co-sponsor, either year. Both years, the bill was killed in committee – and Chris Shays sat in the majority with an opportunity to get on board and work his party, the majority party at the time, to get this bill a vote. Was it not “among the top concerns of residents of the Fourth District” in 2004 and 2005? Did it somehow only become a “top concern” with Shays out of the majority, rendering his support less than useful, and in a fight for his political life?

Moreover, was “[c]ost and access to health care” not that important when Rep. Shays voted against a plan to create an analog of the FEHBP (just like the bill he is co-sponsoring now!) for small businesses in 2004? Or when he voted against a plan to allow small business to buy into insurance pools and subsidized low-income workers working at small businesses in 2005? What brought this change of heart about?

While I would love to think that Rep. Shays has seen the light on this issue and is poised to become a champion of health care access (wouldn’t it be pretty to think so?), sadly I don’t. Because we have actually seen this song and dance before!

In August 2006, just 2 months before the 2006 election and facing a strong challenge from a candidate hitting him on his support for the war (he scratched out a 3 point win), Rep. Shays came out in favor of a timeline for withdrawal:

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), once an ardent supporter of the war in Iraq, said yesterday that the Bush administration should set a time frame for withdrawing U.S. troops. He added that most of the withdrawal could take place next year [2007].

Just 3 1/2 months after that close win, Rep. Shays was advocating sending more troops to Iraq:

Yesterday, Shays declared on the House floor that he would not vote for the resolution opposing escalation in Iraq.

He then voted against timelines for withdrawal that were longer than the one he proposed in the midst of his election campaign. Again. And again. And again.

Based on this track record, if Shays were to be reelected, he would be just as likely to be voting to close hospitals in 2009 as he would to be voting for universal health care. You simply can’t trust what he says and does as he nears a close challenge to his political future.