As shown in this interactive map provided by National Public Radio (NPR), the majority of the districts with the highest uninsured rates are under republican or Blue Dog representation. Blue Dogs are conservative democrats who, for many reasons including reform, have worked to slow health care reform. In the NPR article, Who's Representing The Uninsured On Capitol Hill, Arkansas Republican Rep. Mike Ross’s involvement with the health care reform is analyzed taking into consideration his voice as one of the highest uninsured districts.
As most representatives, Ross held many town hall meetings over the past months. However, NPR notes that out of a 2+ hour meeting only three questions were asked by people without insurance. When asked why the meeting was so underrepresented, one attendee suggested that " [the uninsured] were too busy earning hourly wages and trying to keep roofs above their children's heads. [Their] voices are not going to be present in that discourse." If the uninsured are too busy to attend town halls how will they communicate their needs to politicians?
Over the course of the summer many congressmen held meeting with donors and constituents to talk about health care and raise campaign contributions. This summer alone, Rep. Ross earned $20,000 from health care political action committees. These donations usually come with suggestions on how to make health care work better for the private sector. Obviously the poor and uninsured are not making campaign contributions, so how are their voices being heard by the politicians that promise they’re working to help the uninsured? The answer? Re-election. Analysts suggest that even incumbent politicians worry about re-election. If politicians aren’t hearing the opinions of their constituents how will they correctly represent them in congress? Will the big players such as lobbyists and the wealthy drown out their needs?
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