News
Monthly Networking Luncheon
by: KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writers
Thursday, August 27, 2009
8/27/2009 9:27:16 AM
Watch Video
"I'm trying to get them to, but they haven't I paid that myself they didn't pay it," the 1st District Republican said, "so, I'm having those (health-care) challenges just like everyone else."
Sullivan made his remarks during a question-and-answer session that followed his speech at a Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
In response to a question about why members of Congress receive retirement and health-care benefits that are different from what ordinary citizens receive, Sullivan provided a few details regarding his own health-care troubles.
"People say we have this insurance that is gold-plated and different from everyone else," he said. "Well, it's good insurance, make no mistake — it's good. But I have Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance. It is a federal Blue Cross-Blue Shield plan. I pay for it, too."
He added, "I just went to rehab at the Betty Ford Center for alcohol rehab and my insurance company did not pay for it. "
After the speech, the congressman elaborated on his claim that his insurance company had not paid for his stay at the clinic.
Sullivan said he has paid the $24,000 bill and that he submitted a claim a few weeks ago.
"They say they haven't gotten that, so I'm going to continue the process," he said.
Sullivan said he did not consider whether his insurance would cover the stay at the clinic before he entered the California facility in May.
"It didn't really matter at the time," he said. "I just needed to go."
Nicole Amend, senior supervisor of public relations for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, said that "due to privacy laws and out of respect for our members' rights, we're unable to discuss an individual's claims."
During his brief remarks to an audience of more than 100 people at the Hispanic Chamber luncheon, Sullivan again said he believes President Obama is taking the wrong approach to health-care reform.
"A $1.5 trillion takeover of our health-care system by government, a one-size-fits-all program with a lot of bureaucracy, 31 different agencies and bureaucracies and czars between the patient and the doctor, is not the right approach," he said.
Sullivan said a better approach would be to offer medical savings accounts and the use of tax credits for people to buy their own insurance. And insurance, he said, should be portable.
In addition, he suggested the use of associated health-care programs that he said would allow organizations with many members, such as the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, to use their leverage to bargain for the best possible coverage and rates.
Sullivan said the current health-care proposals were put together hastily and are not being communicated to the public clearly. It's time to slow the process down, he said.
"We need to get everybody together, the doctors, the hospitals, the patients, the insurance companies, everyone sitting together at the table, and that didn't happen in this," he said.
Sullivan answered several questions on immigration, saying the system was broken and in need of reform.
He said amnesty for illegal immigrants does not have support from either Republicans or Democrats in Congress.
He acknowledged initially "signing on" to a proposal that would deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents but said that the issue is a complicated one that deserves further review.
"There are questions out there, if someone intentionally came to the United States to have their child and to utilize services or become a citizen or whatever, we need to look at that as well." he said.
"But, someone that is born in the United States, it does say in our Constitution that they are a citizen of the United States."
Sullivan also was asked why his speech before the chamber was not posted on his Web site. He said he did not know and apologized to the crowd.
After the meeting, he elaborated, saying the event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel was intended as an opportunity to speak directly to members of the Hispanic Chamber.
"It was on their Web site," Sullivan said.
News Archive