Costello: ‘Yes’ vote to health care is worth it

CARBONDALE - If he loses re-election over his "yes" vote to President Barack Obama's health care reform, U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello said it will have been worth it, simply because something had to be done, he said.

The Belleville Democrat, who has served as representative of the 12th Congressional District of Illinois since 1988, told members of The Southern Illinoisan editorial board Monday he changed his vote, from no to yes, back in March because the final bill addressed two areas of concern he had with the original - cost and federal funding for abortions.

Before the Sunday vote, Costello said he had viewed reports by the Congressional Budget Office the bill would not add to the deficit but reduce it by $140 billion over 10 years. And after meeting with the president - which Costello admitted was not a pleasant one - he and other House Democrats were able to convince Obama to sign an executive order assuring that no federal funding would go to pay for abortions.

Satisfied with the changes, Costello decided to change his vote, a move he knew would set him up for backlash among constituents in his home district opposed to the measure.

"When I cast the vote, I knew it was not a popular thing to do," Costello said. "The safe vote would have been a ‘no' vote."

Costello said Monday he realizes more backlash may yet come if people, who already have health insurance, see increases in their premiums for next year. Insurers, he added, will blame any increase on health reform.

However, Costello said he was driven by this overall conviction: "Something had to be done. The current system is unsustainable."

Obama's health reform is far from perfect, said Costello, who has long advocated for a single-payer health care system in the U.S., and the White House did a terrible job explaining the bill to the American people, he added.

Costello is running against Republican opponent Teri Newman for the Nov. 2 election. While he admits he's never run against a candidate quite like Newman, Costello said he is sticking to his record of being a moderate Democrat in Congress and a "free agent," devoid of loyalties to political parties or caucuses.

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com / 618-351-5090

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