Rep. Ellsworth to Support Health Overhaul
By the Associated Press
3/19/2010

Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth said Friday he will vote for the health care overhaul bill and was swayed to support the contentious legislation in part because it maintains restrictions on federal funding for abortion.

The conservative Democrat from southern Indiana said in a statement that he believes that the proposed $940 billion health bill will benefit Indiana residents by reducing medical costs and improving access to affordable health insurance.

Ellsworth, who opposes abortion, said the bill meets his principles and upholds the current policy of no federal funding for elective abortions.

"After months of meetings and conversations with thousands of Hoosiers, health care experts and pro-life advocates, I am confident supporting health care reform is the right decision for Hoosiers," he said.

The two-term congressman, who is running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, had been under pressure from groups on both sides of the health care debate as the vote nears.

Fellow Democratic Reps. Joe Donnelly and Baron Hill are now the only ones among Indiana's nine congressmen who are undecided on the bill. All four Republican congressmen oppose the measure, which the U.S. House is expected to consider Sunday.

Opponents of the health care plan mounted protests this week against the proposal, including protests outside Donnelley's and Ellsworth state offices.

On Monday, a "Kill the bill" rally hosted by the Indianapolis Tea Party drew U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., and a large, vocal crowd to the Indiana Statehouse's south lawn. Pence, the third-ranking Republican in the House, told the gathering that the health care bill would bring a "government takeover of health care" and "job-killing taxes."

Ellsworth said in his statement that he was frustrated by what he called "all the political games" that arose during the long debate on President Barack Obama's push for Congress to overhaul the nation's health care system.

"Unfortunately, many in both parties made snap judgments on whether or not they would support this bill based on politics, not policy," he said.

"I needed to answer only one question when deciding whether to support this reform: Will this bill benefit Hoosiers? Put simply, in my core I know it does."

He said the bill would reduce costs, improve access to affordable health insurance options, cover pre-existing conditions "and does not add one penny to the deficit."

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