Altmire Decides to Vote 'No' on Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON (March 19) -- Make that a "no."

Rep. Jason Altmire, one of the last remaining undecideds on the health care reform bill, made clear Friday afternoon that he will vote against the legislation championed by his Democratic Party leadership because constituents back home in western Pennsylvania oppose it.

Altmire has been the subject of intense scrutiny as one of 39 conservative Blue Dog Democrats who voted against the bill in November. Party leaders have been trying to persuade them to switch their votes on Sunday when the measure goes to the House floor.

Earlier this week, in an interview with AOL News, Altmire said it would be "a disservice" to his district not to hear from as many constituents about the bill as possible. "There's definitely a tilt in opposition to the bill," he said. "If that continues this week, that's going to play a major role in my decision."

But on Friday, he said it was clear that the "vast majority" of his district opposes the bill.

"I ran for Congress in large part because I believe we need to find a way to bring down the cost of health care. I also ran for Congress with a simple promise: I would do my best to represent my district and to give western Pennsylvania a voice in Washington, not the other way around," he said in a statement posted on his Web site.

Altmire said that after a year of debate on health care, lawmakers had produced a measure "that I cannot support."

"The cost of inaction on health care is great, but it would be an even bigger mistake to pass a bill that could compound the problem of skyrocketing health care costs," he said.

"Simply moving money around within the existing system, rather than enacting real delivery-system reform, might change who pays the bill, but it does not improve the quality of care or reduce costs for families, small businesses or the federal government. It creates a system of winners and losers, rather than reforming the system in a way that lets everyone win."

Altmire said he knew his decision would disappoint some, but "the vast majority" of his constituents were against the bill.

"The politically easy vote would have been to vote with my party," he said. "But I was not sent to Congress to take the easy way out or to vote the way they want me to vote in Washington. I was elected to represent my district and give western Pennsylvania a voice in Congress."