In a press release late Sunday night, Michael Pipe, the presumptive Democratic nominee for PA’s 5th Congressional District, was happy to announce his support for the bill and his dismay that his opposition, US Rep. Glenn Thompson, had voted no. He said the following:

“People should not have to decide whether to get health care of pay the rent. People should not have to decide between buying insurance for themselves or their kids. Insurance companies should be able to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. Young people should be able to stay on their parents plan until the age of 26.”

He also said that the district in which he is running would benefit directly from the bill.

“According to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, 394,000 insured residents would get improved health coverage, 23,000 uninsured residents could get coverage, and 121,000 Medicare beneficiaries would get improved coverage.”

Thompson, along with the rest of the GOP in the House, voted ‘no’ to reform Sunday night. If you recall, he voted ‘nay’ to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Who wants to bet he’ll reap the benefits of the health care act, just as he did with the ARRA, once it is signed into law?

Pipe also said that he looks forward to his upcoming debates with GT in public forums around the 5th district.

“I’m looking forward to holding him accountable,” Pipe said.

With a major victory in the pockets of the Democratic party, it should be interesting to see in the next few months how HCR affects the voting behavior of the 5th district. The bill may just as well swing some support from GT’s support base over to Pipe if it turns out that the reform works as it is supposed to. It certainly doesn’t hurt Pipe’s chances at taking on the Republican incumbent.

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