Update: Whitehouse health-care chat, Langevin 'town hall'

Published Aug. 13, 2009 at 11:32 p.m.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse will host a community dinner at the West Warwick Senior Center in West Warwick, Thursday August 20 to listen to Rhode Islanders' personal stories about the crisis in our health insurance system -- and their ideas about how to fix it.

The event takes place at 145 Washington Street, West Warwick. Residents can RSVP by visiting Whitehouse's Web site, calling (401) 453-5294, or sending a message to rsvp_whitehouse@whitehouse.senate.gov...RSVPs are encouraged, but not required.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin is set to host a "town hall meeting" Wednesday at the Warwick Police Station, the first of two such meetings scheduled during the congressman's summer break from Washington.

While there is no set agenda for the meeting, which is open to the public, Langevin spokesman Joy Fox acknowledged that the health-care debate playing out across the country will likely be a topic of conversation.

"Our town hall meetings by design are general, so folks can feel they can come and talk about whatever they like to," Fox said. "Certainly we expect health care to come up."

Langevin supports the current House version of the health care changes being debated in Congress -- which would, among other things, offer people a government-sponsored plan, in addition to requiring coverage for most Americans -- although the fate of the bill is far from certain.

Some members of Congress, while on their summer break, have met resistance in some town hall meetings in recent weeks. Fox said that Langevin was aware "of what's going on nationally," but expects things will go well in his Rhode Island events. While the first is planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday night, the second is set for 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3 at the bandstand in Westerly's Wilcox Park.

The national health-care debate continues to play out in Rhode Island Thursday afternoon, where a collection of medical professionals and community advocates will rally in support of Congress' health care proposals.

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