Town hall meetings sparked a few uproars in his 3rd District, but Rep. Nick Rahall says the people he serves overwhelmingly agreed with his support of the House health care legislation.

In Beckley this week for a transportation seminar, Rahall said he is convinced his vote in favor of the bill reflected the sentiments of his constituents, based on messages to his Capitol office.

�That has come across my desk in many different forms over the last several months,� Rahall, D-W.Va., said.

Rahall considers August �the low point,� when opponents voiced strong opinions against the bill, but once the town hall meetings subsided, the veteran congressman said he noticed a sustained increase in support.

�I recognized the organized form of some of the opposition at the town hall meetings,� he said. �Not all. But there was some.�

After that, as more details became available about the massive bill, and as abortion concerns were addressed, the support began to build, Rahall said.

Rahall said many feared the health care package would open the door to federally financed abortions, but that issue was resolved.

�There are no federal funds for abortion,� he said.

�It�s much like the Hyde language that has been in place for 30 years, which I have always supported. And this was expressed by the bipartisan support for the amendment on the floor.�

Americans for Limited Government took Rahall to task for what its president, Bill Wilson, termed the �$2.1 million takeover of the nation�s entire health care sector in spite of overwhelming public opposition to the measure.�

Wilson said Rahall signed �a political suicide pact for which he will be held accountable. He has gone against the express will of his constituents who opposed this legislation.�

Rahall sharply disagreed that he voted against the wishes of the 3rd District.

�Support to this date is building even more and more for the position I took and the thanks have been quite surprising to me that I have received,� he said.

Rahall said the response to the health care proposal has outstripped that of previous issues and he attributed that largely to the almost non-stop media coverage.

�It was probably the most vented piece of legislation in my 33 years here,� he said.

�Everything was transparent, open, out there for people to see. The debate was watched more closely than perhaps any piece of legislation with which I have been involved.�

Rahall said he expects to see a bill on President Obama�s desk before the year is out but declined to speculate on what shape it would take once it works its way through the Senate.

�Oh, yeah,� he said when asked if the Senate would make changes.

�But I can�t predict how. You�ll have to ask them.�

� E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com