U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess Saturday urged his congressional colleagues to ignore their party leadership, listen to constituents and draft a meaningful, bipartisan health care plan.

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U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess speaks to a large crowd before taking questions at a town hall meeting on proposed health care reform Saturday in Denton.

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“Will we be able to ignore our leadership and work out something that will work? I think we can,” Burgess, R-Lewisville, told an estimated 1,500 at his Denton town hall meeting.

He also urged people to continue voicing their concerns to their congressmen and said attendance at town hall meetings around the country has been high.

“Don’t let up on this,” he said. “In May I didn’t think we would be able to stop this [President Obama’s health care proposal].”

Burgess, who has openly criticized the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 in recent weeks, reiterated an offer made last month to sit down with Obama and discuss their differences line by line.

Organizers staged the event in the parking lot outside Denton’s Center for the Visual Arts, where hundreds stood to hear the fourth-term congressman. People filled the 400 chairs, and an estimated 200 people stood in the air-conditioned building and listened through a sound system.

After a few minutes of opening remarks, Burgess fielded questions from the audience.

In answering questions and responding to comments during the 90-minute meeting, Burgess criticized “vague language” in the bill as it related to “end of life orders,” an issue he said was too important to not spell out clearly.

He also expressed his opposition to using tax money to pay for abortions.

Some praised Burgess for his work and voiced their opposition to the health care bill; others expressed their support for the bill.

Sondra Ferstl, president of the League of Women Voters of Denton, urged Burgess to change his mind and support Obama’s proposal.

“Medicare coverage is not enough,” she said.

Burgess pledged that he would not support Obama’s plan, but he said some sort of health care reform is needed.

Some expressed disappointment that Republicans did not come up with a health care reform plan when they controlled both houses of Congress, and Burgess listed several ways that he had tried to do so.

Many of the comments, both from the public and from Burgess, were met with cheers or boos from supporters of different sides of the debate.

Burgess discussed insurance pools and medical co-ops as possible ways to help uninsured people afford health care.

“The ability for people outside an employment plan to pool together and get a better deal is something I support,” Burgess said.

Marilyn Dailey of Denton said she was pleased that Burgess listened to constituents.

“He is one of the few who is really standing up for what the people have to say,” she said.

MATTHEW ZABEL can be reached at 940-566-6884. His e-mail address is mzabel@dentonrc.com.