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Wisconsin’s Kagen says health care in U.S. discriminatory

U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Wis., told a group of students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin Friday morning there is a problem with discrimination in the nation’s health care system.

“If patients can’t afford the medication, what good is it?” Kagen, a UW alumnus, asked a group of about 100 at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital.

Kagen said the main problems with the current system are discrimination toward preexisting conditions, prices being out of reach for many and that having insurance does not guarantee access to health care.

He added his new proposal for the House of Representatives, named the “No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act,” addresses these issues.

“This legislation begins to ensure that every citizen has access to affordable health care,” he said. “It is time we put discrimination where it belongs — in the past.”

The bill would establish a competitive and transparent health care marketplace by requiring insurance companies to openly disclose their prices and charge every citizen within the region the same fee for the same service, Kagen explained.

Kagen said as a practicing physician he dealt with many people in need of these health care innovations, and he decided to run for Congress to make those changes. He added this move took him out of the world of facts into a world where people can be convinced as to what is true.

“Doctors and nurses don’t decide if people live or die,” he said. “It is politicians.”

College Republicans Chair Sara Mikolajczak said she disagrees with Kagen’s view. The problem with the current health care system, Mikolajczak said, is that politicians keep intervening. Citizens would benefit more from lower prices if health care was left alone, she added.

“Health care companies would be more competitive if politics were taken out,” she said.

According to Kagen, the Constitution protects against discrimination, but it is politicians who can make the change toward applying this established principle to health care. It is up to leaders to possess good judgment and make the sacrifices public service involves, Kagen said.

When he accepted his position as a congressman, Kagen said he declined all the health insurance and benefits included with the job until the government was able to offer the same health care to all citizens.

That personal sacrifice showed his dedication to his cause, according to Deb Sutinen of the UW School of Nursing. Kagen acts as a role model for UW medical students and encourages them to take on leadership to make improvements, she added.

Paul Sondel, a professor in pediatrics and Kagen’s former college roommate, said Kagen has always been dedicated to taking personal action in the best interest of his patients. His dedication to care for patients on a one-on-one basis made his shift from practice to politics a natural change, Sondel added.

“He is a terrific thinker and always focuses on what the bigger question or problem is,” Sondel said.

In our current health care system this problem is discrimination, and if the system isn’t changed, the companies aren’t going to make the change on their own, Kagen said. He added this new bill will promote health care equality by putting an end to discrimination.

“Simply put, if you’re a citizen, you’re in,” Kagen said.