Reactions to the passage of a significant health care reform bill Sunday remain divided in Wisconsin, with some heralding the bill as a long-awaited insurance solution while others claim it is a dangerous move away from American ideals.
The $940 billion bill includes widespread reforms to United States health care, such as preventing health insurance companies from withholding coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, capping out-of-pocket expenses for patients and allowing dependents to remain on their parents’ insurance until they are 26 years old.
The House also passed a reconciliation bill that included corrections to the Senate bill and student loan reforms. While the health care bill is scheduled to hit the president’s desk this week, the reconciliation bill will now head to the Senate.
The extension of health care coverage for dependents to the age of 26 is one aspect of the bill that Shana Risse, a 23-year-old University of Wisconsin senior who works as a nursing assistant at Meriter Hospital, strongly supports.
“At the hospital, we see a lot of younger people who just got kicked off their parents plan,” Risse said. “You’ll see a lot of that with new grads. If you can’t get a job with great benefits, you’re in trouble.”
Some in Wisconsin have heralded reforms like this as a more efficient form of health care.
“This will lead to a more cost-effective way to pay for and deliver health care in our country and lower costs in the long run, making health care more affordable for all Americans,” Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., said in a statement.
Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, called the bill a “milestone” in a statement, saying, “This is one of those rare instances when calling a vote ‘historic’ is not an exaggeration.”
But the partisan nature of the voting was still extremely evident, with not one Republican voting in favor of the bill. All three Wisconsin Republicans voted against it.
“The simple fact is the outcome of this vote is a disappointment for America, our Founding Fathers, our children and our grandchildren,” Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said in a statement.
Another divisive issue has been the question of whether federal health care subsidies will cover elective abortions, a claim made by groups such as Pro-Life Wisconsin and legislators such as Sensenbrenner. Republican claims stem from a compromise made by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and President Barack Obama. While the bill does not include a ban on funding of abortions, Obama indicated Sunday that he would sign an executive order extending the current federal ban, known as the Hyde Amendment, to the health care bill.
Despite opposition, the bill will have a real influence on many UW students’ lives, such as sophomore Kelly Dale. Dale was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the beginning of the semester, and although she is on her parent’s health insurance plan now, the issue of finding health care with a pre-existing condition in the future was a concern.
“I was going to school knowing that I was going to have to pay more for insurance eventually, to have trouble getting better insurance and to have to pay more for it anyways,” Dale said. “It’s nice to know that I’m not going to be stigmatized.”
