Health care ideas debated

Ran Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Health care ideas debated

By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-telegram Staff

Chippewa Valley Republicans and Democrats don't see eye to eye on health care reform.
In the Democrat-controlled Senate, a health care plan called Healthy Wisconsin, included in the budget, was passed. Under the Healthy Wisconsin plan, people could contribute 4 percent of their monthly income, with no deductibles for children, to a trust and employers would pay between 10 and 14 percent on gross employee wages.
The Assembly, led by Republicans, cut that idea. Instead they proposed Health Saving Accounts where families would have a minimum deductible of $2,200, and a reported average of $4,070. Money is put into a personal account to be used exclusively for health care.
A consumer watchdog report released by Citizen Action of Wisconsin Tuesday said HSAs should be feared.
Tom Ahrens, western Wisconsin regional organizer for CAW, likened HSAs to "snake oil."
"It's a fancy-looking bottle with colorful liquid," he said. "This is the Assembly version of snake oil. It won't solve the problem, it will only make it worse."
According to 2002 census figures, the average income for a family in Wisconsin is $66,988. Paying thousands of dollars before receiving help is a irrational expectation of the average family, Ahrens said.
"It's a scam to let rich people shelter their tax money and dodge responsibility in that area," he said.
State Rep. Terry Moulton, R-Chippewa Falls, said the snake-oil analogy is turned around.
"They've got that backwards; the Healthy Wisconsin program is snake oil," Moulton said.
Moulton called Healthy Wisconsin a huge government-run system without legitimate public input.
"A government run socialized medicine plan is not the solution to a problem," Moulton said of Healthy Wisconsin. "In the long run, what will happen will be huge costs, lower quality and less access."
Citing countries such as Canada and France which currently have universal health care plans and have, he said, given some thought to turning to market-driven forums, Moulton thinks Healthy Wisconsin would be a program promoting socialist health care plans.
"Government will have to ration care," he said. "And decide who will pay for it."
State Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, supports Healthy Wisconsin as an innovative idea.
People will be able to chose from state-sponsored health care companies and no one will be denied coverage, Smith said.
The Healthy Wisconsin plan is one Jill Schwenzfeier of Eau Claire likes to hear.
With 7- and 3-year-old children who have special needs, health care for them is a challenge. Each month the family is in limbo decided which bill to pay and which company to beg to not send to collections.
"I'm having to choose between going bankrupt or caring for my kids," she said.
With the Healthy Wisconsin plan, she would be able to pay for coverage and her children would get the help they need.