Whenever I go to knock on someone's door, I walk up to it realizing that most likely the voter will tell me that they are concerned about the lack of affordable health care. Health care is, by far, the number one issue that voters want to talk about in my district. One hardcore Republican told me that "our healthcare system is fine - everybody gets taken care of in the end." Apparently he hasn't been watching the news or reading the papers for a few decades. According to the National Coalition on Health Care:
A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that the average out-of-pocket medical debt for those who filed for bankruptcy was $12,000. The study noted that 68 percent of those who filed for bankruptcy had health insurance. In addition, the study found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses (12). Every 30 seconds in the United States someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.
The fact of the matter is that we need to open a real dialogue on the issue, and for some reason the Republicans are still afraid to. Oddly enough, it seems that their supporters in big business would benefit greatly if health care costs went down, yet the insurance industry has bought them off, and they are steadfastly against any real reforms.
If you are one of those people who believe that there is nothing wrong with health care, check out this web site that I just made for an old family friend. She has worked hard in life, as has her husband. They have health insurance, but it's not enough. Should every sick person in the country have to create a web site and hold a fundraising event to cover their medical bills? Apparently that's a part of the system working, in the view of some.
We need people in the Assembly and Senate with the guts to work on the hard issues, not just pay the lip-service at election time. The Republican, Curt Gielow, who currently holds the seat that I am running for tried, and he deserves credit for it. It's too bad the others in his party won't take a cue from him.
(Reposted from my campaign blog at billforwisconsin.com.