Even Herb Kohl is pushing a public option

[PeaceNikki]

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 21, 2009

KOHL CONTINUES TOUR OF WISCONSIN TO TALK ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senator Herb Kohl held a public town hall in Kenosha, the latest in a series of statewide events on health care reform. Kohl has also held events in Superior, Janesville, Eau Claire, Marinette, and LaCrosse where he has heard from smart, thoughtful constituents on all sides of the issue, including consumers, providers, employers, employees, families and senior citizens.

Kohl is reinforcing the need to stay engaged in these discussions into the fall. When Congress reconvenes in September, Kohl hopes to see members returning with a renewed commitment to passing a strong bill. Wisconsin’s senior senator is stressing the importance of expanding access to coverage, one of the most significant aspects of health reform. He is urging the inclusion of provisions to create some sort of public option, to end discrimination of those with pre-existing conditions, and to put a cap on co-pays and other out-of-pocket expenses.

“Having gotten to this point in the debate, we shouldn’t just say ‘let’s settle and move on,’” Kohl says. “We can’t just back away because we fear that we won’t achieve these goals, or because the powerful interest groups and industries win the day against the interests of the people.”

At these events, Kohl focuses heavily on the need to reign in the rising costs of health care, while maintaining and improving health care quality. Kohl is citing statistics that the United States spends $7,290 on health care per person, per year—while the average spent by the 30 most developed countries is $2,960 per person, per year. Despite this discrepancy, studies show that the U.S. ranks below average on major health indicators, including infant mortality and life expectancy, when compared to other industrialized countries.

“We cannot afford to wait another ten or twenty years until health care costs consume an even greater percentage of the economy, not to mention the budgets of small businesses and American families,” Kohl tells his constituents. “It is unacceptable that we have so much more of our money tied up in health care; yet we are not delivering demonstrably better health care than many of these countries.”

Kohl is also setting the record straight by addressing some of the harmful rumors. Kohl, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, has reassured seniors that Medicare will stay intact, that the services they have come to rely on will not change, and that absolutely no one will tell seniors how and when their life will end. Kohl says these blatant distortions are being spread by opponents of health reform in order to weaken support for a strong bill that will protect the rights of health care consumers.

Good for him! :thumbsup:

It's not "dead", Representative Kucinich.