One Wisconsin Now

Two more candidates have stepped up to support the health care referendums, Kerry Kittel from the 29th Assembly District and Roberta Rasmus from the 67th.

Kudos and huzzahs and hooray for these two candidates who are willing to step forward and lead on this important issue!

Contrast the attitude and integrity of these two candidates who are willing to step up and unambiguously state their position with the behavior of the "cut and runners" who ditched the League of Women Voters forum the other night.

What kind of legislator does Wisconsin need?

The Oct. 26th edition of the Eau Claire Leader Telegram contained an editorial entitled "Legislature Sets Clear Assignment for Legislature" in which it states that "a yes vote would send a clear message to the Legislature that health care costs are too high and we want something done about it."

The editorial also commends the county supervisors who voted to place this item on the ballot. Eau Claire for Health Care would also like to thank these officials and especially the supervisors who sponsored the resolution including Bruce Willett, Colleen Bates, Sue Miller, Jerry Willkie, Gregg Moore, and Will Fantle.

Now if we only can get this kind of leadership from our legislators.

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Where's the leadership on health care reform, you ask?

Well, Eau Claire for Health Care surveyed 25 area legislative candidates on whether or not they supported the Eau Claire Health Care Referendum and compiled a list of supporters that we call...drum roll please..."Legislative Health Care Leaders." They are:

Pat Kreitlow--23rd Senate District

Kathleen Vinehout--31st Senate District

Ann Hraychuck--28th Assembly District

Michael Turner--68th Assembly District

Tim Swiggum--69th Assembly District

Rep.Barbara Gronemus--91st Assembly District

Rep. Terry Musser--92nd Assembly District

Curtis Miller--92nd Assembly District

Jeff Smith--93rd Assembly District

John Sarnowski--94th Assembly District

Since the first step in health care leadership is to pass the referendum telling the legislature to get off its collective butt and take action, these candidates are the leaders!

What do the League of Women Voters, American Association of University Women, Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health, and Women in Higher Education have in common? They all have women members? They are all interested in issues affecting women? They support an informed electorate and thereby build democracy by sponsoring candidate forums? NO!

According to Ron Brown, Dave Zien, Rob Kreibich, and Terry Moulton you are wrong if you chose any of these. What these respected groups have in common is that they are all biased. So biased, in fact, that these gentleman all took a pass on the candidate forum sponsored by these groups. According to these distinguished members of the do-nothing legislature a good conservative cannot get a fair shake with these crazy left-wing radical groups like the League of Women Voters.

Do you think that this might just be a red-herring designed to get these guys out of a debate where they may have to defend their do-nothing records or where they may be asked why they haven't done anything on health care while 90,000 children are uninsured? Do you think.......?

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Eau Claire for Health Care Coalition member, UWEC Progressive Student Assn. is one of the sponsors of a Rally and march for peace and justice, specifically in opposition to the marriage and civil union ban and the death penalty referendum and in support of accessible, affordable health care and the Eau Claire Health Care Referendum.

This is what we've been working toward in Eau Claire the past nine months, progressives working together in a multi-issue approach to support traditional Wisconsin values of peace, social justice, equality, quality, affordable medical care and the general right of all people to fulfill their potential to be free, healthy, productive individuals.

Join me and the others at this rally in sending a message to Madison and Washington on what Wisconsin values REALLY are!

Remember, Thursday, Oct. 26th at 11:30 AM under the Clock Tower at UWEC. Be part of the solution, not the problem.

Forward Report is again talking about the results of its recently released statewide poll. In the most recent chapter of "What Everyone in Wisconsin Knows but the Legislature" the survey showed that 63% of the people blame the high profits of the pharmaceutical and insurance industries for the outrageous cost of health care.

The poll also shows Jim Doyle holding a lead over Mark Green, in part because of a belief that he will be stronger in handling health care issues. People making voting decisions based on a candidate's stand on health care issues is exactly what we want to see at Eau Claire for Health Care. Maybe our work is starting to pay off. Let's work even harder the next three weeks to educate voters on health care!!

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A new poll released by One Wisconsin Now finds that the top concern of voters statewide is health care. Among voters surveyed 45% rank it as one of the top two issues facing the state, followed by taxes (34%), economy and jobs (34%)and education (31%). Seventy percent of voters say that hospital costs are a very serious problem and 67% rate health insurance costs as very serious.

In light of these results, why won't the Eau Clare area legislative delegation vote to give serious consideration to solving the crisis? Whose values do they represent? Not ours.

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Todays Leader-Telegram contains an editorial naming health care as the number one issue in the November election. The editorial also calls for a bipartisan solution to this important issue. Everyone but the do-nothing Legislature is getting the message that something needs to be done.

Of course,the L-T took its usual namby-pamby non-stance of not explicitly endorsing any plan while lending implicit credibility by mentioning Ron Brown's "health care for the wealthy" HSA plan and congressional candidate Paul Nelson's disturbing "blame and punish sick people" approach in the same breath with more reasonable and effectiveplans. But at least it is addressing the health care crisis!! That's a step in the right direction.

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Just a couple weeks after suggesting to the Chairman of the LaCrosse County Board that he should have a referendum on whether the voters want a free lunch instead of health reform, Frank Lasee is back at it again. According to news reports, in reaction to the Cazenovia school shooting Frank said he is going to sponsor a bill to let teachers carry concealed weapons to school.

But theLegislature continues to ignore the health care crisis! They continue to work their god, guns, and gays agenda while 91,000 Wisconsin children are uninsured.

The health care referendums need to be the first step in re-instituting the progressive agenda. How best can we do that?

Yesterday afternoon I attended the forum hosted by the Healthy Wisconsin Council, the group appointed by the Governor to reduce insurance premiums by 30% and to reduce the uninsured by one-half by 2012. The Council is promoting state-sponsored re-insurance for catastrophic claims as a way to make health insurance more affordable.

While I applaud the Council and Governor for taking action to begin to address the problem I told them they were aiming too low with their goals(how about 98% in two years) and needed to address more than catastrophic claims (like maybe spiraling health care costs)to really solve the problem. I also applaud the one city official, Eau Claire City Councilor Brandon Buchanon, who found the time to attend the forum and ask insightful questions. Give it up for Brandon!!

According to a comment in the Forward Report, Health Savings Accounts are definitely not the answer to the health care crisis despite what some members of the "do-nothing" Legislature would have you believe. The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation working toward a high performance health system, found that people enrolled in HSA systems are much less satisfied than those in other systems. It also found that these people are more likely to delay or avoid health care because of high cost.

Does this sound familiar? That's because this is the same problem we are having right now with uninsured and underinsured people delaying medical treatment because of cost and ending up in high-cost emergency rooms. HSA's do nothing to solve the problem and that's why its the favorite plan of the "do-nothing legislators".


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There are two forums today in Eau Claire that can potentially involve health care reform.

At 3:00 PM at L.E. Phillips Public Library the Healthy Wisconsin Council will be holding a pulic forum to seek public input on the health care crisis and how to fix it. The Council was appointed by Gov. Doyle and told to develop a plan to reduce the number of uninsured in Wisconsin by half by 2012 and to reduce premiums by 30%. We need to tell them to think about reducing the number to zero by 2008.

At 6:30 PM in Delong Middle School the E.C. Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a candidate forum for the area Assembly and Senate candidates. Please attend and ask the candidates what their plan is to fix the health care crisis. Is is real reform or just another band-aid designed by the insurance or pharmaceutical industry? Put them on the spot and turn up the heat until they address health care!!!

Our door-to-door and phone canvasses of Eau Claire County residents are in agreement, over 70% of the people contacted rate the health care crisis as a "very important" issue for the Legislature to take action on. So why is the Legislature and specifically the Eau Claire delegation burying the issue in favor of their political agendas? Could it be they are out of touch with the people of E.C.? Have they been in Madison too long listening to industry lobbyists?

Whatever the reason we need to send them a loud message on Nov. 7th!!

If you want to help us raise the decibel level so they can hear it in Madison, volunteer to canvass or help us put up yard signs or write a letter to the editor!!

My link to the Cap Times article referred to in the previous post did not make it on the post.

Here it is. Sorry.


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A grass roots movement for health care reform is building in Wisconsin according to an article in today's Madison Capital Times. The article states that in addition to Eau Claire there are currently health care referendums in the counties of LaCrosse, Dunn, and Jackson and the cities of Racine, Manitowoc, and Lodi. It also reports that Hudson has passed a resolution asking the state to provide comprehensive health care.

The Cap Times article acknowledges that this movement started here in Eau Claire and quotes County board Chairman Bruce Willett extensively regarding the crisis that caused the Board to act.

The article also quoted a member of our do-nothing Legislature, Frank Lasee, who demonstrated that he is out of touch with Wisconsin values and his constituents by stating in a letter to the LaCrosse Co. Board may as well have a referendum on "...whether all state residents should be provided with a free high-quality lunch...." The Cap Times stated that the LaCrosse County Chairman chided Lasee for being "sarcastic and condescending" and suggested that LaCrosse might consider a referendum on whether the Legislature should be fired for "arrogance and incompetence."

He has my vote!

Do you think we don't need health care reform? Read below and think again!


Eau Claire for Health Care Brief

There is a health care crisis in Wisconsin. The burden of rising health care costs on Wisconsin families is leaving too many people uninsured or underinsured. Crushing health care costs are interfering with decisions that ought to be between patients and their doctors. When a loved one is sick, families should not have to worry about whether they can afford the care they need. Health care costs are also standing in the way of economic opportunity and shared prosperity.

We have two choices: either accept inaction, or we can work together to advance health care reform. We propose change and reject more of the same. Guaranteeing everyone in Wisconsin affordable and accessible health care is a moral issue and Wisconsin can and must rise to the challenge.

There is no reason why the State Legislature can't take action on health care reform now, they have just chosen not to make it a priority. This is the wrong choice for Wisconsin and it is out of touch with our values. The State Legislature has failed in its responsibility to protect the public interest.

 Health Care Inflation is Even Worse in Eau Claire: In 2001 Eau Claire County premiums were 7% below the national average, but now they are 17% above the national average. A recent federal study found that physician costs in Eau Claire are the 3rd highest in the nation. For Eau Claire County, health insurance premiums have increased a shocking 128% over the last 4 years.
 Health care inflation is undermining access to affordable health care: Health care inflation is driving employers to either drop coverage or to shift unaffordable costs onto working families. Since 1980, 15% of Wisconsin employers have dropped their health insurance coverage altogether, and over 40% now offer no health insurance to their workers.
 Health Care Costs Threaten Economic Opportunity and Prosperity in Eau Claire: With costs among the highest in the nation, Eau Claire employers who provide health insurance are discouraged from creating new jobs, and new businesses are deterred from locating here. A region's health insurance costs are one of the major factors in business site location decisions. Also, over half of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. are due to overwhelming medical expenses.
 Health Care Costs Siphon Resources from Vital Public Services: Health care now costs the Eau Claire Area School District more than double what it cost in 2001--from $7.2 million to $15 million per year. That is $7.8 million that we could be investing in educational quality for our children.
 The Legislature has Failed in its Responsibility to Take Action on the Health Care Crisis: When the private sector fails, it is the Legislature's job to look out for the public interest. Yet the Legislature it has not even seriously considered health care reform. Without intervention health care costs will continue to escalate out of control. Eau Claire County estimates that its health insurance costs will increase another 109% in the next five years unless there is significant reform.


Please contact me if you want the sources for the facts contained in this post.

This is the question that will be on the ballot on November 7th:


Should the Wisconsin Legislature establish a plan that will reduce health care costs by at least 15% and guarantee access to universal, affordable health care coverage for all Wisconsin individuals and families by 2008?


We must send a message to our Legislature that the people of Eau Claire County will no longer tolerate legislative inaction on the health care crisis in Wisconsin. It is THEIR job to protect the citizens of Wisconsin so they better get busy!

Forum was great!