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Highlands Today

County residents weigh in on the health care reform bill the U.S. House approved Saturday and which the U.S. Senate is going to tackle.

Tampa Tribune

Protesters gather in front of the Federal Court House in Tampa to show their non-support for the new health care legislation in July.

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By AIYANA BAIDA

Highlands Today

Published: November 10, 2009

SEBRING - For those who spent Saturday night watching the news as the votes for the House of Representative's health care reform bill came in, the announcement could have felt like a great victory or a complete disappointment.

The House voted 220 to 215 for the bill. There was one lone Republican for it and 39 Democrats against it.

Of Florida's 25 House representatives, eight voted for it and 17 against-including our local representative Republican Thomas J. Rooney.

For Highlands County residents who voiced their concerns through e-mails, letters and in person at Lakeshore Mall on Monday, there were mixed views on what it means and how it will impact them if the U.S. Senate approves.

Word on the street

Jeff Kaufman, a Sebring resident, couldn't have been happier although he expected a stronger majority. Of all the talk that has surrounded the bill, he's outraged by the labels conservatives are using to describe President Barack Obama.

"Shame on people who are calling Obama a socialist. This is the kind of rhetoric that has been used against the president of the United States and it's shameful," Kaufman said.

Kaufman, an independent software consultant, is participating in a letter writing campaign with other residents, asking for senators' support on the health care reform bill. Unlike most self-employed Americans, Kaufman is insured through his wife's employer. But when things were not so good he's had some close calls with unexpected medical bills.

In 2004 his wife woke up with chest pain and was taken to hospital. He was told by the emergency room doctor that his wife needed a heart catheter. After the $41,000 surgery and medical treatment was performed, he was told by the surgeon that the she didn't need it.

The hospital sent a forgiveness letter to the Kaufmans within a few weeks and they no longer owed the $41,000, Kaufman said.

"Before my wife got sick we were paying Cobra $1,300 a month for about five months so we dropped it. And sure enough that's when we needed it," Kaufman said.

For self-employed contractors like Kaufman, a public option would be something to fall back on if his wife were laid off or if her employer stopped offering health benefits. The health care reform bill would also drive the cost of insurance down by competing with private insurance companies so their co-pays would be less, he said.

But 63-year-old veteran Dave Doty doesn't see it that way.

The public option, he said, would drive insurance companies out of business.

"That's socialized medicine...a government take over of health insurance. They're going to mandate everyone have insurance and that's unconstitutional," he said.

Doty gets his health care from the VA, his wife gets it the old fashion way "cash," he said.

For unexpected medical care, Doty makes payment plans with the hospital, and as long as the government stays out of his health care, he doesn't mind it.

"This isn't Cuba," he said.

Jean Snow, 86, from Sebring, said the passing of the bill was awful.

"I think they should improve on what they have rather than go on this expenditure."

Dean Stidham, 51 from Lake Placid, doesn't agree with the way they're going about the bill.

Stidham wants the government to heavily tax the pharmaceutical manufacturers and insurance companies and make them pay for a public option-- not taxpayers.

He calls it government intervention.

"The insurance companies have had their thumb on health care for years and there's plenty of money in those two industries to offer health care for everyone," Stidham said.

Beth A. Kulick, 29 from Sebring, sees the bill as a step forward in reconciling the relationship between the country and the middle class.

"I see discrepancies with people who have a dislike for big government ideas but are in support of big businesses like Walmart and insurances and pharmaceutical companies that assault the middle class. I think that people's underlying prejudices, which they may not realize they have, are blinding them with what Obama is trying to do," Kulick said.

Kulick has insurance through her husband's small business but pays a high deductible.

To save money, the couple opted to have their daughter through a midwife instead of seeing an obstetrician at a hospital.

Their biggest challenge is not insuring themselves but offering adequate coverage to their employees. They're looking into ways to insure them by lowering their coverage and self insuring their basic needs.

"We are fortunate to be able to pay our out of pocket expenses but for many families that is not the case," Kulick said.

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