MONROE - State employees pay $60 a month for insurance, Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, and there is no reason why everyone couldn't have the same plan.
Erpenbach and other health care and government representatives spoke Friday about the issue of health insurance at Monroe Clinic.
"I've been working on health care for three years," Erpenbach said. "I'm not an expert. I've been sick before, though."
Erpenbach said legislators don't understand what it's like for people without health insurance.
"They don't feel your pain because they don't have to," he said.
Erpenbach said there has always been opposition to plans that try to improve health coverage.
"When we try to make changes we're told the sky is falling or it's Communism," he said. "We're just going to keep chasing our tail until we have the guts to make changes."
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, said health insurance costs shouldn't be a partisan issue. He cited BadgerCare Plus as a plan that received support from Democrats and Republicans in the legislature.
Badger Care Plus combined BadgerCare, which helped low-income families with children; Healthy Start, a program for pregnant women, babies and children; and Medicaid health insurance recipients.
Davis said the key issue to health insurance is to bring the cost down.
"I look forward to working with Sen. Erpenbach," Davis said.
The forum was part of the "Cover the Uninsured Week."
According to covertheuninsured.org, about 90 percent of Wisconsin residents have insurance. A little more than 59 percent of Wisconsin employers offered health insurance.
According to the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, about 81,500 children were without health insurance in 2007. In 2007, 12 percent of all uninsured Wisconsin residents were children, 57 percent were childless adults and 32 percent were parents.
Green County Health Department Director RoAnn Warden said about 13 percent of Green County residents don't have health insurance.
The Green County Health Department has programs to help people who don't have insurance, she said. Some of the programs include reproductive health services, a dental clinic that will begin to see patients April 3, nutritional and educational programs and immunization clinics.
Warden said there is help available for people who need it but more still needs to be done.
Dr. John Bazley of the Monroe Clinic said insurance is important to women who are pregnant.
"Some come in after care would have made a significant improvement for themselves and their children," he said.
There are some patients who show up at the hospital only when they're in labor, he said. That shows they mistrust the health care system or don't have the means to pay for health care.
"We need a way to give people a chance for health care."
Erpenbach and other health care and government representatives spoke Friday about the issue of health insurance at Monroe Clinic.
"I've been working on health care for three years," Erpenbach said. "I'm not an expert. I've been sick before, though."
Erpenbach said legislators don't understand what it's like for people without health insurance.
"They don't feel your pain because they don't have to," he said.
Erpenbach said there has always been opposition to plans that try to improve health coverage.
"When we try to make changes we're told the sky is falling or it's Communism," he said. "We're just going to keep chasing our tail until we have the guts to make changes."
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, said health insurance costs shouldn't be a partisan issue. He cited BadgerCare Plus as a plan that received support from Democrats and Republicans in the legislature.
Badger Care Plus combined BadgerCare, which helped low-income families with children; Healthy Start, a program for pregnant women, babies and children; and Medicaid health insurance recipients.
Davis said the key issue to health insurance is to bring the cost down.
"I look forward to working with Sen. Erpenbach," Davis said.
The forum was part of the "Cover the Uninsured Week."
According to covertheuninsured.org, about 90 percent of Wisconsin residents have insurance. A little more than 59 percent of Wisconsin employers offered health insurance.
According to the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, about 81,500 children were without health insurance in 2007. In 2007, 12 percent of all uninsured Wisconsin residents were children, 57 percent were childless adults and 32 percent were parents.
Green County Health Department Director RoAnn Warden said about 13 percent of Green County residents don't have health insurance.
The Green County Health Department has programs to help people who don't have insurance, she said. Some of the programs include reproductive health services, a dental clinic that will begin to see patients April 3, nutritional and educational programs and immunization clinics.
Warden said there is help available for people who need it but more still needs to be done.
Dr. John Bazley of the Monroe Clinic said insurance is important to women who are pregnant.
"Some come in after care would have made a significant improvement for themselves and their children," he said.
There are some patients who show up at the hospital only when they're in labor, he said. That shows they mistrust the health care system or don't have the means to pay for health care.
"We need a way to give people a chance for health care."