Feingold Discusses Legislation to Reduce Health Care Costs at Local Listening Session February 9 , 2003 Portage, WI - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today discussed legislation that he introduced on the first day of the 108th Congress to help reduce health care costs – the Promoting Health Care Purchasing Cooperatives Act. This bill will give grants to groups of businesses to form group-purchasing cooperatives to obtain enhanced benefits, reduce health care rates, and improved quality. "As I travel around Wisconsin, holding my Listening Sessions in all 72 counties each year, I hear time and time again how health care costs are out of control," Feingold said. "My legislation seeks to build on successful local initiatives, lowering the cost and improving the quality of employees' health care. It will create two separate grant programs to help businesses pool their resources and bargaining power, to enhance benefits and reduce health care costs." The cost of health care in Wisconsin is skyrocketing: A survey issued in December found that the cost of health benefits for employees in this state rose 14.8 percent this year, to an average of $6,940 per employee. That figure is 20 percent higher than the national average of $5,758 for workers in businesses with 500 or more employees. These costs hurt Wisconsin, burden businesses and employees, hurt heath care providers, and prevent Wisconsinites from getting full access to the care that they deserve. "These increases can be devastating to Wisconsinites who are struggling to cover the costs of health care," Feingold said. "It is far past the time for Congress to engage on so many of the health care issues facing all of us today." Feingold held his 7th Listening Session of 2003, and his 727th since he was first elected, at the Portage City Hall, starting at 1:30 p.m. This is the eleventh year that Feingold has held Listening Sessions in every Wisconsin county.

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