Representative Obey stopped by NewsChannel 7 Tuesday. He says the bill will provide health insurance to 36 million people who don't have it, while changing the way doctors and hospitals are paid.
A massive health care overhaul is a step closer to reality. It passed the House of Representatives last week.
All but one Republican, and dozens of Democrats voted against the bill. But our area's representative, Congressman Dave Obey of Wausau, supports it.
Representative Obey stopped by NewsChannel 7 Tuesday. He says the bill will provide health insurance to 36 million people who don't have it, while changing the way doctors and hospitals are paid.
He says the biggest opponent to the bill is the insurance industry, since they don't want to change the way they do business.
"I think most Americans disagree with that. I think they want to have certain standards of conduct that insurance companies have to meet in return for getting your money," says Rep. Obey.
The Democrat also said a health care overhaul will not lead to a government takeover. "If people want to scare people with the boogeyman of government involvement, you got a lot of Americans right now in a government program. If you're in Medicare you're in a government program, if you're in Medicaid you're in a government program and I don't see it ruining anybody's life."
The bill has a $1.2 trillion price tag. The Senate may vote on a similar bill soon, but many say their version looks less likely to pass.
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