Health Care Reform: House Bill 676

TERRE HAUTE, Ind (WTHI - Friday afternoon WTHI-TV sat down with the Terre Haute coordinator for Hoosiers for a Commonsense health plan.

The local coordinator went around Terre Haute seeking support for House Bill 676. It is one of the five bills right now Congress is looking at.

Bill 676 is a single payer funded health care system. It means that everyone is covered. Everyone from a doctor to a mail carrier would have the same plan. The plan would be funded by the federal government. Patients would no longer have to pay premiums and co-pays. All a patient would have to pay is around 3% out of their paycheck.

"It is the only plan that would actually cover everyone. All these other plans, the public option plan mandates that we have states like Massachusetts they actually don't cover anyone a lot of them include penalties for people that don't buy insurance but it doesn't actually provide healthcare for everyone," supporter of House Bill 676 Jessica Livingston said.

So far the group has gotten about 500 signatures from this area. They've already presented them to Congressman Brad Ellsworth in support of bill 676. WTHI-TV asked the congressman's office about this bill. They gave WTHI-TV a written statement.

"As Congress considers reforming the current health insurance system, the Congressman's goal is to protect what works, and to fix what doesn't. For millions of Americans, the employer-based insurance system is working and he would not support replacing it with a totally different single-payer system," spokesperson for Brad Ellsworth Liz Farrar said.

To read more on Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan click here .

To read more on House Bill 676 click here .

To read more on House Bill 3200 click here .

Comments from Congressman Brad Ellsworth's office:

“The Congressman appreciates these folks stopping in to share their views on health insurance reform. Over the coming weeks, he will be working to ensure all of the people of the 8th District have a chance to be heard in this important debate.”
“None of the current health insurance reform proposals being considered include a single-payer system, and we don’t expect that to change as the legislation progresses.”

“As Congress considers reforming the current health insurance system, the Congressman’s goal is to protect what works, and to fix what doesn’t. For millions of Americans, the employer-based insurance system is working and he would not support replacing it with a totally different single-payer system.”

To participate in Ellsworth’s heath care reform survey click here .