Congressmen sound off on health care

After months of debate, the fate of health insurance reform is nearing a crucial phase. The president wants Congress to vote on a reform package within 10 days. Rep. Tom Petri (R-6th District) said the current proposal is too much.

"Let's not over turn everything we have that's good about the American health care system and hope we get something better," Petri said.

Here's the current approach being taken in Congress: the House would have to pass the bill the Senate passed back in December. But many House democrats don't like parts of the Senate bill. So the Senate and the House would then approve a second bill to make changes to the first one. Sound confusing? It is. And there's no guarantee a second bill will be passed. This means if the House passes the Senate bill, it could become law if the president signs it.

We asked the congressmen from Northeast Wisconsin about voting on the Senate bill.

"I would not vote for that," Petri said.

"Let me put it this way: you're asking whether or not I trust the United States Senate, where they came up with a deal for Nebraska that the other states didn't get; where Louisiana would get a special deal. No, I don't trust the U.S. Senate," said Rep. Steve Kagen (D-8th District). "So I think I'd like to have a vote on something very meaningful."

Kagen said the health care bill should be split up into smaller bills.

"I have made the case to the speaker and also to the White House that we should take small pieces, small bites," Kagen said. "In the practice of medicine, I can't give a child a big pill. What do we do? We cut it up into pieces. Let's find things we can agree on."

Finding things both sides agree on may be easier said than done.

Meanwhile Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) said he's optimistic about resolving a dispute over abortion in the health care bills. Stupak and several other Democrats say the Senate bill would allow federal dollars to subsidize abortion. He wants to put stiffer restrictions in the bill.