State Rep. Mike Huebsch, Wisconsin’s Assembly speaker, predicted Wednesday a state smokefree workplace law will be passed in the next legislative session.

Huebsch, R-West Salem, said he supported a compromise bill in the last legislative session that would have delayed starting the restrictions for three to five years.
“It was close to being passed,” he said.

At a health care issues forum sponsored by the Franciscan Skemp Auxiliary, all five candidates for state legislative seats said they favor a state smokefree law.

Cheryl Hancock, Huebsch’s Democratic opponent in the Nov. 4 election for the 94th Assembly seat, said she strongly favors a smokefree workplace law as long as it applies to all businesses.

State Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse, said he supported the compromise bill last time and still supports smokefree workplace legislation. Kapanke said he told tavern league representatives they need to give input but must “be on board.”

Tara Johnson, Kapanke’s Democratic opponent for the 32nd District Senate seat, said she has supported smokefree public places as a La Crosse County board supervisor.

Tavern operators and other opponents of a state law have a “fear of the unknown,” said state Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, who is unopposed.

“It’s not a matter of if (a state law will be enacted) but when,” Shilling said.

The candidates didn’t list the state law as among the most pressing health care issues.

Huebsch said health care reform should include patients knowing the costs of medical services, quality and choice. He favors transparency and medical savings accounts.

Government doesn’t need to take control to solve the health care crisis on its own, he said. “Working together, we can reform health care overnight,” Huebsch said.

Hancock said even people with health insurance cannot afford a health crisis. When her daughter had a serious car accident in 1999, her insurance as a state employee paid for almost all the medical expenses, she said.

But her family would have been in debt $40,000 to $50,000 for those same medical expenses today due to her health insurance as executive director of the Scenic Bluffs Red Cross Chapter, Hancock said.

“Families feel they are one injury or illness away from bankruptcy,” she said, adding that health care delivery also needs to be examined.

Johnson said the entire health care system needs to be reformed, from medical and mental health care to dental and eye health care. She talked about a woman who worked hard all her life but never had health insurance and was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at the St. Clare Health Mission.

“It’s increasingly a system of haves and have nots,” Johnson said.

Kapanke said health care affordability is a major issue, pointing to a couple making $50,000 a year but still at risk of paying $20,000 out-of-pocket costs with their health insurance.

He has worked on legislation to improve dental access and treatment for autistic children, he said. More public-private partnerships are needed, he said, for wellness programs and chronic disease management.

Shilling said affordability and accessibility to health care still is a major issue. She also favors choice in health plans and making sure insurance companies don’t deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, she said.

She wants to reduce waste and unnecessary costs in the health care system, she said. The challenges are an aging population, a health care worker shortage and the cost of medical technology, she said.

Ads by Yahoo! toyota la crosse Compare Dealers' Prices in La Crosse in Seconds. Free Service. www.CarPriceAdvisor.com School Assembly Bubble Shows Exciting Bubble Shows for School Assemblies in L.A. and O.C. www.funanddiscovery.com La Crosse Dentists Compare Dentists in La Crosse and get quotes. www.matchpoint.com/dentists

Advertisement