Health Insurance Forum

Health care reform splits opinion on campus

by mahir on 15/04/10 at 7:32 am

By Candace Pontoni, News Editor - Reactions on Whitworth’s campus to President’s freshly accepted health insurance modification bill are mixed. Students and other faculty came down on both sides of the fence when asked about the bill. On March 23, President signed into action legislation that will, among other things, allow people to buy health care through state-based exchanges.

The vote on Capitol Hill was split nearly even, with hundred percent of Republicans in both the House and the Senate voting against the measure, and most Democrats voting in favor.Aaron Korthuis, political activism club president, said he has heard both sides of the debate supported by Whitworth students, but that overall he has heard more negative than positive comments about the reform. Korthuis told that people are less favorable than favorable. There are a lot of people, who would have rather seen it passed another way,Andrew Hogue, assistant professor of political science, said he is hearing far more questions than comments.

There has been a lot of misunderstanding about the bill, Hogue said. Even the people who drafted the key components of the bill, and certainly most everyone who voted for it, are unlikely to have read the whole thing. Mike Ediger, department of health sciences chair, said he believes some students feel the reform won’t affect them. Stream said allegations that quality of health care will deteriorate under the reform are not grounded, as the bill affects the insurance side of the health care system.