MI delegation split on health bill

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Michigan's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives voted along party lines late Saturday night on the bill to overhaul the nation's health care system.

The state's eight House Democrats votes "yes" and its seven Republicans voted "no."

U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer was among the "ayes." The vote was the right one for his constituents, the Battle Creek Democrat told 24 Hour News 8. Among other reasons, Schauer pointed to numbers from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office stating the reform bill actually would trim the deficit.

And the bill would end insurance companies' discriminatory practices that have caused families to face financial problems, including bankruptcy, he said.

"I think it was time," Schauer said. "I've seen too many jars in coffee shops trying to collect money for people who've gotten cancer and had no health insurance. I think we understand as Americans that that's not right. We know that we're each paying more when the emergency room is where someone receives care because they have no insurance."

The first-term congressman said he has been feeling heat from political groups opposed to the bill -- groups looking to make sure his first term is his only one. Still, the decision was the right one, he said.

U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra said the bill takes a fundamentally wrong approach to reforming the nation's health care system.

"It significantly changes the parameters of health care by moving it to a government-dominated system rather than an individual-dominated system," the Holland Republican said. "The Republican option is one that says, 'We know there's problems in health care. We want to move more authority, we want to move control back to individuals. Give them the tools to go out and get health insurance.' "

Hoekstra challenged two claims made by the Congressional Budget Office. First, he said, the bill would not cut the deficit. The CBO miscalculates the true cost of the program, he said, because key portions of the overhaul would not begin immediately.

The Republican congressman also disputed the claim that relatively few people would choose the government-run public option. The government plan likely would offer similar benefits to private plans, he said, but the public plan would cost less because it would negotiate lower prices with providers, making it attractive to health care consumers and hurting private insurers.

Voting "yes," according to the Washington Post: Democratic U.S. Reps. John Conyers, John Dingell, Dale Kildee, Carolyn Kilpatrick, Sander Levin, Gary Peters, Mark Schauer and Bart Stupak.

Voting "no," according to the Washington Post; Republican U.S. Reps. Dave Camp, Vern Ehlers, Peter Hoekstra, Thad McCotter, Candice Miller, Mike Rogers and Fred Upton.