Mark Pocan addresses concerns, looks for solutions in town hall meeting

Jan. 15--JANESVILLE­ -- While many were home enjoying their morning coffee, a group of more than 40 people packed a small classroom Saturday at Blackhawk Technical College to hear what the future of health care might look like.

Those attending chatted nervously while waiting for Congressman Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin, to arrive. Pocan had called the meeting, which was streamed live on Facebook, to address concerns regarding Republican measures to repeal the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

Peppered with questions from the crowd and through Facebook comments, one word remained constant in Pocan's answers: uncertainty.

Pocan admitted the Affordable Care Act is by no means perfect, but he noted Republicans have not yet revealed their plans for an alternative. So far, they've only talked about repealing the ACA, Pocan said.

"If they're going to do this, there needs to be a replacement," he said.

Pocan cited Wisconsin-specific numbers that show 431,000 state residents would be without health care if it weren't for the Affordable Care Act. Nationwide that number is roughly 20 million, when including children covered by their parents' insurance, that number balloons to about 30 million, he said.

Pocan said he doesn't think health care should be a partisan issue. Regardless of a person's political affiliation, health care should be a right, he said.

"If they (Republicans) want to replace it, let's do that together," Pocan said.

Many in the crowd and those watching online wanted to know what will happen if the ACA is repealed. Pocan said the process will take time, and he said users will be insured until at least the beginning of 2018.

In answering another question, Pocan pointed out that all 535 members of Congress are required to use Obamacare.

Pocan also said the decision to repeal the ACA could be political posturing, as President-elect Donald Trump promised to get rid of it within his first 100 days in office.

"I don't think the Republicans, to be fair, know where they're going (with this)," Pocan said, adding that it's important to remember that there are real ramifications to this decision.

"This really affects all of us," said Jeff Huebner, a doctor from Madison and guest speaker for Saturday's event.

Huebner shared a personal story about a patient he recently treated for a mental health episode. Huebner said the patient only was able to get the care she needed because of the Affordable Care Act.

"If we go back to before the Affordable Care Act, think about what could have happened in that situation," he said.

Pocan also had invited two other speakers: Alyssa Watts and Ingrid Hoerz.

Watts is a graduate student at UW-Madison. She uses the ACA for health coverage because she is a full-time student limited to working part-time jobs, she said.

Hoerz is the mother of two special needs children, one of whom relies on the Affordable Care Act for medication. Without it, she said, he could not be a functioning member of society.

To make an impact, Pocan said it's important for people to call or write their representatives and to get involved with grassroots efforts to fight the repeal.

"If we don't get calls from people, we don't know where our constituents stand," he said.

Pocan said he hopes to host events similar to the one Saturday each month in other locations across Wisconsin.

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