By Jeff Berglund
Staff Reporter
Publication Date: 09/11/09
The United States Congress is at work on passing the most comprehensive health care reform bill in nearly half a century.
Back from a summer recess filled with passionate town halls, vigorous debate and heated rhetoric, Congress is beginning the legislative process of passing the bill. In an attempt to gain back momentum on the debate, President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. The divide between Republicans and Democrats was on vivid display as Democrats cheered the plan and Republicans generally remained seated.
The divide is also clear on campus, as the college counterparts of the major parties expressed disagreement over different parts of the proposed plan. Most notably, an area of strong debate has been Obama’s proposal to allow the uninsured to buy into a government-run health insurance plan that would compete with private insurance.
“The president set forth a strong argument for the public option,” said Nick DeBoer, communications director for the Purdue College Democrats. “I and the College Democrats believe the public option is non-negotiable.”
Katie Ryan, chairwoman of the Purdue University College Republicans, expressed extreme skepticism about the proposal.
“This (public option) would lead to an eventual takeover of our health care by the government,” she said.
Ryan also questioned how the president planned to pay for his proposal.
“The President proposed to ‘not increase the deficit,’” Ryan said. “The only way to not increase the deficit and pass this bill is to raise taxes on all Americans for a prolonged amount of time.”
Despite Republican skepticism, DeBoer expressed confidence that the bill will be passed.
“We believe that (Democrats) currently have the votes in Congress to enact this legislation,” DeBoer said. “It is time for (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid to act like a majority leader. We demand an up or down vote, no filibuster.”