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Reaction mixed locally to health care bill

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By Bret Nye, Staff Writer 1:00 PM Monday, March 22, 2010

Springfield-area residents expressed mixed opinions about the the new healthcare reform bill passed by Congress late Sunday night.

Many reached Monday said they had some confusion over what exactly the bill would accomplish, but some people were pleased with its passing.

“I think it’s good,” said Vickie Russell, 51, of Springfield. A part-time aid for Alzheimer’s patients through Home Health, she said that she worries that people trying to work now can’t afford to keep their cars or their homes, and that healthcare is just as hard to pay for. “I can’t afford it now, I have to pay out-of-pocket,” she said.

She hopes that President Obama’s bill will help people get the healthcare and insurance they need.

The bill passed Sunday makes numerous changes to the nation’s health-care field: Most Americans will be required to have health insurance and face penalties if they do not. Large employers will be mandated to offer coverage. Insurers will be limited in the ways they can deny coverage, place lifetime limits on coverage, and cancel policies once customers become ill. High-income families will pay more in taxes.

Joe Johnson, 72, summed up his response succinctly: “It stinks,” he said. A retired U.S. army veteran, Johnson said that he “wished the people could have voted on it.”

“Democrat, Republican, it doesn’t matter: things are just going in the wrong direction,” said Johnson.

“I’m not a fan,” said 18-year-old Kellen Morrissey, a Wittenberg student from Aurora, Colo.

“I just think it’s going to cost a lot of money,” she said.

Rob Caffee, 38, of Springfield, has higher hopes for the new healthcare reform bill.

“We’ll see how it goes, I’m not sure how things will turn out, but if it works for me that would be great,” said Caffee.

Caffee works at Miller Printing in Springfield and because of his child support bills and financial situation cannot afford healthcare.

Some people have hope for the outcome of the bill, but have little time to wait for its benefits. Adrian Sweitzer, 42, a Springfield native, was just laid off from his job a week ago and expressed his reserved anticipation.

“I’m not sure really what it’s going to do for us, but hopefully it will help,” Sweitzer said.

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