Health care law not govt. takeover

Congressional candidate Randy Hultgren is blasting Rep. Bill Foster for his support of health care reform, but then he is quoted in your article of March 26 as saying that he supports comprehensive health care reform that "preserves and protects access to lifesaving medical care while lowering costs and expanding access to care for the uninsured."

That's exactly what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will do. By supporting this bill, Rep. Foster voted to ensure virtually every American will have access to health care insurance and to put a stop to the abuses of insurance companies that for far too long have put their bottom line between patients and their doctors.

Detractors who want to tag health care reform as a "government takeover" of health care must not have read the bill. The legislation is a far cry from government-provided universal coverage, but it does finally put the public's right to affordable health care over the interests of big business. With his support of this bill, Rep. Foster has undoubtedly helped to save thousands of lives in his district over the coming years and he should be commended.

Jennifer Briggs

St. Charles