Foster rallies for health care reform

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster described legislation that would reform health care as "far from perfect," but said Friday it contains provisions that are critical to millions of families struggling to get insurance.

"Health care costs are out of control for families and small businesses, and the problem becomes worse every year," the Batavia Democrat said at a news conference in front of his office. "We are spending too much money, and we are insuring too few people."

Foster, who voted in favor of the legislation now headed to the Senate, said the bill would keep insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions - a "phenomenon," as he put it, that "can turn a person's life upside-down."

Foster said he recently met with a Batavia woman who was denied coverage from an insurance provider that considered menopause a pre-existing condition.

"This sort of behavior from our insurance companies is simply unacceptable," he said. "There is almost unanimous agreement that this is a problem that must be eradicated."

Batavia resident Amy Ruppert, 48, said she and her husband have struggled to get coverage since he was laid off in September 2008 from a job he held for 30 years.

Ruppert said she has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and, although the illness has been "well under control" for some time, it makes her ineligible for affordable insurance coverage.

It's particularly frustrating for Ruppert and her husband, she said, because they've always managed to stay ahead of their bills and put money in savings. But now they're spending $1,256 a month for coverage that already is subsidized and expires next spring.

"My husband and I have done everything right," said Ruppert, who owns a small business. "Come April, we will be one step away from catastrophic financial disaster."

Foster said it's hard to tell whether the legislation, as is, will pass the Senate but he is optimistic, "even if it means a compromise" on allowing states to opt in or out.

"The system is broken, and we need to do something about it," he said. "Ultimately, I voted for this bill because the legislation, while far from perfect, included many of the principles that I believe to be critical in improving how Americans receive health insurance."