Dr. Sheldon Wasserman, a member of the Wisconsin Assembly since 1994, describes himself as an active participant in the assembly, who has a great attendance record. Dr. Wasserman prides himself as being very concerned and involved in medical issues.
Wasserman has pointedly proclaimed that he is an "Independent" who just happens to be nominally a Democratic --- but is very much in tune with the Republican sentiments that many of his constituents share.
While maintaining his aloofness from the Democratic Leadership in the Legislature, over the past 14 years, his lack of being a Team Player has resulted in very, very few of his legislative proposals ever becoming law.
In speaking with sources in both the Democratic and Republican parties, the insider sentiment is that Wasserman is a Doctor Do Nothing.
One example of his lack of leadership ....................
In the 2007 - 2008 Session, Dr. Wasserman was assigned to the
Assembly Standing Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform
Of the 46 Items that came out of the Health and Healthcare Reform Committee during the last two years, Wasserman authored or co-authored only the three following bills:
AB 104 Relating to: permitting a mother to breast-feed in any public or private location where she is otherwise authorized to be.
And
AB 318 Relating to: prescriptions for antibiotic drugs for treatment of chlamydial infections, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority.
And
AB 713 Relating to: the minimum sale price of prescription drugs.
The Question I have is what kind of Leadership has Dr Wasserman exhibited on the myriad other Healthcare Problems that face the citizens of Wisconsin ??
Perhaps first and foremost, is the extraordinarily high healthcare costs in WI !
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -- Posted: Nov. 20, 2006
"Employers in Wisconsin pay an estimated 26.5% more to provide health benefits than the national average, according to a respected national survey released Monday.
The annual survey by Mercer Health & Benefits LLC found that health benefit costs average $9,516 this year for each employee in Wisconsin, compared with $7,523 nationally.
That's $1,993 in additional average costs for each employee."
Other Critical Healthcare Issues that face Wisconsin citizens also include:
*Senior Care --- a single catastrophic illness can wipe out a lifetime of savings
*Outrageous Drug Costs --- why do our citizens have to go to Canada to get drugs they can afford
*Single Mothers --- Wisconsin leads the way in unwed mothers, who do not have the resources or skills to raise a child
*Uninsured --- often middle class blue collar workers in between jobs, left in the nether land of no healthcare coverage
*Underinsured --- even those with healthcare coverage through their employers cannot afford to get sick --- the co-pays and deductibles for one major illness can easily amount to a year's worth of wages for low income workers.
*Denied Service --- Insurance companies making the decisions as to what gets covered by insurance, even when the procedure, protocol or drugs is prescribed by the patient's doctor
* And much, much, more ................
WHAT DO YOU THINK ? YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME !
