Oakwood woman gung-ho  for healthcare reforms

$Ron \uFEFFand \uFEFFMindibeth \uFEFFWynne, who lost their daughter Amanda to cancer, have been struggling under the weight of her medical bills\uFEFF. Staff photo by Jan Underwood$

Jim Witmer Ron \uFEFFand \uFEFFMindibeth \uFEFFWynne, who lost their daughter Amanda to cancer, have been struggling under the weight of her medical bills\uFEFF. Staff photo by Jan Underwood

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By Ben Sutherly, Staff Writer Updated 10:53 PM Saturday, August 29, 2009

OAKWOOD — Faye Wenner was an enthusiastic supporter and volunteer for President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign last year. But even she has misgivings about his approach to the health care overhaul.

She doesn’t think he’s going far enough.

“I’m disappointed he’s not supporting a single-payer system,” said Wenner, who believes taking health care public is key to reducing costs and eliminating waste. “The best I can hope for now is that we will get a public option.”

The 77-year-old Oakwood woman said her political views have colored her outlook more than her limited personal experience with health care.

“What kind of a country is this when we allow people to lose their homes, choose between food or medicine, and let people die for lack of care?” she said. “I think a country like that has lost its soul to greed.”

Wenner cites the World Health Organization’s ranking of health care systems around the globe in 2000. That analysis found the United States ranked 37th of 191 countries overall, but spent a higher percentage of its gross domestic product on health care than any other country.

Wenner moved here 25 years ago to become vice president for corporate development at the restaurant chain Ponderosa. Before that, she worked for eight years on Wall Street. She’s retired from running her own business brokerage.

The temptation to overuse and abuse good health insurance coverage is all the more reason for a single-payer system, she said. “There would be controls.”

She scoffs at the notion that proposed health care reforms are too pricey, in light of the federal government’s recent rescue of Wall Street.

“Isn’t it more important to care for sick people than to bail out banks?” she said. “God forbid that we should do something that would help needy people.”

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