Hard at Work in Western Wisconsin: June 8, 2010

Congress is back in session after a very busy district work period. In western Wisconsin, we were forutnate to have visits from both the U.S. Ambassador to Laos, Ravic Huso, and Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius. Ambassador Huso met with our local Hmong community at UW-Eau Claire and discussed topics including future immigration and the recent repatriation of Lao Hmong to Laos.  Secretary Sebelius, along with myself and Governor Doyle, addressed concerns and answered questions from over 75 local seniors regarding the Affordable Care Act at the Southside Neighborhood Center in La Crosse.  The discussion featured topics such as the Affordable Care Act’s impact on Medicare - including the $250 checks, which begin going out this month, to seniors currently stuck in the “donut hole” - as well as efforts to preserve Medicare and crack down on fraud. We also toured Gundersen Lutheran, a local hospital which served as a national model for quality care and lower costs throughout health care reform.

In addition, I held five town hall meetings and met with several groups across western Wisconsin.  We discussed jobs and getting this economy moving among other topics. It was a busy recess but a great week back at home.  For more photos, see here.