SB 80 amends the Volunteer Health Care Provider Program, which essentially gives malpractice insurance to retired providers if they practice at a free clinic. The VHCP says that legal representation and fees will be paid for if a volunteer is taken to court for alleged malpractice.

Sen. Schultz says "Senate Bill 80 would add working providers to retired providers as ‘agents of the state’ when they provide care as volunteers at a free clinic."

Because of this change, working providers’ malpractice insurance may not be increased if they volunteer at a free clinic.

This is certainly a commendable thing for the Republican from the 17th Senate District to work on, and will make it easier for providers to volunteer at a free clinic.

But my question to Sen. Schultz is this: What have you done to help reform health care in our state? Did you support the Healthy Wisconsin initiative when this was proposed in the Wisconsin Legislature? Do you stand with President Barack Obama in reforming health care for our country?

As a member of the "just say no" party, I would have to say that you did nothing. It is commendable to help free clinics. But why is it that we must have free clinics at all?

Sen. Schultz can ask the Caudle family in Watertown if we have a healthcare crisis in this country. Bill Caudle was laid off from his job in Sussex. His wife, Michelle, works at a Culver’s restaurant.

When Mr. Caudle’s severance package was about to run out, and the cost of his family’s health care was going to triple and he was applying for jobs that paid half of what he was making at his old job, he found that he was down to his last option.

You see, Mr. Caudle couldn’t just throw the dice and risk going without health care, because his wife has cancer. Cancer won’t wait for another good job to come along. Cancer can’t be treated at a free clinic. Mr. Caudle, at 39 years of age, joined the Army.

You can read about the Caudles’ story online. Look up "He’s in the Army Now" by Mark Johnson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Since I learned about the Caudles, I heard on the radio that two other men have done the same thing. They enlisted to get health care for their families. One man is from Chicago and the other lives in Michigan.

We need real reform in the delivery of health care. People should not be turned down because of pre-existing conditions. People should not be forced into bankruptcy when their claims are denied.

People should not have to lose everything when they hit the maximum limit on what the policy pays. People should not have to die of cancer when their spouse is laid off from a good job.

We need real reform with a public option to put pressure on insurance companies to lower rates. We need real reform, which includes revoking monopoly protection that insurance companies now enjoy.

Fortunately, we in Wisconsin have representatives in Washington who will support real health care reform. But, what about the other states? There are Democratic senators in other states who won’t even promise to stop a Republican filibuster when the health care reform bill comes up for a vote.

Here is a way you can make a difference. The National Association of Free Clinics will conduct free health care clinics in the states of those faux Democratic senators.

One is being planned now in Louisiana, the home state of Sen. Mary Landrieu. A donation to the NAFC will help this worthy cause and embarrass these senators by exposing the health care crises in their states.

Maybe these senators will change their minds when they see thousands of their constituents lining up to seek free health care.

— R.J. Johnson helping to keep Ted Kennedy’s dream alive. Johnson can be reached by e-mailing RJJohnsonSPEagle@gmail.com