About 30 Natrona County citizens gathered Wednesday in the shadow of the Dick Cheney Federal Building in Casper to show their support for a government-run public health care option.

Group organizer Mary Lou Morrison said she's been following the health care issue for some time, and wanted to make it known that some people in Wyoming are in favor of the public option.

"I just happen to be interested in everyone's health, and I know people who don't have insurance," Morrison said. "This country is wealthy enough that we can help those down-and-out people."

Morrison is insured through Medicare, and has a supplemental insurance through her husband's former work with an oil company.

"I think you need to consider everyone in this country, and I think there needs to be a very strong public option," she said. "... I guess I'm a Democrat who cares what happens to other people."

The group focused on U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who has outspokenly opposed a public health care option. On Tuesday, Enzi was one of 13 Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee to vote against a bill that included a public option. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., also opposes the Democrat-led plan.

Bill Luckett, head of the Wyoming Democratic Party, joined the protest as an advocate for health care reform.

"Our insurance system in this country is a disaster. There are too many people without health insurance, and our health insurance companies keep raising rates far faster than the pace of inflation ... and it's wrong," Luckett said. "It's bankrupting our country."

Protesters held signs that said everything from "We want Enzi's heath care plan" to "One million go broke annually from health care costs."

It's a misconception that Enzi is on a plan only available to members of Congress, the senator said in an e-mail to the Star-Tribune.

"People should have the same health insurance options as I do. My health care is through the private market and part of a very large pool of people across the country. I have the same options as the janitor in my building or the forest ranger in Wyoming," Enzi said. "It's not through a government-run program. I pay premiums and deductibles and have a choice of what insurance is the best fit for me. So should [constituents]."

Enzi said he supports health care reform, but not a bill that takes money from Medicare.

"I want reform to ensure people won't get bumped from their health insurance because they change jobs or get sick," he wrote. "But government mandates and government-run care are not the answer.

"People should have choices and get rewards for good health care decisions, but the proposals passed by the majority [Democratic Party] taxes and punishes folks who don't buy what the government says they have to."

Luckett disagreed, saying that more than half of the country's population supports a public option to compete with the private sector.

"People need to let the members of Congress know that they support health care reform," Luckett said. "The people in charge of this are the people in Congress and the president, and we know the president is on board, and he's gonna get this taken care of."

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com.

Individual voices

Kimberly Holloway

Ward 1 Casper City Councilwoman Kimberly Holloway supports a public option, as an individual, a mother of four, and a public official, she said.

"Health care affects everyone in this country. It's a broken system. It needs to be fixed, and as somebody who's used public and private insurance, I can tell you that the public option is very persuasive in my mind. It was some of the best service and access I ever had," Holloway said. "When I switched to the private sector, my premiums go up, my co-pay goes up, my deductible goes up, and service goes down, down, down. It's terrible."

Her husband's company only offers a full-premium insurance option, Holloway said, because it can't afford to offer discounted insurance to its employees.

"If we did participate in that, it would cost us more than our mortgage costs each month," she said.

Joanne Tanner

Casper resident Joanne Tanner said that not only is a public health care option necessary -- it's also fiscally responsible.

"The people in this county, last year and this year, will pay $10 million for uncovered costs [at Wyoming Medical Center]. If those people had access to insurance, that money could provide for ... other county projects that can't get done because the county has to pay for the uninsured at the hospital," Tanner said. "Ten million, that's incredible to me.

"Many people in this county, they say, 'Oh, we don't need this,' but they're paying for it and then some."

Zac Pullen

As an independent writer and illustrator of children's books, Casper native Zac Pullen pays for private health insurance for himself, his self-employed wife, and his son.

Each month, he pays about $475 for catastrophic insurance, which sinks his bank account "like a lead balloon," he said. His yearly deductible is $5,000.

Last year, his toddler-aged son developed pneumonia and had to stay overnight in the hospital.

"It was $4,995 out of pocket -- $5 less than my deductible," Pullen said. "I paid it all out of pocket, and once he was released, they wouldn't pay for follow-up appointments or prescriptions."

A public option would solve the problem, he said.

"With a public option, we [self-employed people] could stand together as a large corporate entity," he said.