U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who represents the Madison area, discussed health care and LGBT issues with The Daily Cardinal staff Friday.
Baldwin said she was ""almost certain"" the House of Representatives will pass a health-care bill containing a public insurance option to compete with private insurers.
Although she said she was confident a final bill would be voted on in the next two to three weeks, she said there is entrenched opposition to reform from groups benefiting from the current system.
""We've been trying to do this for 70 years. The odds are against us,"" Baldwin said.
She said some conservative Democrats from more rural districts have weakened the bill that passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee she sits on. However, she said those members were likely only representing the views of their districts, though they had considerable leverage on the committee.
Baldwin said she encountered a wide range of sentiments at recent town hall meetings, with some residents distrustful of government intervention in the health-care system.
""Health care is deeply personal. I'm not at all offended if people are passionate about it,"" she said.
Baldwin, an openly gay lawmaker, said she heard some backlash against President Barack Obama from some residents concerned over the pace of LGBT rights at a national level.
She said supporters of LGBT rights need to have some patience with the slow process of government at the federal level, but also said Obama has a duty to use his ""bully pulpit"" to draw focus on such issues.
—Charles Brace and The Daily Cardinal staff contributed to this report.
