WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderHealth care reform could bring more jobs to Rockford

Health care reform could bring more jobs to Rockford

ROCKFORD (WREX) - Right now all eyes are on U.S. lawmakers to see what they decide about health care reform.  If it does pass, that might actually help job growth in our area.

One Rockford company says it expects to hire potentially hundreds of people because of it.  Claims Recovery Company says if health care reform goes through, and more people get insurance, they'll need more help with that insurance.

"Any of the changes that have been proposed by any of the committees in Washington right now would, in fact, increase the number of people who get health insurance coverage from their jobs," said CEO F. Scott Winslow.

That means more business for places like Claims Recovery Company.  It works to make sure your health insurance covers what it's supposed to.  It says if Washington lawmakers pass health care reform, the number of customers could grow even more.

"We think it will help the American people," saud Winslow.  "So many people go bankrupt because of health bills.  If they have proper medical coverage, this is going to help people. And we think this is great."

Not everyone thinks it's great.  There is a lot of debeate over whether the proposed plans really are the best thing for Americans.  Some lawmakers argue they could actually make things worse.  "It will cause health care premiums for millions to go up, not down," said Republican Senator Charles Grassley.

CRC says it's growing anyway, but if a new health care law goes through, it could lead to hiring hundreds of people in the next couple of years.

"We believe that within the next 12 to 24 months, we'd probably be as big of an employer in Rockford as, say, one of the major hospitals here," said Winslow.

CRC is taking resumes right now, and says it plans to fill at least a handful of positions immediately.