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The big news of the night, of course, was Senator Barack Obama's historic presidential victory. But ScientificAmerican.com was following a number of other races among the hundreds across the country.

In one, Democrat Steve Kagen -- an allergist, pictured to the left -- won a tight race in Wisconsin's 8th District against Republican John Gard. With most precincts reporting, the Associated Press called the race in Kagen's favor at about 12:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time. What makes Kagen noteworthy is that as a freshman member of Congress in 2007, he turned down his Congressional health care coverage, as we reported in May.

"I'll respectfully decline until you can make that same offer for all of my constituents," Kagen, 58, said to a Congressional human resources staffer, explaining his decision to turn down what many call the "Cadillac" of U.S. health plans. Since then, he's introduced his own health care reform bill— and remained healthy, at least through August, when we last checked in with him. Now he has a second term to stay healthy through.

We were also watching Colorado's Senate race, which pitted Republican Bob Schaffer against Democrat Mark Udall. One of the big issues in that race was drilling in the state's Roan Plateau, as we reported in September. This wasn't "drill, baby, drill" versus "don't drill at all." It was more nuanced than that, since both candidates support some kind of drilling for the natural gas under the Roan. 

The Roan's future will presumably be more in Udall's hands than Schaffer's, since Udall took the race. With 66% of precincts reporting, Udall had 53% of the vote, compared to Schaffer's 43 percent. (Fun fact: Udall's cousin, Tom Udall, won the New Mexico Senate race.) Fellow Colorado Democrat Diana DeGette, whom we interviewed earlier this year about her strong feelings about the Bush administration's stance on science—those would be negative -- easily won her seventh term in the state's 1st Congressional District.

Photo courtesy Steve Kagen

9 Comments

1. 1. candide 08:53 AM 11/5/08

   "what many call the Cadillac of U.S. health plans"
   
   Who writes this crap?
   
   Like Cadillac (and GM) Sci Am is going down the crapper.

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2. 2. keith3196 10:30 AM 11/5/08

   Sci American should stay out of politics... I've noticed more and more that instead of science we are treated to arrogance and palpable dislike of anyone who disagrees with any science.
   
   I follow science and yet I'm also religious and conservative.. .both can coexist but like anything if it has no restraints science can be just as evil as ignorance can be. You don't want us to list the lowlife achievements of science so stop with the politics on this site. If I want politics I'll read the news.. Stick to the interesting stories about health, dinosaurs, climate, etc.

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3. 3. agenthucky 11:43 AM 11/5/08

   I think I agree with both of the previous comments.
   
   I come to sciam to read about science, and lately there has been a lot of politics. BUT. The scientific community has been forced to start sticking their noses into politics. The last administration kept slashing the science budget for this nation, so they have an obligation to get involved. Maybe a different magazine, or its own section.
   
   Also, healthcare is a very complicated subject and is often described in terms of mathematics. Its not rocket science, but still requires scientific scruteny. What I think is strange, you don't see anyhting about healthcare in food and health magazines!

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4. 4. wfitz1964 02:41 PM 11/5/08

   When you don’t have health insurance and you have to pay your own way I think you will say this is good a member of the congress is making a statement of the fundamental injustice. This injustice is the greed of the health insurance industry and pharmaceutical companies. Today is a new day of reform to rein in their tyranny.
   We have marveluious medical advances if you can afford it otherwise you are left with bankrtucy of even worse it can affect the medical outcomes. This abilty to pay or not pay is not different then the barriers of separate but equal rules that existed in the south until the era of civil right broke down the barrier allowed equal access .
   In this case the discriminatory way medial care is offered to people of affluence but bare minimum or less for the poor and needy. If you got the money you get the care or medical condition is a responsibility not a right. This is false the constitution gives us the right “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” This brave congressman is saying health is a responsibility as well as a right by going without he is on my side of the line and living my right mare of a corrupt inefficient, unjust, unfair , mismanaged , discriminatory system. He is living the nightmare that is the 21st century health care today.
   

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5. 5. bweydig 03:53 PM 11/5/08

   Sorry kids, but politics within a scientific context is an absolutely valid topic for this magazine. We've just had 8 years of an administration that's been absolutely hostile to science and for that reason has made a number of ill-informed decisions. Good policy needs to be based on thorough research of all kinds. Rather than decide what we're going to do first and then find the experts to support us (ala Bush-Cheney), we need to find out all we can about an issue BEFORE we decide!
   
   If you find it bothersome, you can always just turn the page. Or better yet - be truly open-minded. Don't turn away from material that offends your values and beliefs. It only makes your point of view stronger to engage with opposing views. If it doesn't, well then your beliefs must not have been very strong in the first place. In that case, you've been shown the light. Either way, you come out a richer person...

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6. 6. Nathaniel 01:14 PM 11/6/08

   wfitz1964 makes a good point. The health care system is set up to earn the doctors and pharmaceutical companies money. Case in point, my mother used to work for an animal care clinic. Beta Blockers for a human could cost hundreds for 15 pills (after insurance). The same pills, by the same manufacturer, with the same quality and safety guidelines... but sold for a dog cost $10 for 500 pills. Because they know that your options are A take these pills, or B get chest pain and possibly have a heart attack (beta blockers are commonly prescribed for heart murmurs), they know they can gouge you and your health insurance company. Meanwhile the doctors are getting a cut of it... and your insurance company sits there and charges you to be healthy so that when you get sick they can deny your coverage. Even doctors are being cheated. In our sue-happy society doctors need to take out massive malpractice insurance plans... which makes medical care cost more for us... while charging good doctors not to mess up. It's one big ugly mess and something needs to be done about it. Someone needs to keep these people accountable for their actions.

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7. 7. agenthucky 01:25 PM 11/6/08

   Well said

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8. 8. lara 05:52 AM 11/12/08

   Well,This is a news reflecting everywhere.I too believe that health care is a complicated subject and defined in terms of maths.
   ================================
   lara
   
   <a href="http://www.sreevyshcorp.in" rel="dofollow">Sreevysh Corp</a>
   

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9. 9. johnmayer76 04:38 AM 4/16/09

   Are you uninsured in America? You should check out the website http://UninsuredAmerica.blogspot.com - John Mayer, California

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