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The La Crosse County Board will decide tonight whether to join other Wisconsin counties in placing a health care referendum on the November ballot.

The advisory referendum, promoted by Citizen Action of Wisconsin, would call on the Legislature to enact health care reform by the end of 2009 that would guarantee every Wisconsin resident has affordable coverage as good as what is provided to state legislators.

This would be the second La Crosse County vote on this type of measure. In November 2006, voters approved a similar referendum, 33,315 yes to 6,350 no.

The new referendum already will be on the November ballot in a number of Wisconsin counties and municipalities, including the city of Viroqua and Eau Claire County, according to Citizen Action of Wisconsin.

“The La Crosse referendum reflects the overwhelming support for health care reform in the area,” said Ann Vogel, western Wisconsin organizer for Citizen Action of Wisconsin and a La Crosse resident, in a prepared statement.

According to a recent Citizen Action report, La Crosse’s health insurance costs rank among the top one-third in the state.

Robert Kraig of Citizen Action of Wisconsin said 2006 referendums in La Crosse, Eau Claire, Jackson, Dunn and several other counties played a significant role in the state Senate passing a health care reform plan, though it later was blocked by the state Assembly.

“The health care referendums this year in La Crosse and other communities will give the Assembly a public mandate to work with the Senate in guaranteeing affordable health care for everyone in Wisconsin,” Kraig said.

The board’s vote will not be an endorsement for passage of the referendum; it merely would order the county clerk to place the item on the November general election ballot.

The county board meets at 6 p.m. in the board room in the Administrative Center, 400 N. Fourth St.