GOP Adopts Ideological Health Care Plan that Costs Taxpayers More, Insures Fewer People
Republicans attempted to disguise the issue by saying that those people could simply buy private coverage in the exchanges, but failed to note that their plan does not make that insurance affordable for them.
MADISON – In the final hours of the Joint Finance Committee budget deliberations, Republicans voted against giving 84,700 people healthcare paid 100% by federal funds available to Wisconsin. Instead Republicans passed a plan on a party line vote that:
- Costs taxpayers $119 million more to insure fewer people.
- Insures fewer people by disqualifying them from BadgerCare and forcing them into a system many cannot afford.
- Costs state taxpayers $30 million in Disproportionate Share Hospital payments, plus $44 million in federal payments, to pay hospitals for serving the uninsured – a tacit admission that their plan will leave many Wisconsinites uninsured.
- Codifies in state law a Gov. Walker plan rejected by the Obama Administration that could result in 29,000 children being dropped from BadgerCare.
“Republicans are forcing struggling families into a private market many will not be able to afford,” Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) said. “What Republicans did today is to say to 84,700 people, ‘No – you cannot have affordable health care. If you can’t afford private insurance your only option may be emergency care.’”
Republicans attempted to disguise the issue by saying that those people could simply buy private coverage in the exchanges, but failed to note that their plan does not make that insurance affordable for them. A family of two making between $15,510 and $20,628 would be required to pay up to $4,000 a year out of pocket, plus premiums. Families unable to make that payment will be left uninsured and using emergency rooms with the costs shifted on to all other residents who need healthcare.
“Today’s action is solid proof the Republicans have no interest in a middle-class budget and no interest in helping people who are struggling in a state that has dropped from 11th to 44th in the nation in job creation,” Richards said. “Two things missing from this budget vote on healthcare are compassion and common sense. They were trumped by political extremism today. This is a budget that fails Wisconsin’s middle class.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Jon Richards
