Republican Refusal to Expand Medicaid in WI Makes Bad Dollars & Sense
Wisconsinites Want Expansion & Their Federal Money Now
MILWAUKEE – Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement in response to the memo released by Republican members of the Joint Committee on Finance highlighting their plans to strip multiple elements of Governor Evers’ budget, most notably Medicaid expansion:
“The refusal by my Republican colleagues to accept Medicaid expansion in Wisconsin willfully ignores some of the most vulnerable in our communities in all of Wisconsin, goes against the will of Wisconsin voters – 70% of Republicans, Democrats and Independents who support expansion – and also just makes bad money sense. Expanding Medicaid in Wisconsin would save us $324 million dollars and bring in $1.6 billion more in federal money with a big amount going to Republican districts. For a party that prides itself on ‘fiscal responsibility,’ it seems awfully irresponsible for Republicans to leave that much money on the table.”
Republicans’ continued refusal to accept Medicaid expansion has meant foregoing over $1 billion in state-level savings and losing out on $2.7 billion more in federal funding, all while other Republican-controlled states have gone forward with Medicaid expansion.
Rep. Bowen continued, “I was proud to stand behind Governor Evers at Milwaukee City Hall yesterday in support of this ‘People’s Budget’ and expanding healthcare access for 82,000 of the most vulnerable across all 72 counties in our state. I will continue to support the budget priorities of this Governor and the people of our State, and I sincerely hope that Wisconsin Republicans can set aside ideological squabbles for the good of our State. I urge people across Wisconsin to call their legislators at (800) 362-9472 and let them know that they support this dollars and sense proposal!”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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Every decision has costs and benefits including the decision to take Medicaid expansion money. Rational decision makers weigh the costs against the benefits. Republicans and the Walker administration only looked at the costs. Their justification higher premium for private market insurance, flies in the face of reality. States that accepted Medicaid expansion moneys all have seen the overall health insurance prices stabilized at a significantly lower cost than here in Wisconsin.
Might I remind Republicans that the federal dollars they are refusing are money that Wisconsin residents paid to the federal government. Not bringing those dollars back to Wisconsin makes no fiscal sense.