At last week's "Covering the Uninsured" event at Monroe Clinic, I and others in attendance were reminded of the complexity of the health care problems faced by some of our friends and neighbors in southern Wisconsin. Undoubtedly, costs are high and not everyone has the access they deserve. I know it is easy to be skeptical of government solutions from Washington and Madison. But I also know the Legislature is committed to solving these problems and, as a state, we have come a long way over the past few years.
More than ever before, Wisconsin residents have increasing access to health insurance. In this last legislative session, Republicans and Democrats worked together to advance an aggressive agenda designed to increase access to health care for all of our state's citizens while lowering health-related costs.
In just three short months, BadgerCare Plus, a bipartisan achievement, has enrolled more than 71,000 children and their family members, far exceeding expectations for this landmark health care program. The first phase of enrollment has focused primarily on ensuring Wisconsin's children have access to quality health care. Today, every Wisconsin child is eligible for health care coverage and over 45,000 have already been enrolled. Pregnant women and the parents and caretaker relatives of children also are now able to register for coverage.
The overall goal of BadgerCare Plus is to ensure that 98 percent of Wisconsinites have health care coverage. The second phase of the program will expand to help provide options for childless adults and will likely be effective Jan. 1, 2009. The third and final phase is in development and will focus on small business health insurance reform.
I know parts of these reforms are not happening as quickly as some would like, but BadgerCare Plus is proving to be a giant step forward for health care coverage in Wisconsin and, in time, will benefit many more uninsured and underinsured individuals and families.
While we work to increase access to health coverage, it is also important to make health care more affordable for those who already have coverage. This session we developed and passed multiple pieces of legislation designed to promote consumer-driven health care through increased tax credits, transparency, cost-cutting technology and tools for small businesses to pool coverage.
This Patients First agenda is a stark alternative to big-government proposals like "Healthy Wisconsin" which would put the state bureaucracy in charge of your health care dollars and decisions. This one-size-fits-all program can only be funded by a $15 billion tax increase on employers and employees. Now is the not the time to levy a jobs-killing tax on Wisconsin employers. Instead, we must continue bipartisan efforts to increase access to health care and lower costs.
Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about these initiatives. Together, we can achieve the common goal of making sure all of us have access to affordable health care.
I want to hear from you, so please feel welcome to express your thoughts or let me know if I can be helpful to you in any way by calling (888) 534-0080, e-mailing me at Rep.Davis@legis.wi.gov or by writing or stopping by 308 North, State Capitol, Madison, WI 53708.
- Wisconsin State Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, serves the 80th Assembly District, which includes all of Green County and portions of Rock, Dane and Lafayette counties.
More than ever before, Wisconsin residents have increasing access to health insurance. In this last legislative session, Republicans and Democrats worked together to advance an aggressive agenda designed to increase access to health care for all of our state's citizens while lowering health-related costs.
In just three short months, BadgerCare Plus, a bipartisan achievement, has enrolled more than 71,000 children and their family members, far exceeding expectations for this landmark health care program. The first phase of enrollment has focused primarily on ensuring Wisconsin's children have access to quality health care. Today, every Wisconsin child is eligible for health care coverage and over 45,000 have already been enrolled. Pregnant women and the parents and caretaker relatives of children also are now able to register for coverage.
The overall goal of BadgerCare Plus is to ensure that 98 percent of Wisconsinites have health care coverage. The second phase of the program will expand to help provide options for childless adults and will likely be effective Jan. 1, 2009. The third and final phase is in development and will focus on small business health insurance reform.
I know parts of these reforms are not happening as quickly as some would like, but BadgerCare Plus is proving to be a giant step forward for health care coverage in Wisconsin and, in time, will benefit many more uninsured and underinsured individuals and families.
While we work to increase access to health coverage, it is also important to make health care more affordable for those who already have coverage. This session we developed and passed multiple pieces of legislation designed to promote consumer-driven health care through increased tax credits, transparency, cost-cutting technology and tools for small businesses to pool coverage.
This Patients First agenda is a stark alternative to big-government proposals like "Healthy Wisconsin" which would put the state bureaucracy in charge of your health care dollars and decisions. This one-size-fits-all program can only be funded by a $15 billion tax increase on employers and employees. Now is the not the time to levy a jobs-killing tax on Wisconsin employers. Instead, we must continue bipartisan efforts to increase access to health care and lower costs.
Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about these initiatives. Together, we can achieve the common goal of making sure all of us have access to affordable health care.
I want to hear from you, so please feel welcome to express your thoughts or let me know if I can be helpful to you in any way by calling (888) 534-0080, e-mailing me at Rep.Davis@legis.wi.gov or by writing or stopping by 308 North, State Capitol, Madison, WI 53708.
- Wisconsin State Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, serves the 80th Assembly District, which includes all of Green County and portions of Rock, Dane and Lafayette counties.
