Wisconsin: Advocates Call For Replacing Education Cuts With Federal Medicaid Dollars

[Scuba]

http://www.wpr.org/advocates-call-replacing-education-cuts-federal-medicaid-dollars

A progressive advocacy group told state lawmakers Thursday that they could avoid deep budget cuts to the University of Wisconsin System and public schools if they accept federal money to expand Medicaid.

During a public hearing at Reedsburg High School, Citizen Action's Anna Dvorak told the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee that referendum after referendum showed the public supported the move. “When you go back to Madison, I imagine that you have many difficult choices to make,” Dvorak said. “Taking the money is not one of them.”

The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau says Wisconsin could save as much as $345 million in state tax dollars by expanding Medicaid.

While Republicans in other states have warmed to the idea, it's been a political non-starter in Wisconsin, where GOP leaders say there's no guarantee the money will be there in future budgets.

[Pharaoh]

1. Tha would be the logical thing to do

which is why asswipe won't do it........

[lutefisk]

2. Walker's rationale is such b.s.

Everything is calculated posturing for his never-ending campaign. Walker and the Republicans know no shame.

Expanding the program would bring in an estimated $4.4 billion in federal subsidies over the next six years and give roughly 175,000 uninsured people health care.

Walker argued that it is the wrong approach, in part because he doesn't believe the federal subsidy will be maintained. But he also said expansion is immoral.

"From a moral standpoint, are we really doing the people of this state a service if we continue to build a series of programs whose overwhelming purpose is to add more people to that system?" he asked. "I think the moral claim here is we want people to succeed."

He then quoted a line from his inaugural address in 2011: "Moderation and frugality in government lead to freedom and prosperity for all our people."

Isthmus

[midnight]

3. Perhaps the conservative element of the party could see this as a win win- I hope. But when walker

tied a budget crisis to taking away the unions collective bargaining rights, it was suggested that any budge issue could be fixed with a penny or two from tax payers. But that was ignored too. And in front of congress we found out that it wasn't a budget crisis. It was another matter- taking away workers rights.