I couldn’t help but think of Wisconsin when I read economist Paul Krugman’s recent piece in the New York Times which described the cruel health care inequities that now exist in several states that have refused to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Wisconsin is one of 14 states that did not accept the federal funds, thanks to former Gov. Scott Walker and now the Republican-controlled state Legislature’s ideological opposition stemming from their disdain for Obamacare.
In our state, the GOP would rather throw away hundreds of millions of dollars in federal health care help, foisting the cost of providing health care for the poor, disabled and elderly onto the backs of state taxpayers than take federal dollars. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester — perhaps the best example of fiscal irresponsibility in state government — has famously declared that the state will expand Medicaid over his dead body. Unfortunately, there may be a lot of dead bodies, thanks to his irrational stubbornness.
Several other states controlled by Republicans have since seen the folly of their original stubbornness and voted to take the funds to provide coverage for the impoverished, all the while freeing up millions of dollars for other pressing state needs.
Gov. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska — one of Walker’s fellow travelers and a billionaire right-wing toady of President Donald Trump — joined with Walker, Vos and other ideologues in refusing the federal help. Trouble for Ricketts is that the state’s voters decided in a referendum to accept the expansion funds. Last word is that the Ricketts administration is slowly and reluctantly putting the voters’ verdict in place.
Krugman’s column documented what’s happened in several states that continue to put politics over common sense. Suffering the most are rural areas that have seen doctors leave and hospitals close because many of the sick they must serve don’t have health insurance coverage to pay the bills.
Wisconsin’s rural and impoverished areas have also experienced severe problems, but the Republican-led Legislature has refused to consider new Gov. Tony Evers’ pleas to take the money. Fortunately for Wisconsin, the state’s problems are somewhat alleviated thanks to BadgerCare — a program initiated by former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. Still, tens of thousands in the Badger State remain without coverage that Medicaid expansion could help.
Krugman contends that the simple fact is that the non-expansion states have chosen to inflict misery on many of their constituents — rural residents in particular.
“So, if rural America is suffering, a large part of the explanation is gratuitous political cruelty,” he added.
That describes our Republican Legislature and their former leader, Scott Walker, perfectly.
Dave Zweifel is editor emeritus of The Capital Times. dzweifel@madison.com, 608-252-6410 and on Twitter @DaveZweifel.
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