Medical Treatment Should Never be Forced

Over 300 people across Wisconsin reached out to my office in favor of the package of bills that would guarantee their right to refuse the experimental COVID-19 vaccines. While I personally remain solidly pro-vaccination, I firmly believe that no one should be forced to get vaccinated or be discriminated against based on their choice.

I serve on the Assembly Committee on Constitution and Ethics, which held a public hearing on the five COVID-19 vaccine anti-discrimination bills, AB299, AB303, AB309, AB316, and AB347, last Wednesday. The committee meeting began at 10 AM and during the next eight hours when members of the public testified, not one person spoke in opposition to the bills.

Numerous businesses and colleges are demonstrating why these bills are necessary. Just this week Marquette University announced it would be mandating that each student get the vaccine before returning to classes in the fall. Every individual has the right to determine their own medical treatment. I’m deeply disappointed that Marquette University is discriminating against those who cannot or will not be vaccinated. I’m not anti-vaccination, I am pro-freedom. It’s completely inappropriate for a university to make health care decisions for students. Telling a student what to think and do goes against the very idea that universities exist to create independent critical thinkers.

Getting Wisconsin Back to Work

As we adjust to a post-pandemic world, expanded unemployment benefits are making it difficult for employers to find help. These enhanced federal unemployment weekly benefits are now serving as an incentive for people to remain outside of the workforce. Just this week, a poll found that 71% of voters (and 59% of Democrats) favor ending the pandemic-related supplemental unemployment payments and returning unemployment benefits to normal levels. Twenty-five states have already ended these supplemental payments and the longer Wisconsin goes without these critical workers, the harder it will be for our state to fully recover from the shutdown. That’s why today the State Assembly voted to end our participation in the enhanced federal unemployment benefit programs.

Your Questions

William of Greenville writes: Why did the legislature not take up the governor’s special session proposal to expand Medicaid?

Medicaid expansion is often billed as free money from the federal government; however, nothing could be further from the truth.

A study conducted by UW–Madison Professor of Economics Noah Williams found that accepting the federal Medicaid expansion money, and strings, would cost Wisconsinites $600 million a year, even after taking into account the additional federal funding. This hidden cost is due to the fact that Medicaid under-reimburses health care providers for the actual cost of care, meaning these clinics and hospitals have to pass these costs on to other people with insurance, causing your insurance premiums to rise. 

Even worse, Medicaid expansion won’t even expand coverage of Wisconsinites, because there is currently no coverage gap in Wisconsin. In the last budget, Republicans expanded Medicaid eligibility to adults up the poverty level under a Medicaid waiver. As a result, there is no one in the coverage gap in Wisconsin, as confirmed by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The governor’s special session was an unfortunate political stunt to try and force costly and unnecessary welfare expansion in our state.

If you have a question or a suggestion, please email me at rep.murphy@legis.wi.gov

I Need Your Input on the State Budget

The best part of my job is hearing from folks like you about what needs to get done in Madison. As your representative, I’m proud to bring your voice to the legislature and I’m grateful every time someone makes the effort to show up at a listening session, mail in a survey, or email me. Please click on the image above to take my spring survey regarding the state budget.