Thank you for taking the time to read this week's e-update. I always strive to include information you find interesting and informative as it relates to my work in Madison and the 60th Assembly District.
My most important goal remains serving you, my constituents. Helping you find solutions to difficult problems when it seems like the state is unresponsive is the single greatest reward for my staff and me. I take constituents' input seriously and continually work hard on your behalf.
I always have your thoughts and concerns in mind when deciding whether or not to support legislation. Furthermore, I appreciate when you take time out of your schedules to contact me.
Have a great week,
This week's survey question
During his campaign for the state's highest office, Tony Evers made Medicaid expansion, particularly accepting federal dollars for the program, a foremost priority. Last week, the Joint Finance Committee removed Medicaid expansion from the budget, recognizing that the state has more effective ways to provide Wisconsin's uninsured with health insurance coverage.
Like my colleagues on the Joint Finance Committee, I believe consumers have healthcare coverage options available to them through the private marketplace, especially with the large subsidies offered through the Affordable Care Act. In some cases, 90 percent of the costs are subsidized. Instead of expanding welfare, we should target our efforts to connect those who are currently uninsured to the highly-subsidized coverage for which they qualify, while reducing the costs for those on private insurance. As such, I am opposed to Medicaid expansion and will continue to fight efforts to expand the program.
Expansion of Medicaid would destroy the private health insurance market and make more Wisconsinites dependent upon government for their healthcare needs. I support patient choice, not government-run healthcare.
Since Medicaid expansion was introduced in 2014, the federal government has continually reduced the percentage they will pay toward the program. It is currently at 93 percent and is scheduled to go down to 90 percent next year. In just four short years, the percentage will have declined by ten percent and further decreases are expected to be forthcoming.
These reductions and other predictable factors have caused massive budgetary problems for states that have accepted the expansion dollars.
Ohio, for example, originally estimated that their increase in Medicaid enrollment would be 447,000 people by 2020. Reports, however, have enrollment exceeding 653,000, which has ballooned Ohio's Medicaid spending to $23 billion in fiscal year 2017, alone. Ohio also predicted that their Medicaid expansion would cost $14 billion between 2014 and 2020. Spending for the expansion in Ohio is now anticipated to cost $28.5 billion by 2020.
California initially estimated that their enrollment would be 910,000 adults after the expansion, but that total ended up being 3.8 million by July 2017. California's initial cost estimate was about $11.6 billion, but that turned out to be $43.7 billion.
In 2013, instead of implementing a full expansion of Medicaid up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Line, Wisconsin covered everyone up to 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Line with BadgerCare for the first time in history. This action resulted in no coverage gap, which means everyone in Wisconsin has access to health insurance.
Because of the policies implemented during the last six years, Wisconsin's uninsured rate is one of the nation's best. In fact, Wisconsin, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, does as well or better than most of the 36 states that expanded Medicaid. Wisconsin's uninsured rate is around five percent, one of the nation's lowest. Furthermore, the Badger State's unemployment rate is the lowest of any state that did not expand Medicaid.
Again, instead of expanding welfare, we should target our efforts to connect those who are currently uninsured to the highly-subsidized coverage for which they qualify, while reducing the costs for those on private insurance.
One of the shortcomings of Medicaid is that the program only reimburses healthcare providers at a rate of 60 percent of their cost. This means that providers are losing money on every Medicaid patient they see, so they must charge more to patients who have private insurance, to cover these losses. Putting more people on Medicaid would cause a greater shift in the cost and increase in premiums for those with insurance. A recent University of Wisconsin study estimated that Wisconsinites' insurance premiums would rise by $600 million if Medicaid was expanded.
My reasons for not expanding Medicaid are as follows:
Currently, the estimated 40,000 individuals between 100 and 138 percent of the federal poverty line who are currently uninsured already qualify for heavily federally subsidized coverage on the exchange, but are not accessing it.
Instead of placing these individuals on Medicaid, I believe the state should increase opportunities to enroll them in the exchange where they qualify for heavily subsidized coverage at no cost to the state.
Moving more individuals from private insurance, which reimbursed the cost of care to Medicaid, which does not reimburse the cost of care, will increase healthcare costs shifted to private-payers.
Increasing the number of able-bodied adults on welfare at a time when the unemployment rate is below three percent and employers are starving for workers, does not make sense.
Rather than expand Medicaid, Wisconsin should focus its efforts on connecting the uninsured with existing coverage opportunities under the federal exchange.
Please, take a minute to answer my one-question survey on Medicaid expansion.
Thank you to everyone who provided input on how to best allocate dollars collected by the taxation of utilities. In total, 96 individuals responded to this week's survey question.
A whopping 95 percent of respondents believed that utility aid payments should be returned to the municipality in which the utility is located. Conversely, a paltry four percent of respondents posited that utility tax payments should be retained by the state for general purpose revenue.
Spring Survey
Thank you to everyone who has completed my 2019 spring budget survey. In total, more than 650 surveys have been completed. If you have yet to do so, there is still time to take the survey. If you want to save on postage, you can take my survey online. I look forward to reading your thoughts on Governor Evers' 2019-21 budget and the issues of greatest interest to you and your families.
Legislation
Last week, I testified before the Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics, and Rural Issues, on behalf of Senate Bills 48 and 108. Senate Bill 48, quite simply, allows an elector to photograph his or her marked ballot and share it on social media platform. The bill affirms two core tenets of our republic: personal freedom and free speech.
Assembly Bill 108, that I coauthored with Senator Duey Stroebel, came about at the request of a Fredonia Village Trustee. This legislation clarifies the process for appointing individuals to vacant city council and village board seats. Quite simply, the bill clarifies that a vacancy in an elective office may be filled by appointing a successor to serve for the remainder of an unexpired term or until a special election is held.
Additionally, I testified before the Assembly Committee on Local Government on behalf of Assembly Bill 86, a technical fix to Wisconsin Act 51, signed into law, last session. This simple, straightforward bill clarifies that the filing of an official bond for town municipal judges is optional, not obligatory. If, for example, the town board does not utilize an official bond, they must obtain a dishonest employee policy or other insurance coverage for the judge.
Testifying with Senator Dave Craig on behalf of Senate Bill 48.
Testifying on behalf of Senate Bill 108 with Senator Stroebel's staff and Joshua Haas, a trustee on the Fredonia Village Board.
Testifying on behalf of Assembly Bill 86.
60th District Events
The following are a few events that will be occurring this week, in the 60th Assembly District. If you have an upcoming event that you would like included in my weekly e-update, please contact my office.
One of the best ways to date with what is happening in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking system. This service affords you with the opportunity to track legislative activities in Madison. Upon creation of a free account, you can sign up to receive notification about specific bills of committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject (i.e., health care, education, etc.).
If you have any comments regarding the subject of this E-Update, please feel free to contact me.
Rep. Rob Brooks State Capitol, Room 216 North P.O. Box 8952 Madison, WI 53708 Toll-Free (888) 534-0060 or (608) 267-2370 Rep.Rob.Brooks@legis.wi.gov| |
