May 24, 2011

 

REPUBLICANS REJECT LONG-TERM
COMMITMENT TO SENIOR CARE

 FamilyCare Enhancement Rejected, Democrats Act to Save SeniorCare

(MADISON WI) Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), Senate Ranking Member of the Joint Finance Committee, expressed her disgust to the GOP’s rejection of a long-term investment in SeniorCare offered by Democrats. Democrats joined the GOP in funding the SeniorCare program following huge public outcry against Gov. Walker’s plan to kill SeniorCare. Unfortunately, the GOP only offered a short-term band-aid to SeniorCare by rejecting the Democrats motion to extend the program beyond 2012. “After 14,000 petitions were delivered by Democrats  and repeated attempts to offer true fixes to SeniorCare, Republicans finally lived up to their word to fund SeniorCare. Too bad they couldn’t give seniors peace of mind that they reject any future attempts by Walker to kill SeniorCare.”

Democrats also attempted to delete the cap on the enrollment for FamilyCare, FamilyCare Partnerships, PACE, and the IRIS programs that are used to help low-income, disabled persons, and seniors. This motion was also set up to prevent a raiding of the funds in these programs. “Long-term care provides the elderly and disabled housing in the least restrictive and most integrated setting. Instead, today the GOP chose to send this population back to the institutional setting. How unfortunate for the citizens of Wisconsin when just 4 years ago to the day, members of the GOP voted to extend Family Care, including Senator Olsen and Darling” (JFC, May 24 – 2007)