One of the main reasons I ran for office was to find a way to deliver health care to the one in ten residents of Wisconsin lacking coverage. Since then we have passed BadgerCare Plus in last year’s budget. This plan will allow parents without employer coverage to insure their children in the state run BadgerCare program. Participation cost is based on household income and the plan covers all of our children who may be ineligible for other plans. 

I supported SeniorCare which has been extended to January 1, 2010. We continue our efforts to make it a permanent plan. It is hoped that with changes in the White House this year, the federal government will be more receptive to making our waiver permanent to continue the program. SeniorCare saves 93% of our seniors money when compared to Medicare Part D. It is less expensive for Wisconsin and the federal government. 

Our job is not complete. There are still residents of Wisconsin struggling with a lack of insurance. Our opponents propose partial solutions and ignore the large numbers of people facing out of control premiums, denials of claims, and financial ruin caused by an inadequate medical delivery system. Businesses are also finding it increasingly difficult to insure their workers. Medical facilities are stretched further and further to provide care and keep the doors open. 

I have worked to bring solutions to our troubled healthcare system in my first term.  Some in the legislature would like to ignore it for two more years. Their years of ignoring the problem in the past and their resolution to ignore it in the future will not yet fix the situation. That is why I want to return to Madison with a majority in the Assembly that can work through the issues and fix the problem.