Remember candidate Scott Walker, the guy who wouldn't fess up that he wanted to throw tens of thousands of Wisconsin kids and families off of the state's groundbreaking and successful BadgerCare Plus program?
Some said then, when he was talking about time limits for coverage, that he didn't understand the program. Well, that guy is the governor now, and he still doesn't get it -- or at least pretends he doesn't. Here's the latest salvo:
Walker called for Medicaid reform, saying that BadgerCare has grown too large. Walker said he wants to maintain a safety net for those who need it, but wants to prevent BadgerCare from becoming a permanent entitlement or a long-term alternative to private health coverage.
BadgerCare, no matter what Walker says, was not intended as a short-term fix, but as a way for kids, expectant mothers, and families to get coverage, if they are low-income and don't get health insurance from their employers.
Here's the official version:
Why is Wisconsin implementing BadgerCare Plus?
•To make sure that every child in Wisconsin has access to affordable health insurance.
•To expand health insurance coverage and provide enhanced benefits to more pregnant women,
•To provide health insurance to more parents and caretaker relatives.
•To make it easier to enroll in health insurance coverage.
•To ensure that 98 percent of Wisconsin residents have access to quality, affordable health care.
Who may be eligible?
•All children under age 19, regardless of income.
•Pregnant women with incomes up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
•Parents and relatives caring for a child up to 200% of the FPL.
•Young adults in foster care who turn 18 on or after January 1, 2008, will automatically be able to get BadgerCare Plus until they turn 21, regardless of income.
•Farm families and other families who are self-employed may be eligible under BadgerCare Plus if their income is under 200% of the FPL. .
•Parents whose child/children are in foster care and you have a reunification plan in place may be eligible for BadgerCare Plus if their income is below 200% of the federal poverty level.
Walker, who's suing the federal government to try to blow up its health care reform plan, is intent on destroying Wisconsin's successful system that puts it at or near the top nationally for making sure kids have access to health care.
Fine, Walker seems to say, as long as they're only covered for a little while.
Oh, almost forgot to mention the cabinet secretary Walker named for health care is the same guy wh, while working for George Bush, did his damnedest to get rid of Wisconsin's SeniorCare program to provide prescription drugs to seniors.
Where's Walker get his health care? Why, the same place he and his family have always gotten it -- from the government, paid for by the taxpayers. It's been 17 years now. And this is the guy who wants to kick people off of government health care? Right.