Progress on the state budget may hinge on who compromises on the health care plan of state Senate Democrats, according to legislative leaders.
The Healthy Wisconsin plan would give people not covered by other programs, like Medicaid, guaranteed access to affordable health care, according to proponent state Sen. John Erpenbach, D-Middleton.
The plan is not the reason for the budget impasse between the Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled Assembly, Erpenbach said in a statement.
Blaming Healthy Wisconsin for the problems Republicans created in their budget is just a political game and do-nothing drama,"" Erpenbach said.
John Murray, spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said Assembly Republicans have been consistently opposed to the plan. They will not approve the plan, even if Huebsch has promised a committee hearing on it, according to Murray.
""The compromise on health care is likely to be closer to what the Governor proposed, the expansion of Senior Care and Badger Care,"" Murray said, referring to programs that assist with prescription drugs for the elderly and health insurance for children, respectively.
Assembly Republicans would be open to supporting Gov. Jim Doyle's plan, Murray said.
Doyle held a press conference with reporters Wednesday, discussing the budget and the Healthy Wisconsin plan. Doyle did not specifically endorse or oppose the plan at the conference, but said he had goals for insuring children and working families in the state.
""What I want to get done in this budget is our good, responsible Badger Care Plus proposal,"" Doyle said.
Doyle said if he spoke out publicly on Healthy Wisconsin it would hurt the budget negotiations.
Murray said Republicans have shown the willingness to compromise by moving $85 million closer to the Democrats on school funding and property tax relief with bills that passed in the Assembly yesterday.
Healthy Wisconsin will cost up to $18 billion, according to Murray.
""[Senate Democrats should] put something on the table that would be viewed as a legitimate compromise,"" Murray said.
Julie Laundrie, spokesperson for Erpenbach, said blaming the budget stalemate on Healthy Wisconsin is ""ridiculous"".
Republicans in the Assembly have no comparable health care proposal, according to Laundrie. She said the Assembly Republicans' proposals on health savings accounts are not nearly equal to Healthy Wisconsin in terms of quality or comprehensiveness.
Laundire said the public is behind Healthy Wisconsin and asking for health care reform.
""Health care is the No. 1 issue for Wisconsin,"" Laundrie said.
