The Wisconsin state Assembly voted Wednesday to adopt Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to give BadgerCare recipients, scheduled to move to the federal exchange health care system, a three-month deadline extension.
Multiple Democratic representatives voiced their concern that the bill to extend the BadgerCare deadline would leave 83,000 childless adults without coverage.
State Rep. Andy Jorgensen, D-Fort Atkinson, asked the Wisconsin Assembly to have “compassion” for the people who would go without health care coverage for three months. He blasted Republicans for saying the extension by itself was not compassionate.
“If my mom was here she would say ‘compassionate my foot,’” Jorgensen said.
State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, said the Assembly’s decision was a “needless choice” and the bill was postponing Wisconsinites moving onto Badgercare. According to Mason, the Assembly did not need to “choose to cover poor people by denying coverage to poorer people.”Mason asked the Assembly to consider a “bridge amendment” that would cover the 83,000 adults for three months and eliminate the coverage gap.
Assembly members on the other side of the aisle disagreed strongly with their Democratic counterparts. State Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, said the federal government cannot be trusted because of its failed rollout and botched website launch.
State Rep. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, challenged Assembly Democrats to field questions about the Affordable Care Act. He said Democrats have lost their credibility with voters on the issue of health care.
Democrat’s amendment to close the coverage gap for three months ultimately did not receive enough votes.
The original bill was approved 64-32 and sent to the state Senate. The Senate is scheduled to take up the BadgerCare extension bill in two weeks.
