Where were those “free market reforms” when the GOP was in charge?

Earlier this morning, I noted Governor Jim Doyle has announced the Badger Care Plus Core Plan will stop take new enrollments as of Friday, October 9, and Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Reince Priebus seized on the opportunity to score a few cheap political points, issuing the following statement:

Instead of forever expanding government health care, we should be focused on making health care more affordable for families and small businesses through free market reforms that will lead to more access to quality care across the state.”

So here’s my question for Reince Priebus…why didn’t Republican lawmakers enact some of those “free market” health care reforms Priebus mentioned when they held the majority in the Wisconsin State from 1993 until the 2009 session began?

I’m betting the answer to my question is simple: Republican lawmakers didn’t enact “free market” health care reforms during all those years they held the majority in Madison because Republicans aren’t really interested in meaningful health care reform. Much like the ostrich that sticks its head in the sand, Wisconsin’s Republicans – and national Republicans – have been content to stick their heads in the sand and ignore our nation’s health care problems.

H/T to Jim at Pretty Important.

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4 thoughts on “Where were those “free market reforms” when the GOP was in charge?

  1. Think about how wrong the idea of “free market reforms” is.

    In a free market, there is no such thing as reform. The market adjusts, it self regulates, it doesn’t reform. Only government can institute reform.

    Is Reince Priebus looking to government to reform the free market? Cool.

    The reason Republicans didn’t “reform” the free market, if you accept that premise, is that they already knew it was a free market system. There are winners and losers. That’s freedom. That’s how it works.

  2. Go ahhhhn, John. Tell us how the health care biz is and was a free market, free from interference from the government, ruled by laws crafted without the influence of corporate lobbyists.

  3. Simply put, the free market cannot deal with everything, and health-care reform is too important to oppose based on political ideology that supports the free market, no matter what.

  4. Glenn Grothman on public radio this morning denied the popularity of Badger Care Plus Core Plan by saying the Gov. had to shut it down, not because of a need, but becuase of the limited number of applicants and dollar limit. Ah, Glenn, nice try. What Glenn did not say was that it appears people aren’t as affraid of a government run program as the Republicans would have us believe. Dramatically so. And free markets wasn’t the point, health care was.

    It’s true that the free market is crafted by lobbyists in the form of government laws, but that’s the irony.

    Free markets just don’t happen automatically. Government laws would have to be written granting corporate power over consumer protections and interests. Pretty much like it is now. That’s Big Gov, for Business, by granting corporations more power. The government is us of course, granting subservience of the citizenry to business. The next time a business does a person or community wrong, try to get them to hold a town hall meeting. Good luck too.

    Watch what you wish for.

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