And a member of a high risk pool that we can’t afford. Ok, let’s put the puns aside for a minute, but since the passage of the House version of the American Health Care Act…another reason that Governor Scott Walker should not be re-elected has been exposed.
After passage of the bill, Governor Walker’s gut reaction was to say he would request a waiver to opt out of the pre-existing conditions requirement and roll out high risk pools in Wisconsin. But less than 24 hours later, after big time pushback from the media, the public, and other elected officials, he changed his mind:
After saying he would consider having Wisconsin opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s pre-existing condition rules, Gov. Scott Walker on Friday stressed that he wasn’t seeking to remove protections for patients.
“I’m waiting to see what gets to the president’s desk, but we’re not looking to change pre-existing conditions,” Walker said in an evening interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He made the comment hours after telling reporters he would consider seeking a waiver from federal rules on pre-existing conditions if the state can do so under the final version of legislation headed to the U.S. Senate
Now this is enough idiocy on its face and you can read between the lines and make up your own mind on what is at work in the governor’s mansion. And then follow this bit of logic:
The American Health Care Act as it is written is unlikely to pass the Senate as it stands or reach the president’s desk as is. A lot of negotiation and compromise and amendments are still to come. Which means the process of repealing/replacing the Affordable Care Act will run into summer and maybe fall. So Obamacare will most likely survive for the entire 2018.
But some form of the AHCA will very likely get passed. And very likely there will be areas that will allow the states to opt out of certain requirements. And after experiencing Governor Walker’s very dangerous take on pre-existing conditions…it is critical that we have a governor who is supportive of Wisconsinites and who will make sure we all have access to affordable and complete healthcare. Mandate pre-existing condition coverage. Pre-natal and maternity care. Emergency room care. Etc, etc, etc.
There has been a lot of speculation on who will run against Governor Walker in 2018 and this one issue alone proves how critical it is to find and support a qualified candidate.
P. S. And Governor Walker is vulnerable on a number of fronts but healthcare might be one more. And it is one area where he just might lose his cool: watch this!
Great point on what a blunder this is by Walker. And as you allude to, the Dem candidates can now say things like “I am the only candidate who will guarantee pre-existining conditions are covered.”
Put that alongside the Dem saying “I am the only candidate who will end gerrymandering in Wisconsin,” and “I am the only candidate that cares more about fixing the state’s roads than in pleasing Grover Norquist”, and you have a message that’ll win over a lot of independent voters that Walker can’t afford to lose (45% of the state hates his guts already)