Who? Why Governor Doyle, of course.
If you've not yet seen it or heard it, we have just been 'given' the expanded version of BadgerCare called BadgerCare Plus.
It is the equivalent of 'universal health care' for the children of Wisconsin that uses the private marketplace 'for now'. Did we need this? My answer is a resounding NO.
Our BadgerCare program has been around for some time now with only marginal success and with abuse that is not even being monitored. BadgerCare now uses two-thirds to three-quarters of its premium funding to insure adults, for example, when the program was intended for kids. What is that if not abuse?
BadgerCare still does not cover some 48,000 kids who are fully eligible simply because they've not been signed up in the program. Those 48,000 will still remain uncovered, but I wonder how many more adults we'll find in the program?
The program will now subsidize or fully pay the premiums for families of four earning as much as $62,000 per year. And, we'll have "fast track" enrollment so that kids will be given ID cards even before the application has been processed and approved. Hello?
All this even before Congress has passed the federal support program called SCHIP (state children's health insurance plan). Governor Doyle has managed to find funding for this grand new program by "streamlining" state programs. By the way, do you think this program will ever go away if federal funding dries up? No, but your taxes will go up to continue that program.
Why is it that there is always money available from "streamlining" programs in government to be used on new programs, but that approach can never be used to reduce our tax burden?
What's theirs is theirs and what's ours is theirs, and we shouldn't even be so bold as to question why nothing ever comes back once Madison's politicians have gotten their paws on it.
By the way, will our government enrollers even be permitted to ask that dreaded question, "Are you here legally and do you have a valid Social Security number?" Even if they were permitted to pose the question, from all appearances the answer would not affect things one way or another.
What do you think?
Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality the cost becomes prohibitive.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
