Following is the statement of Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate on Scott Walker’s decision to join other extremist governors in rejecting local control of health care exchanges.
“Scott Walker tried to paint his radical Republican caucus as moderates this election cycle because everyone knew Wisconsin had had enough Tea Party extremism. After vowing to work together and come up with bi-partisan solutions on issues that matter to Wisconsinites Scott Walker and his party have failed their very first test in rejecting local control of federally-required health care exchanges.
“This is a missed opportunity. A health care exchange run by Wisconsin, or in partnership with the federal government, would have allowed for the most flexibility in establishing a competitive marketplace where health insurance companies compete for business on a level playing field and individuals and small businesses have the option to purchase affordable healthcare coverage.
“Clearly, Scott Walker’s decision is not based on serving the best interests of Wisconsin families and small businesses – it is based on preserving his image as a hero to the farthest-right fringe of the Tea Party that still refuses to accept that ObamaCare is not merely the law of the land, but the best way to ensure all Americans have access to basic, affordable health care coverage.
“Scott Walker, like Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, seems to be okay with just writing off large segments of the population. Now that Scott Walker has kicked more than 20,000 people off health care, and who knows how many more in his next budget, there are more than 340,000 uninsured Wisconsinites. That’s unacceptable. Everyone in Wisconsin deserves access to affordable health coverage. It’s the least Scott Walker can do for the very people who pay to insure him and his family.”
