Thursday, October 11, 2018

Walker's health care tweets are deceptive, defensive

[Updated from 9/11/18: This is a truth-in-politicking reposting. Because Leah Vukmir has now joined Walker in claiming without any specifics or a law in place support for health insurance that mandates coverage of pre-existing conditions, it's important to understand that a) that Walker directs the GOP in Wisconsin, and b) Walker's opposition to Obamacare and all its elements - - from pre-existing coverage to children remaining on their parents plans until age 26 - -  extends beyond mere words to state-paid litigation against Obamacare - - all of it - - which Walker authorized within "literally moments" of his swearing-in. 
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Now let us examine the motives and credibility of a certain Scott Walker, long a foe of former President Barack Obama and his signature achievement  - - 'Obamacare' - - as Walker now poses as an election-year friend to insurance coverages for pre-existing medical conditions, a crucial Obamacare element.

I mean, if Walker can pretend to be The Education Governor, can The Obamacare Governor be far behind?

Even though just as Walker dropped out of the 2015 presidential race after bashing Obamacare for months he'd bragged that he was the Anti-Obamacare Governor from his first moments in office. "Literally."
Walker and other Republicans have been battling the Affordable Care Act since its inception. In Tuesday's speech, he said that "literally moments" after taking his oath of office when he became governor, he turned to Wisconsin's then-attorney general and authorized him to join a lawsuit challenging Obamacare. 
So where are we and Walker and the state and the truth and the state of things today? 

Literally.

I'd noted in this post Monday that a federal judge was considering overturning Obamacare and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. 

The litigation was brought with AG Schimel's enthusiastic participation and Walker's blessing, as the Journal Sentinel reported Monday
In a news release when the lawsuit was filed, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel took credit with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for taking the lead in the lawsuit filed by 18 state attorneys general and the governors of Maine and Mississippi. 
The lawsuit was filed with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s approval.
We know those paragraphs stung because Walker tweeted four times today on his personal page reminding people that he would sign a bill guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing coverage.

One of Walker's tweets echoed in the others:
5 hr On Wednesday, January 24, I called for passing a law covering pre-existing conditions.
So Walker was saying then and now that he's in favor of something he's actively been helping obstruct and destroy, for years, literally - - talk about having it both ways - - while his tweets leave out some salient history and facts:

No such bill ever made it to Walker's desk, so "I called for passing a law" is not the same thing as saying 'I signed one.'

And why didn't a bill reach his desk?

Because Democrats balked, knowing Walker had earlier backed a way for insurers to raise the cost of those coverages:
Wisconsin governor may seek waiver to let insurers hike premiums for pre-existing conditions
And because other loopholes in a bill under consideration at the time earlier this year would have cost some patients more money:
Democrats oppose the legislation because it would allow insurers to charge more if a patient has a gap in coverage. Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, and Rep. Daniel Riemer, D-Milwaukee, had introduced a preexisting conditions bill last year that would not have allowed insurers to charge more after a coverage lapse...
Asked about Democrats' concerns, Walker told reporters he'll leave it up to lawmakers to work out the details.
You can read more about Walker's bobbing-and-weaving on the issue in this AP fact check of Walker's State of the State Speech:

My take:

Walker has no plan for covering pre-existing conditions should the current Obamacare guarantees be lost through actions Walker has actively supported.

What he has are campaign season words and spin, followed by a 'someone else can solve it' shrug.

That's not health care reform; it's robbery. 

That's not covering pre-existing conditions; it's turning them into post-Obamacare profit centers at the expense of severely-ill patients. 

No wonder Walker's two-faced approach, his long-standing opposition to Obamacare and its pre-existing conditions' coverages already in place are being slammed in a new ad paid for by the Democratic Governors Association.



1 comment:

  1. Walker is a disgusting, putrid man. Now he is trying to buy out college age kids. What a joke. The real joke is the Repubs who will vote for him no matter what he does. My daughter lived in Wisconsin, graduated from high school and college with honors, and had her job as a ranger stripped from her so this clown could claim all the money he saved us. She left Wis because of sleazy scott and will not come back. One of thousands of intelligent young people who left because of his agenda. The real reason he has dragged this state down is because of the morons in the Republican party. Talk to any of them and they will bash Walker and his policies, but they are beholden to the party so they will never vote against him. We are falling apart because a large number of antiamerican choose party over country.

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