Who Pays for Healthcare Expansion?
Lasee’s Notes
Several county boards and municipal councils from La Crosse to Green Bay voted to place another advisory referendum question on Tuesday’s ballot. In addition to the numerous state political races, constitutional referendums, school referendums, and possibly a war referendum or two, voters in these areas will get to make another choice.
The question these local officials want to ask their voters is: “Should the Wisconsin Legislature pass a bill that will assure access to quality and affordable health care coverage for all Wisconsin individuals and families?”
On its face this question is a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t? Many of us would want our worries to disappear and our government to take care of our families. We must realize that no service our government provides is free.
When services are provided to people who do not have them now, the costs increase.Everything has a cost. And somebody has to pay for it. (I suppose that the government could just borrow for it, we have become quite good at that).
Expanding services to anyone who doesn’t have it requires taxpayers to foot the bill. Foot the bill for an enormous government program, with its own layer of bureaucracy, and another entitlement.
That includes those of us who are fortunate enough to have employer provided healthcare insurance, even if it is on a cost share basis. That includes those who pay for their own health insurance. Someone would be forced to pay more.
After getting wind of this in the paper, I sent letters to many of the local officials who voted to put the healthcare question on the ballot. I let them know that I think it’s a great to ask voters their opinion on issues, I suggested that they also ask the following questions:
• Should the Wisconsin Legislature pass a bill that will assure access to quality and affordable health care coverage for all Wisconsin individuals and families? Even if it requires tax increases?
• If the Legislature fails to implement this plan in the upcoming session should the municipality or county offer its own program? Even if it means increasing taxes for local residents?
As the old saying goes, “what’s good enough for the goose is good enough for the gander.” In other words, should the municipality or county step up to the plate and offer this benefit to their residents, even it means they will have to increase their local taxes to do so?
• Should all Wisconsin individuals and families be provided a free, high-quality lunch and dinner, delivered to either their place of work or to their home?
There are no free-lunches. And people know that increases in services are not free and someone has to pay (or borrow). Most likely once the government took over kitchen duty we wouldn’t get meals of our choice. We would get what ever is served.
For some they would be too hot and for others too cold.
Under a government run system, the timely access to quality healthcare that most of us currently enjoy could be in jeopardy. All we have to do is look to our neighbor to the North (Canada not the U.P.) to see how universal healthcare is faring.
According to the Fraser Institute an independent non-partisan think tank based in Canada, the average patient waits 17.7 weeks (over four months) for hospital treatment. Imagine having to wait over four months to get the care that you need.
In fact, in a recent ruling in reference to the country’s socialized healthcare program, the Supreme Court of Canada said, “waiting lists for healthcare services have resulted in deaths, have increased the length of time that patients have to be in pain and have impaired patents’ ability to enjoy a real quality of life.”
To make quality healthcare more affordable we need to make it more competitive. More like car, homeowners or life insurance. Increasing competition, information and allowing individuals to control their own healthcare destiny will improve our system and lower costs for most. We have proven tools like health savings accounts. We are allowing businesses and individuals to pool their resources and combine their buying power in order to purchase quality healthcare at a more manageable cost.
We must be very careful of what we ask for because we just might get it.
I wonder why none of these local governments are asking if they and the state should have an allowable government spending growth level that would require government officials to ask voters first before they spend more or raise taxes. Sometimes I think these same people who are asking about universal health care avoid other issues that they find less in common with their beliefs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lasee’s Notes is a weekly column by Representative Frank Lasee, 2nd Assembly District, covering events in the Legislature and statewide.
Several county boards and municipal councils from La Crosse to Green Bay voted to place another advisory referendum question on Tuesday’s ballot. In addition to the numerous state political races, constitutional referendums, school referendums, and possibly a war referendum or two, voters in these areas will get to make another choice.
The question these local officials want to ask their voters is: “Should the Wisconsin Legislature pass a bill that will assure access to quality and affordable health care coverage for all Wisconsin individuals and families?”
On its face this question is a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t? Many of us would want our worries to disappear and our government to take care of our families. We must realize that no service our government provides is free.
When services are provided to people who do not have them now, the costs increase.Everything has a cost. And somebody has to pay for it. (I suppose that the government could just borrow for it, we have become quite good at that).
Expanding services to anyone who doesn’t have it requires taxpayers to foot the bill. Foot the bill for an enormous government program, with its own layer of bureaucracy, and another entitlement.
That includes those of us who are fortunate enough to have employer provided healthcare insurance, even if it is on a cost share basis. That includes those who pay for their own health insurance. Someone would be forced to pay more.
After getting wind of this in the paper, I sent letters to many of the local officials who voted to put the healthcare question on the ballot. I let them know that I think it’s a great to ask voters their opinion on issues, I suggested that they also ask the following questions:
• Should the Wisconsin Legislature pass a bill that will assure access to quality and affordable health care coverage for all Wisconsin individuals and families? Even if it requires tax increases?
• If the Legislature fails to implement this plan in the upcoming session should the municipality or county offer its own program? Even if it means increasing taxes for local residents?
As the old saying goes, “what’s good enough for the goose is good enough for the gander.” In other words, should the municipality or county step up to the plate and offer this benefit to their residents, even it means they will have to increase their local taxes to do so?
• Should all Wisconsin individuals and families be provided a free, high-quality lunch and dinner, delivered to either their place of work or to their home?
There are no free-lunches. And people know that increases in services are not free and someone has to pay (or borrow). Most likely once the government took over kitchen duty we wouldn’t get meals of our choice. We would get what ever is served.
For some they would be too hot and for others too cold.
Under a government run system, the timely access to quality healthcare that most of us currently enjoy could be in jeopardy. All we have to do is look to our neighbor to the North (Canada not the U.P.) to see how universal healthcare is faring.
According to the Fraser Institute an independent non-partisan think tank based in Canada, the average patient waits 17.7 weeks (over four months) for hospital treatment. Imagine having to wait over four months to get the care that you need.
In fact, in a recent ruling in reference to the country’s socialized healthcare program, the Supreme Court of Canada said, “waiting lists for healthcare services have resulted in deaths, have increased the length of time that patients have to be in pain and have impaired patents’ ability to enjoy a real quality of life.”
To make quality healthcare more affordable we need to make it more competitive. More like car, homeowners or life insurance. Increasing competition, information and allowing individuals to control their own healthcare destiny will improve our system and lower costs for most. We have proven tools like health savings accounts. We are allowing businesses and individuals to pool their resources and combine their buying power in order to purchase quality healthcare at a more manageable cost.
We must be very careful of what we ask for because we just might get it.
I wonder why none of these local governments are asking if they and the state should have an allowable government spending growth level that would require government officials to ask voters first before they spend more or raise taxes. Sometimes I think these same people who are asking about universal health care avoid other issues that they find less in common with their beliefs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lasee’s Notes is a weekly column by Representative Frank Lasee, 2nd Assembly District, covering events in the Legislature and statewide.
posted by John Q Cheesehead | 10:31 AM
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