Health

Will Walker Own His 'Winning?'

September 22, 2011 by The Political E...

There's no denying the breathtaking institutional damage from the bomb Scott Walker that dropped on collective bargaining, as it is reported that major Wisconsin public unions - - after a half-century or so of history and presence - - have chosen not to chase after recertification because Walker and the legislature intentionally used state law to make it recertification impossible (italics added below):

In March, Walker signed legislation ending all union bargaining for public employees except for limited negotiations over wages. Union employees can't bargain for raises larger than the rate of inflation unless approved by voters in a referendum.

The legislation also requires that unions go through yearly recertification votes to keep their official status rather than retain that status indefinitely after an initial vote creating the union as had done in the past. Unions can still exist without that official status, but government employers, such as schools and the state, don't have to recognize them or bargain with them over anything.

Attendance Suppression; $50 Ticket To Attend Walker Job "Summit"

September 20, 2011 by The Political E...

One Wisconsin Now (yes, I am on OWN's 501-C-3 board), has it right: the fee is aimed at keeping out everyday folks, such as those without jobs and the means to pay. What a bone-headed idea, and sure to backfire.

Tackling rising health care costs - Now is the time to act

September 19, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

The Heath Affairs magazine arrived this week at my Capitol office. The headline shouted to me: “New Urgency to Lower Health Costs.” The words echoed the calls of many who pay too much and get too little for their health insurance dollar.

Often conversations with constituents turn to the continued struggle folks face with rising health premiums. New research published this month in the journal Health Affairs confirm when it comes to health care we are paying more and getting less.

One study by the Rand Corporation found workers’ monthly health care bills doubled in the past ten years. The L.A. Times reported, “Rising out-of-pocket medical bills were so corrosive…they virtually wiped out income gains over the decade, leaving the typical family with just $95 more a month to spend on things other than health care in 2009, compared with 1999.”

The Health Affairs article reported the typical family would have $545 more a month in 2009 if health costs had not dramatically exceeded the rate of inflation.

A study released by Commonwealth Fund found nationally the number of uninsured climbed to 52 million people under age 65. Over the past seven years the number of people with poor or inadequate health coverage grew by fifty percent. This is a 9% increase in just three years.

Rick Perry and Paul Ryan; a match made in heaven

September 17, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

They say people find each other.

Rick "Ponzi Scheme" Perry has signed on to the Paul Ryan plan to end Medicare as we know it and replace it with a voucher-type system that will cost seniors much more for health care -- if they can afford it at all.

Isn't calling that "Medicare" when it's really something quite different a bait and switch con job? It sure seems like it.

No word on whether Ryan reciprocated by endorsing Perry's call for states that don't like what Congress does to secede from the union.

More at The Paul Ryan Watch

DNR Says Forest Fire Helped Produce Dangerous Air Quality Readings In Wisconsin

September 14, 2011 by The Political E...

The air quality is