Medicare

Exchange Tackles Rising Health Costs

October 10, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

“Rising health costs are the single biggest problem we face,” the Menomonie non-profit administrator told me. She saw double digit inflation in health insurance costs for years. “We are having a serious talk with our employees about options. None are good.”

“With the drop in milk prices,” the Tomah dairy farmer told me. “Health premiums now take up a quarter of our milk check.” Insurance premiums for the farmer and his brother add up to over $900 a month. “What can you do to help?” he asked.

This week I unveiled a bill to create affordable health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals. An exchange is a competitive marketplace where health insurance companies compete for business.

For small businesses, farmers and others who buy insurance on their own, a well run exchange does two things. First, exchanges give small groups big buying power. No longer are you on your own buying insurance for just yourself or your business.

Second, the exchange provides information not now available to small businesses and people who buy insurance on their own. Consumers can clearly compare plans.

Duffy's DumbAxe

October 6, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Sean Duffy ran his campaign using commercials claiming he had a lumberjack heritage and he was going to take an axe to Washington DC. What he didn't tell us was that Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid were on his axe-list. He voted for the Paul Ryan budget and now we are going to vote him out of the Wisconsin 7th Congressional District.

Sean has had so many blunders since he's taken office and that's even if you are not counting his votes. He claims he can't make it on his $174,000 salary. 

Please watch the video we've made to see how we think he should make his next lumberjack commercials. Link to it as much as you can. We are aiming to get 5000 hits on this video so we can show up right next to Duffy's advertisements that he pays thousands of dollars for. Let's work on getting this Real Fake Repuglican out of office. -saw-

Ryan's Medicare plan poses a big problem for Wisconsin GOP Senate candidates

October 3, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Paul Ryan opted out of running for Herb Kohl's Senate seat next year. But he left a little something behind. His Medicare plan -- to end Medicare as we know it and replace it with a type of voucher plan that would cost seniors more -- is very much going to be a part of the 2012 Senate race in Wisconsin.

The problem for GOP candidates, who are fighting in the primary to win the party's conservative base, is that while Republican voters tend to like Ryan's plan, most other voters don't. It will take some careful positioning to finesse the problem Ryan has created for them.

Of course, Mark Neumann doesn't need to prove his conservative bona fides. It's former governor Tommy T who's getting flak about being too liberal for 21st Century Republicanism.

Maybe to prove himself Tommy will come out to the right of Neumann on Medicare and Social Security. But that could kill him in November.

This little dance could be fun for Democrats to watch.