CONTACT: Rep. Gary Hebl, (608) 266-7678
(MADISON) – Today Governor Tony Evers called for a special session to expand Medicaid Expansion in Wisconsin. Expanding Medicaid would extend eligibility to more Wisconsin residents, with the federal government always a covering 90% of the cost. Representative Gary Hebl (Sun Prairie) released the following statement:
I am glad that Governor Evers has put the safety of Wisconsinites front and center. However, it should never have come to this. Wisconsin is lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to Medicaid expansion- almost ¾ of the states in the US have expanded Medicaid, ensuring more affordable health care for an additional 10 million people in those states.
In a blatantly political move, Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled legislature has refused to expand Medicaid simply because it was a Democratic policy and they fear handing Democrats a political win.
However, this is bigger than politics. Expanding Medicaid could deliver affordable health care to 90,000 additional people in Wisconsin. It should not matter whose idea it was- what should matter is the health and safety of the people of our state. Since Medicaid expansion began, we have been pleading to expand access to health care in Wisconsin. It has fallen on deaf ears.
I hope that my colleagues across the aisle will be willing to listen and work with the Governor on this issue, instead of gaveling in and gaveling out of the special session in less than a minute as they have done on other important legislation recently
Nevertheless, I applaud Governor Evers for fighting relentlessly for good policy in Wisconsin. Despite repeatedly fighting the intransigence of Republican leadership, he has continued to keep Medicaid expansion at the forefront. His tenacity in trying to better the lives of Wisconsinites is inspiring.
