WISCONSIN – Yesterday, Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez appeared on As Goes Wisconsin, as did North Carolina State Representative Sarah Crawford, to discuss the importance of expanding Medicaid, and highlight lessons from the North Carolina state legislature, which recently approved Medicaid expansion, extending affordable health care to 600,000 North Carolinians.
During the radio program, Lieutenant Governor Rodriguez, who has a background in public health, described how access to affordable health care is essential to keeping Wisconsinites healthy, out of the hospital, and able to pay for essentials like groceries and rent.
Lieutenant Governor Rodriguez also highlighted how Wisconsin could bring $4 billion into the state by expanding BadgerCare, money that Republican lawmakers have been content to leave on the table in the past, despite overwhelming support for expansion.
“The vast majority of Wisconsinites want us to expand BadgerCare – that includes Democrats and Republicans. We should be doing what the people of Wisconsin want, and that is expanding BadgerCare. It’s time to bring those federal dollars home.”
Later, North Carolina Representative Sarah Crawford, who serves as the Representative for House District 66 and is an outspoken champion for health care access and affordability joined the program to discuss her state’s recent adoption of Medicaid Expansion.
In March, on the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law, North Carolina became the 40th state to expand Medicaid, extending affordable health care to 600,000 North Carolinians.
Wisconsin is one of just 10 remaining holdout states where Republicans have blocked or refused to adopt full Medicaid expansion.
During the show, Representative Crawford described how a “groundswell” of support for Medicaid expansion led lawmakers in North Carolina to set aside politics and work together to expand Medicaid.
Representative Crawford shared some key takeaways and advice for Wisconsinites working to finally expand Medicaid in the state.
“Getting small businesses and county commissioners to understand how Medicaid is going to benefit their communities, benefit their businesses, and benefit their bottom lines makes a huge difference.”
As Republicans in Washington continue to attack the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, North Carolina’s bipartisan action to expand Medicaid confirms that expansion is still possible in places like Wisconsin.
You can listen to this segment of As Goes Wisconsin here, and read more about how Republicans are fighting for health care cuts during Medicaid Awareness Month here.
