Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
Costly universal health care must be rejected
By Mary Lazich
Monday, Jun 25 2007, 07:45 PM
The state Senate Health Committee that I serve on held a hastily scheduled public hearing today on a plan that requires the state provide universal health care coverage. Under this mammoth proposal, nearly every Wisconsin resident would be covered by the program funded by a payroll tax on workers and their employers. The state government would fund and administer health care in Wisconsin.
The cost would be astronomical. Senate Democrats who are pushing the mandate openly admit the price tag of their plan is $15. 2 billion annually. During fiscal year 2006-07, Wisconsin’s General Fund of income and sales tax revenue totaled $12.5 billion. Providing universal health care more than doubles Wisconsin’s taxes that are already some of the highest in the nation. Clearly this would be the largest tax increase in the history of Wisconsin. That is unacceptable. The $15.2 billion annual price tag is nearly two and a half times the $6.5 billion in state income tax revenue during 2006-07. Universal health care is a boondoggle state taxpayers cannot afford.
The cost is assuredly going to be much higher than anticipated, and the payroll tax will merely be passed on to consumers. It will be impossible for a payroll tax to keep up with the growing cost of health care.
Making matters worse, an un-elected, appointed authority lacking accountability will have the decision-making power to adjust benefits and the payroll tax. The authority will not be an elected body and will control $15.2 billion in taxes.
One also has to question if Wisconsin needs to take such a dramatic step by providing universal health care. Wisconsin was recently ranked number one in the country in health care quality by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Wisconsin’s hospitals were also ranked number one in the country. If Wisconsin is providing the best health care in America, it begs the question why we need to mandate costly universal health care coverage.
I also question the process used by Senate Democrats to push their universal health care plan. My office was notified late last Friday afternoon about this morning’s hearing. Details of the plan weren’t formalized until today, when I saw and heard about them for the first time. As a Health Committee member, I was given very little notice and the general public was given even less. A plan of this magnitude deserves much greater notice so the news media and the taxpaying public have time to analyze the specific details and then pose necessary questions. Senate Democrats rushed this proposal with little regard for process, giving the plan only one day of scrutiny before the state Senate is to vote on the state budget.
Universal health care coverage is too expensive and would actually reduce health care services for many consumers. It is also unnecessary. The state Senate is poised to include the plan in the version of the state budget they will pass Tuesday. I strongly urge my colleagues in the state Assembly to reject this fiscal nightmare.
