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, the town of Vernon 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.
Massachusetts’ government health care gets worse and worse
State Senate Democrats have pledged they will resurrect their $15.2 billion government health care plan in the current legislative session. The proposal was rejected, and wisely so, during last year’s state budget deliberations. Wisconsin should once again examine what is happening in the state of Massachusetts as a learning experience that government health care is a fiscal disaster.The Boston Globe is reporting the cost of Massachusetts’ health care program has increased astronomically. Spending on the program will increase by more than $400 million next year. The Globe says it is “one of the largest increases in the $28.2 billion state budget the governor proposed.”
The reason for the large increase in the cost is simple and not surprising. The number of people registering for government health care is far greater than previous estimates. State and federal taxpayers are now responsible for practically all of the unexpected sticker shock.
The Globe reports, “The long-term cost of the insurance initiative continues to concern policy makers and analysts, who are worried that it may become unaffordable. This year the state is expected to exceed the initial budget for the health insurance initiative by about $245 million, and next year's budget would boost spending by another $400 million.”
There is a great deal of uncertainty swirling around the Massachusetts government health care debacle. The announcement of the plan resulted in far more people signing up that drove up the cost substantially that the state may be unable to pay. Wisconsin would be wise to learn a valuable lesson from Massachusetts and refuse to go down the same nightmarish path of government health care.
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