One Wisconsin Now Statements on Walker-Kleefisch Attack on Health Care Access

Walker Wants to Cut 400,000 Members of Working Families from BadgerCare Health Coverage; Ex-Broadcaster Benefits from Legislator Husband's Taxpayer-Financed Health Care

Madison - One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross released the following statements regarding Rebecca Kleefisch and Scott Walker's unseemly television ad criticizing access to affordable health care. In the ad railing against health care reform, Kleefisch talks about her successful cancer treatment, which was diagnosed, treated and financed through the access she has to health care as the spouse of an state elected official. Walker and Kleefisch are supporting a plan that would cut 400,000 working families off the state's successful BadgerCare plan, which provides affordable health care to working adults and children whose employers don't offer health care benefits and who can't afford for-profit health care plans. [WISC-TV, 9/22/10; Wisconsin Department of Health Services]

"Rebecca Kleefisch is fortunate to have taxpayer-financed health care, which allowed her early diagnosis, full treatment and continuing care for her successful fight with cancer. It is unfortunate that she and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker are attacking health care reform to hide the fact they want to cut 400,000 children and working families from access to BadgerCare health coverage to pay for tax cuts for the rich and big business.

"Among those 400,000 people, how many would be denied the access and treatment that Rebecca so fortunately received as the spouse of a state legislator on the taxpayer-financed health care plan? Kleefisch didn't have to choose between wondering what her out-of-pocket costs would be and whether it would bankrupt her family. She was able to get the care she so critically needed.

"What would happen to the working mother who gets kicked off of BadgerCare due to Rebecca Kleefisch's and Scott Walker's policies, when she starts feeling ill? I think Kleefisch and Walker owe us an answer to that question."

One Wisconsin Now also notes the following video produced by Kleefisch, in which she rails against health care reform designed to provide affordable coverage to all Americans:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rebeccaforreal#p/u/38/qY_IQS1qUo8

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One Wisconsin Now is a statewide communications network specializing in effective earned media and online organizing to advance progressive leadership and values.