The Oral Chemo Debate Exposes Vos and Kleefisch as the Ghouls we thought they were.

With the damage done in the assembly, the oral chemo drug bill now moves back to the senate for another vote. After adding an amendment requiring more of a cancer patients "skin in the game," the GOP calls that money, Republicans showed us who they truly were. When you have to go through this kind of hell to get something this simple passed, it's nothing short of scary.

My conservative friend in Milwaukee was noticeably upset when he called me, saying he just got off the phone with the governors office to tell him to line item veto the $100 monthly payment. He's been personally touched by family members who have had cancer, who had to stop working because of the disease. Knowing that, he knew patients didn't have the money to pay even $100. I never saw him this pissed off.

Having always been interested in understanding how conservative minds think, I found Rep. Robin Vos' methodical upside-down logic stunningly detached. The following audio clip also features Representatives Sandy Pasch, Joel Kleefisch, and Brett Hulsey in that order.

Vos used watching his grandparents battle cancer to take a shot at Democrats and the people they saw struggling with the disease. Vos then used the way his grandparents ran their business, balanced their books, made a profit, but still found a way to buy health insurance as sign of strength and character. Sad, other industrialized countries removed that unnecessary heart wrenching burden.

But my blood boils when Vos balanced oral chemo with making it "cost effective." He has the balls to say "the last thing we want is for anybody not to be able to afford insurance...!" Where has he been for the last 30 years?

State Republicans Blast mandate requiring oral chemo drugs, so insurers can save money. Blame the free market if people die.

Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch wants the free market to decide if oral chemo therapy should be included in all Wisconsin insurance policies, the same kind of treatment she received through husband Rep. Joel Kleefisch's government provided health insurance plan.

And she's not alone. While conservatives have criticized government bureaucrats for supposedly getting between a doctor and their patient with rationed care, their beloved free market insurance companies are allowed to ration care to save money.

GOP Rationing Okay: At what is more than a glimpse into what Republican free market health insurance will look like, rationed care is rationalized as a good thing now, because it will save insurers money and get rid of those nasty government mandates. Small government = no mandates/lost lives. From WKOW's Greg Neuwmann:



This denial of coverage is a direct result of Republican opposition to "mandates." Yes, this is how far Republicans will go to prove their purity of purpose! This bizarre story first appeared in Nov. 2011, when Rebecca Kleefisch stated point blank that residents of Wisconsin should be treated differently than someone married to a state legislator.  She's "hoping" more insurance companies will cover the drug. Oh, and you'll love the insurance industry rep justifying the cost savings and threatening higher premiums if there's a mandate:



The elitist attitude shines through in the Kleefisch comments below:

Yesterdays poll results

Keefisch: "We obviously want to encourage free enterprise and free markets, but on the other hand, Oral chemotherapy is something that is up and coming in the medical world, and we're hoping, obviously that more insurance companies will cover it."

Kleefisch comes at the issue from a personal perspective. His wife, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, used oral and IV chemo to fight colon cancer in 2010. But he (Rep. Joel Kleefisch) has questions over the cost of an insurance mandate.

"It is my hope and prayer that anybody who would need this type of chemotherapy would be able to receive it, no doubt," said Kleefisch. "That does not eliminate the difficult question for who is going to pay for it." 

Rep. Joel Kleefisch is actually weighing out whether we should save lives or keep costs down. And these guys say Democrats want to ration care?

Sick!!! Republicans Deny Oral Chemo Therapy because they don't believe in "mandates."

The Republicans casual disregard for people needing oral chemo therapy has now reached a grotesque level of cruelty. Republicans refuse to mandate it for purely ideological reasons, ignoring the relief of pain and the lack of side effects using the oral drug.

Again, they don’t believe in mandates. That’s the actual reason.

jsonline: More than two-thirds of GOP senators and four-fifths of the state Senate now publicly support a bipartisan bill to help cancer patients get critical treatments, but the measure is still being blocked by the head of that house. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said … it (is) not because his brother is lobbying on behalf of influential insurers to kill the bill … at least 13 of the 18 Republicans in the state Senate and all 15 Democrats have taken a public stance in support of the legislation.

The Horror of Mandates, the need for Rationing:

Two conservative GOP senators have come out vocally against the bill, Paul Farrow of the Village of Pewaukee and Leah Vukmir of Wauwatosa. "I have a consistent record of opposing insurance mandates," Vukmir said in a statement.

Farrow expressed similar concerns. "It's a mandate," he said. "If we're going to say we're going to mandate this one area, what's the next area we're going to mandate?"

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) opposes the bill … Vos said "In the past, I have not voted for any mandates that would increase the cost of insurance plans in the private sector that's already too expensive.

Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch needed oral chemo therapy once, paid for through hubby Rep. Joel Kleefisch’s taxpayer provided insurance. Rebecca now believes the free market should decide. Excuse me, but isn't it the free market that’s denying patients normal coverage now, requiring the state to step in?

On WKOW's Capitol City Sunday, Greg Neumann talked to Paul Westrick, a cancer survivor who has lobbied the legislature to favor the bill on behalf of the Wisconsin chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society:

Truth? Walker and Kleefisch will take away your health care, make it harder to get, or make it unaffordable.

Gubernatorial candidate and State Superintendent Tony Evers had cancer and beat it.

But his opinion on the need for health care reform doesn't matter as much as Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch's own cancer success story that depended on taxpayer money, or her fiction about covering pre-existing conditions via AB 365 that prevents insurers from using pre-existing conditions for both denying coverages or setting rates. It's not a sure thing, and you could call it an unpaid mandate. Worse still, insurers will just raise their rates for the heck of it anyway...no free lunch guys?

Don't take it from me, here's reporter Dave Weigel:

Absolute strangest story in politics right now is GOP govs suing to kill the popular parts of Obamacare while insisting they will pass state legislation to restore the popular parts of Obamacare. https://t.co/o3yTx2BjfB

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) September 15, 2018

In her ad, Kleefisch said she was “shocked” that Evers and his allies would argue Walker wants to end the protections. “Today in Wisconsin, people with pre-existing conditions are already covered,” Kleefisch said, without noting that they are covered only because of the national law Walker opposes. “And as long as Scott and I are in office, they always will be.”

Kleefisch is talking about reestablishing those expensive high-risk pools, which created long waiting lists and sent everyone else to nearby ER's, which only increased premiums for those who had already had insurance. It's what Walker and Kleefisch say was "a model for the country":

1. It was called the Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan, or HIRSP. A Wisconsin insurance industry representative called it a model for the country during the Wisconsin Health News event.

2. The HIRSP ended in 2014 because the ACA was put in place.

3. As of 2015, the state had about 852,000 adults with pre-existing conditions that could have prevented them from getting insurance before the health law, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

4. At its peak, HIRSP covered 22,333 people, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

5. "If we’re talking about the population today, it’s 10 times that amount. So we can’t just plug and play a solution of the past," said Nancy Wenzel, CEO of the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans, at the forum.

But the outright lies and misinformation by the Walker administration is getting even more breathtaking now. Let's dissect the hypocrisy and ridiculous claims made by Rebecca Kleefisch, who appeared on WKOW's Capitol City Sunday:

1. Kleefisch: "But knowing you have a pre-existing condition makes you feel a little bit threatened." Reality: Insulting isn't it? Minimizing our pain or disease as "a little bit threatened." Really?

2. Kleefisch: "There is a fear among folks that have pre-existing conditions that politicians will intercede where they ought not...or still, make sure they don't have access to that care."Reality: Oh, you mean like interceding Republican politicians trying to repeal the ACA? And please, point out how politicians would make sure we "don't have access"? Outrageously stupid nonsensical fear-mongering claim.

3. Kleefisch: "...that's not that part of ObamaCare that's dangerous to people like me with pre-existing conditions. There are a bunch of additional things that leads to longer wait times, as we've all seen higher premium costs..." Reality: Higher premium costs is a given in a private insurance market, but is made worse with denial of coverage, the Walker/Kleefisch plan. But from my own experience, after a number of medical problems in my family, we experienced no waiting periods, none! We're talking toe infection, appendectomy, hernias, and joint pain.  This is an outdated myth that we cannot accept anymore. 

From October 10, 2010, Kleefisch decided to make this an issue as well, so nothing like repeating a successful formula. Reporters may have forgotten, but haven't:

AP: Wisconsin Republican lieutenant governor candidate Rebecca Kleefisch, diagnosed with cancer a month ago, touts the treatments she received under her state-subsidized insurance plan at the same time she rails against government-run health care in a new television ad.

In the ad Kleefisch doesn't mention that her cancer treatments were paid for through the state-subsidized health insurance plan of her husband, state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, a Republican from Oconomowoc. Kleefisch pays $85 per month for her health insurance with the rest of the cost, $1,722, paid by the state.

NOTE: What? Kleefisch says the government shouldn't get involved in telling insurers to cover oral chemo treatments, but then reverses course and says the government should get involved by telling insurers to cover pre-existing conditions. 

But here's why Kleefisch's cancer tear jerker is so vacuous:

Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch looks to deny Oral Chemo to Wisconsinites, Treatments She received through Taxpayer Supported Insurance from Hubby Rep. Joel.

Back on September, 2011, I wrote this and post the video:

In an even more bizarre moment, someone who actually took the oral version to treat her own cancer, Lt Gov. Kleefisch opposes the mandate, on the premise her ideology dictates a free market solution.
WKOW:

Keefisch: "We obviously want to encourage free enterprise and free markets, but on the other hand, Oral chemotherapy is something that is up and coming in the medical world, and we're hoping, obviously that more insurance companies will cover it."

 Money or your Life? So says Rep. Joel Kleefisch: But it doesn't apply to his wife and Lt. Governor. Joel Kleefisch puts insurer costs over saving lives: From Channel3000:

Joel Kleefisch comes at the issue from a personal perspective. His wife, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, used oral and IV chemo to fight colon cancer in 2010. But he has questions over the cost of an insurance mandate.

"It is my hope and prayer that anybody who would need this type of chemotherapy would be able to receive it, no doubt," said Kleefisch. "That does not eliminate the difficult question for who is going to pay for it."

Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch looks to deny Oral Chemo to Wisconsinites, Treatments She received through Taxpayer Supported Insurance from Hubby Rep. Joel.

Back on September, 2011, I wrote this and post the video:

WKOW: In an even more bizarre moment, someone who actually took the oral version to treat her own cancer, Lt Gov. Kleefisch opposes the mandate, on the premise her ideology dictates a free market solution.

Keefisch: "We obviously want to encourage free enterprise and free markets, but on the other hand, Oral chemotherapy is something that is up and coming in the medical world, and we're hoping, obviously that more insurance companies will cover it."

They're back.....and still not ready to give you and me the same treatments politicians are getting from their taxpayer supported government health care plans. Rep. Joel Kleefisch is actually weighing out whether we should save lives or keep costs down. And these guys say Democrats want to ration care? Just the opposite, again. From Channel3000:

Kleefisch comes at the issue from a personal perspective. His wife, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, used oral and IV chemo to fight colon cancer in 2010. But he has questions over the cost of an insurance mandate.

"It is my hope and prayer that anybody who would need this type of chemotherapy would be able to receive it, no doubt," said Kleefisch. "That does not eliminate the difficult question for who is going to pay for it."

Undecided Republicans on Oral Chemo Drug should be Tossed from Office for Partisan Incompetence.

While I sat and listened to an entire hour of talk radio dealing with the Republican opposition, support, than opposition to the oral chemotherapy bill, I noticed that never once did the Democrats get credit for its unwavering support. That just goes without saying…literally.

And so goes the GOP control over the narrative of these supposed controversial issues.

When something as easy as saving the lives of cancer patients gets all screwed up, imagine if we had a real problem to solve. And that’s the big picture so many are missing here.

Forcing these rabid party purists to do the right thing may need a bit of public shaming, like the Journal Sentinel’s attempt below:

Many Assembly Republicans simply won't say where they stand on a bill to require insurers to cover chemotherapy pills they same way they cover chemotherapy IV treatments. 

The Journal Sentinel sent emails and called all 99 members of the Assembly on Monday and Tuesday. All 39 Democrats said they supported it. Half the 60 Republicans have declined to say what they think of the bill or said they were undecided … here's a sampling of those who wouldn't say if they were for or against the bill. 

Rep. Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin): "I really don't have an opinion."

Rep. Daniel LeMahieu (R-Cascade): "I'm not saying anything about oral chemo."

Rep. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville): "We're still working that out."

Rep. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green): "We'll talk about it Thursday."

Rep. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield): "I'm still discerning it."

Rep. Mary Williams (R-Medford): "Uh, I'm not going to talk to you."

Rep. Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva): "I have to take a look at it."

Rep. Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander): "I'm going to wait for caucus on Thursday."

While the Republicans listed above aren't smart enough to know right from wrong, and should be tossed from office before they do more harm, they also might be stuffing their coffers with campaign contributions from the insurance industry.

Incidental Governor Scott Walker's Cowardly Silence on controversial opposition and inaction of Oral Chemo Drug Mandate.

Walker's frighteningly memorized robotic pat answers don't always fit the situation, like his jaw dropping answer "I'm focused on worker training..." when asked about making sure cancer patients have mandated access to oral chemo drugs. Really, something is more important than that?

This is beyond words:  

Gov. Scott Walker has heard more about the chemotherapy proposal in recent days but is focused on his "worker training bill and his Blueprint for Prosperity" — the governor's $541 million tax cut bill, spokeswoman Jocelyn Webster said. He will consider the chemotherapy measure "when and if" it reaches his desk, she said.

It was revealed the senate and assembly leaders are shelving action on the drug because, as a party, they oppose "mandates" more than they care about saving lives.

This from the same "party of rationing" that wouldn't mandate a lifesaving $4 newborn heart test for god's sake. NO MANDATES!!!

Vukmir rolls out Trump-like Lie campaign against Baldwin!

After last nights Senate candidates debate between incumbent Tammy Baldwin and Trumpian challenger Leah Vukmir, it seems more obvious than ever that Vukmir is an untrustworthy State Senator as well. 

Thanks to PolitiFact, we're able to see "lying" Leah's record of false statements. She's breathtakingly nuts on every issue. Why would anyone vote for someone this deceptive?

Oral Chemo: When it came to voting against requiring insurance coverage for oral chemotherapy, Vukmir made this completely nonsensical statement:

Vukmir: "I was very concerned that the unintended consequence of that bill would be that the very people who wanted that care would be restricted from that care."

Baldwin's simple comeback:

"A vote is a vote, and Leah Vukmir voted with insurance companies to prevent oral chemo from being covered. I don't know how you can run away from the vote."

Universal Health Care: Remember, Vukmir's Trump Party still don't have an alternative plan to replace the ACA or protect pre-existing conditions, so the following statement from Vukmir is an empty outright lie, that laughably plays off the GOP's successful branding of the ACA as ObamaCare:

Vukmir said she would "fall in front of a truck" before she let people with pre-existing conditions go without insurance coverage. Vukmir charged that Baldwin's support for a "Medicare for all" universal health care plan would upend the entire health care system. "I'm going to call it 'BaldwinCare,'" Vukmir said. "Because under her plan, the Affordable Care Act goes away. Medicare goes away. Everything we know about insurance goes away."

"Everything we know about insurance goes away" is a BAD thing? Gotta let insurers make obscene profits from sick people, right Leah?

Baldwin instead is already on this...

This is a pattern for Vukmir on every one of the biggest issues in the election. Vukmir's only option now is to lie:

Tomah VA: Says Tammy Baldwin was the only member of the Wisconsin congressional delegation "to have a report outlining that a doctor was overprescribing opioids" at the Tomah VA, "later a veteran died" and Baldwin "covered it up." Mostly False.

Capitol protests: Says "I have been through the gauntlet, when we had riots in that Capitol." Pants on Fire.

Donor: On conservative mega-donor Richard Uihlein. Full Flop.

Trump: "I have always been there with" Donald Trump. False.

Immigration: Says Mark Pocan’s proposal to eliminate the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would "eliminate border enforcement." Pants on Fire.

Immigration: On separating families at the border. Half Flip.

Patriotism: Says Tammy Baldwin "opposed displaying the flag and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or singing the National Anthem in our classrooms." Mostly False.

Terrorism: Says Tammy Baldwin is "more worried about the mastermind of 9/11" than supporting CIA director nominee Gina Haspel. Pants on Fire.

‘Buy America’: Says Sen. Tammy Baldwin "claims to support a 'Buy America' philosophy, but her actions speak louder than her empty words." False.

Attacks by others on Vukmir:

Open records: Club for Growth says Leah Vukmir "claimed the open records law didn't apply to her, got sued, lost and cost taxpayers $15,000 in legal fees." True.

'Leniency': Claim by Club for Growth says Leah Vukmir "wrote a letter seeking leniency for a fellow state legislator convicted of sexual assault." Mostly True.

Vukmir Sides with White Male Abusers: Vukmir even brought up the well documented State Supreme Court choking incident, saying it never really happened. Why even go there...?

Vukmir: "The state courts weren’t immune to these ridiculous and slanderous attacks. In 2011, during an election that was largely seen as a referendum on our reforms, extremely liberal state Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley accused Justice David Prosser of choking her. In the end, this was just another smear. No charges were filed, but sadly his legacy has been blemished."

Other Lies about Baldwin: Seriously conservative voters, are incrementally small tax cuts worth supporting candidates that aren't being honest with you? Note: Baldwin was even criticized for proposing a Department of Peace and Nonviolence...

Iran: Kevin Nicholson says the Iran deal "handed billions of dollars of cash on cargo planes, sent it to a state sponsor of terror, and Tammy Baldwin was one of the first U.S. senators to get on board and support that." Mostly False.

Peace: Kevin Nicholson: "Tammy Baldwin cosponsored legislation that wanted to establish the Department of Peace and Nonviolence." Mostly True.

Taxes: Freedom Partners: "Tammy Baldwin voted for $5 trillion in higher taxes." Half True.

Tomah VA: Americas PAC says Tammy Baldwin was told by a whistleblower about "overmedicated veterans," she made "deadly mistakes" and "three veterans died" at the Tomah VA hospital. False.

Defense funding: Restoration PAC says Tammy Baldwin "supported legislation allowing citizens to withhold funding for our troops." Mostly False.

Sex education: Restore American Freedom and Liberty says Tammy Baldwin "wants to require children starting at age 5 to learn about gay sex!" False.

Republicans Owned by Insurance Lobby, Block Oral Chemo Bill from Patient who Need It.

Nothing screams "influence" more than what the Republicans are doing to save the insurance industry some money at the expense of voter lives. This great report from WPR's Shawn Johnson details how incredibly cruel Republican health care might be in our future free market system:



Remember, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald is going along with fellow senators who oppose any kind of "mandate," even one that'll save peoples lives.

To Avoid Government Mandate costing Insurers Money, Republican Sen. Paul Farrow uses Taxpayer Cash instead to Pay for Oral Chemo Drug. Problem Solved?

I didn't think this story could get more brutal or weirder...but it has.

The quest for purity within the Republican Party is starting to get expensive, ridiculous and downright bizarre lately at the Capitol.

Sen. Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee) is such a strong believer in the free market, devoid of government mandates, that he put together a grant program paid for by taxpayers that takes insurers off the hook. Can you say corporate welfare? Hey, insurers are in the business to make money, not pay for all those sick people.

This amazingly complicated bureaucratic way to steer clear of creating another "government mandate" not only takes insurers off the hook, but also runs counter to most conservative voters who detest paying for someone else's doctors bills. Guess that's not a hard and fast rule anymore...

Sen. Farrow said that grant would be paid for with $3 million from the state's general fund. "The last thing we want to do is say no, without having an alternative and I think that's what this amendment is," said Sen. Farrow.  

From WKOW's Greg Neumann, this surreal example of corporate entitlement:



Despite the fact that other states have mandated the oral chemotherapy drug with no rise in insurance premiums, Farrow is asking for a "study" to diffuse any possible blowback:

Along with the grant, Sen. Farrow's amendment would also require the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to conduct a one-year study to determine why the cost of oral chemotherapy drugs are so much higher than traditional IV treatments.

Sen. Farrow said he hasn't presented his plan to Sen. Fitzgerald yet and admits an amendment to add $3 million in spending may not sit well with some in the GOP caucus.