Trying to Explain Republicans BLIND Hatred for Health Care: Willful Ignorance.

How much do Republicans really know about the safety net programs they hate so much?

As usual, not much. One Wisconsin Now points that out in the simplest terms headlines:

Over 400,000 in Working Families Get BadgerCare Help, While Walker Thinks Plan is Just for Unemployed

Sadly, no one thought to tell him otherwise, his staff or smart ass know-it-all conservative talk radio hosts.

Walker said, "You look at BadgerCare and, to me, again it was supposed to be a temporary step up, not a permanent entitlement. I'd like to get more people off the BadgerCare and Medicaid rolls and into the workforce, where they're not dependent on public assistance."

Walker has put the state's BadgerCare health plan on the chopping block. "Scott Walker has proven he knows zilch about responsible budgeting," said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. "He may know even less about the successful BadgerCare program to give working men and women and their children access to health care they cannot get through their employers."

Here are the facts: According to the state Department of Health Services, over 162,000 working adults access BadgerCare health services and 250,000 children of working parents access the program.

"Either because of his ignorance or ideological extremism, Scott Walker clings to a stereotype that the only people who receive BadgerCare are those who are unwilling to work," said Ross.

Walker's plan also runs head on into Obama's health care reform requirements. While most states will have to spend more money on expanded Medicaid coverage in the recently passed reform package, Wisconsin will not, because it has already provided health care to most state residents. Heck, even Republicans have touted the large percentage of Wisconsinites who have coverage, arguing against health care reform ironically, saying reform was unnecessary. From my own understanding of the new requirement, Walker won't be able to cut Medicaid or Badgercare coverage. Which means Walker is even more clueless than otherwise thought. But if he could, he would, for instance:

As county executive, Walker inherited the successful Milwaukee County General Assistance Medical Program, which helped approximately 30,000 county residents not qualifying for Medicaid or could not afford private health insurance. GAMP was under threat from Walker and he proposed in 2005 to wipe funding out for it entirely. GAMP has been folded into the BadgerCare Core Plus program, where it is currently protected from Walker cuts. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/25/05]