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.