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?

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.

Sinking to new depths, Wisconsin Republicans own the most pathetic story of the month.

Did this really happen over something so easy? A real no-brainer...

And then came this final insult from the assembly's top sociopath, Rep. Robin Vos, who's comment below is enough to warrant either a beer poured over his head at every possible opportunity, or whatever would be an appropriate response. WISC:

Vos: "So we can continue the debate, which is all about theater and politics, or we can continue on with today's calender."

Rep. Amy Vruwink: "When I buried my brother less than six months ago, it was not theater. And let me tell you politics was the furthest thing from my families mind. And it should be the furthest thing from your mind today in order to have backbone and stand up and do what is right for people who are dying."

Wisconsin Assembly Democrats failed in their attempt to pull an oral chemotherapy bill onto the floor for a vote Tuesday afternoon, following hours of debate.

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.

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!!!

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:

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.

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?