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Candidates
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Vinehout: force businesses into state health plan; tax incentives a big problem By Brady Bautch, RiverTown Staff Writer
Kathleen Vinehout, a Democratic challenger for the 31st state Senate seat, wants to force all businesses to buy into a state-sponsored health care plan that would provide universal coverage to all Wisconsinites.
The health care plan is the cornerstone of Vinehout's campaign.
An Alma dairy farmer, Vinehout wants to create a statewide pool which would include everyone except Medicaid participants.
"By putting everyone into a pool it (health care) becomes more affordable," said Vinehout.
The plan would free up $500 million in the state budget says Vinehout - money which could be used to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates.
"There wouldn't be any cost shifting," she said. "Right now you have a 35-37 percent cost shifting where health care providers shift the amount they don't receive from Medicaid onto those who are paying."
She also doesn't believe that the plan would hurt the state's competitiveness in attracting new businesses.
"It would bring businesses into Wisconsin like you've never seen before because you've eliminated a big cost for them," Vinehout said.
Vinehout does not have an exact plan to pay for the proposal. She says the state could adopt any of the three Democratic plans being pushed in the Legislature.
One of these plans would create a new "Department of Health Funding" paid for with taxes from employers, employees and federal funds.
Another plan would collect the fees from the employers. Individuals would have co-pays and would have to pay deductibles.
The third choice would pay for the plan through employer and employee fees, co-pays and deductibles.
She says that the private sector isn't as efficient as the government in managing health care.
"The private sector is spending 30 cents on the dollar for administration," Vinehout said.
She then added that she favors the Democratic plan that creates a non-profit company to manage the universal health plan.
"We would need to create a private company - a public-private partnership to run the program," Vinehout said.
She also believes the state should stop handing out tax incentives to lure companies into locating into the state.
She calls these tax incentives "a big problem."
"Tax breaks going to multi-national companies who don't have their headquarters here are hurting us not helping us," Vinehout said.
When reminded tax incentives were used to convince Gold n' Plump, Ocean Nutrition USA and Ashley Furniture to expand in Arcadia - expansions that the Wisconsin Department of Commerce expects to produce between 500-1300 new jobs in the center of the 31st District, she backtracked.
"Tax incentives should only be used to help companies that are here," Vinehout said.
She also wants to fund a committee to look at school funding.
"We have an outdated school funding system which is based on property taxes," she said. "This hurts the small and rural districts."
Vinehout will have a primary challenge against Onalaska police officer Chris Danou.
"We have a difference in attitude. His is 'do it or else.'" Vinehout said. "That doesn't work in a family or in the state Senate.
She said she believes in bringing the players to the table and building a consensus.
Vinehout's campaign Web site can be reached at www.kathleenvinehout.org.
Brady Bautch is the Internet Publisher for the RiverTown Newspaper Group. He can be contacted at internet@rivertowns.net
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She also believes that Wisconsin should not be handing out tax incentives to lure businesses into the state.
