A health care plan from Democrats would include broad new taxing authority. The Healthy Wisconsin plan from state Senate Democrats includes a 16 member board. Dale Knapp is an analyst with the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance , who's been studying the plan. "The Healthy Wisconsin Board will be unelected, and would have a taxing authority that will be over $15 billion a year, in the first year," says Knapp, noting that's more then the state legislature levies in taxes for an entire. In Wisconsin it's unusual, but not unknown, for unelected bodies to have taxing authority. Knapp sees a problem of accountability: "where does the taxpayer turn? How is there any accountability? I think that's the big problem here." Knapp does not expect the Healthy Wisconsin plan to make it into a final budget, but does expect Democrats will bring back a universal health care proposal in the future.
AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60 MP3)
