• Home
  • News
    • Politics / Govt
    • Legislature
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Archives
  • Sports
    • Badgers
    • Packers
      • Titletown Report
    • Brewers
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / News / Walker defends self-insurance proposal

Walker defends self-insurance proposal

February 14, 2017 By Andrew Beckett

Gov. Scott Walker delivers his State of the State address.

Governor Scott Walker is defending his proposal to move state employees to a self-insurance system.

Walker’s administration estimates the move could save the state about $60 million, but critics have warned it could lead to job losses in the health care industry. Speaking to reporters in Madison Tuesday, Walker argued he doesn’t believe that will happen. “We still have to have people who have to be covered,” he said. “The fact is people are still going to get their health care coverage at providers across the state…we’re just going to do it in a way that’s more cost effective to the taxpayers.”

The self-insurance proposal would have the state contracting coverage through six providers, instead of the current 17 HMOs it relies on.

The plan still needs approval by lawmakers, who have so far been skeptical about the switch. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said last week that he worries about the sweeping effect the move could have in the industry, as providers lose business and lay off workers. “There’s some pretty big health care corporations that literally would cease to exist eventually,” he said.

If lawmakers opt against the plan, Walker said Tuesday that they will have to find cost savings elsewhere to fund the education initiatives he hopes to use the money for. “If they don’t want to do that, then I presume they will find 60 million from somewhere else.”

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: News, Politics / Govt



Featured Stories

Badgers settle a score against Maryland

Reports: Shawn Mennenga fired as Packers Special Teams Coordinator

Butler’s Hall of Fame bid falls short

Budmayr leaving UW for coordinators job at Colorado State

Notre Dame to host 2021 Big Ten Hockey Tournament

TwitterFacebook

Listen Now | More from Titletown ยป

Sports Headlines

Badgers settle a score against Maryland

Reports: Shawn Mennenga fired as Packers Special Teams Coordinator

Butler’s Hall of Fame bid falls short

Budmayr leaving UW for coordinators job at Colorado State

Notre Dame to host 2021 Big Ten Hockey Tournament

More Sports

Tweets by @WRN

Get our news delivered to your inbox:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC