The Wisconsin Senate has approved Governor Scott Walker’s pick to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health Services. He’s former Bush administration official Dennis Smith, and Democrats like Minority Leader Mark Miller of Monona predicted Smith will green light cuts to programs which benefit the state’s less advantaged. “Mr. Smith won’t make that happen by himself,” said Miller. “But he certainly his indicated that he is no defender of SeniorCare or Medicaid.”
That concern is based on writing Smith did for a conservative think tank. But Republican Senator Leah Vukmir of Wauwatosa said Smith told her committee that he supports SeniorCare, the state’s prescription drug program. “And he said, as it relates to low income families and seniors, Medicare Part D is a much better program,” Vukmir said. “If you read the writings, and I’ve taken the time to read through all of them, he does not come out and say that we should end Medicaid.”
Middleton Democrat Jon Erpenbach, one of three Democrats who voted to confirm the nominee, said he’ll send the governor a letter asking Walker to do all he can, to protect SeniorCare and BadgerCare programs from cuts. “Those programs are a safety net, not necessarily a trampoline, as Mr. Smith sees them,” said Erpenbach. “Those programs are a safety net for people in the state of Wisconsin who need it the most.”