Is Walker-Ryan Relationship on the Rocks?

MADISON, Wis. — One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said Rep. Paul Ryan’s call for the repeal of ObamaCare, and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s support for legislation to defund health insurance exchanges, seem targeted to undermine Gov. Walker’s latest health care scheme in the 2013-15 state budget.

Ross said, “It sure looks like Rep. Paul Ryan, with the backing of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, has fired the latest shot in a behind the scenes battle between himself and Gov. Scott Walker as they both pursue the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.” He continued, “If so, this is the latest ghoulish attempt by Republicans as they play politics with people’s health care.”

Gov. Walker has proposed drastically scaling back eligibility for the state BadgerCare health care program that helps families access health care, and as part of his latest budget scheme moving up to 87,000 individuals into the private marketplace exchanges set up by federal heath care reform.

The budget Rep. Ryan unveiled yesterday assumes insurance reforms, including the private exchanges under Obamacare, will be repealed, therefore eliminating the means by which Gov. Walker claims the 87,000 Wisconsinites for whom he eliminates eligibility for state help will get their health care.

Tea Party extremist Sen. Ron Johnson is strongly backing Rep. Ryan’s anti-health care crusade and is signed onto an amendment in the U.S. Senate today to defund the same federal health care exchanges upon which Gov. Walker’s health care scheme is predicated.

Ross concluded, “When two politicians jockey for one nomination, someone loses. But the real casualties in this growing Walker-Ryan rift are the 87,000 Wisconsinites whose health care security is being used as a pawn as Walker, Ryan and Johnson pander to Tea Party extremists.”