From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Dem Gov. Tony Evers is countering claims by Derrick Van Orden that the GOP congressman played a role in boosting the hospital assessment to generate millions more in federal dollars for health care in Wisconsin.
Evers and GOP lawmakers last week raced to complete the budget before the president could sign the reconciliation bill to ensure the increased assessment wouldn’t be barred by a provision in the federal legislation.
Among other things, Van Orden has suggested it was congressional and legislative Republicans who were responsible for guaranteeing “access to health care” in the state budget.
Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback said Van Orden didn’t contact the guv’s office about the assessment until June 30 — after a deal had already been reached with GOP lawmakers to increase the tax — despite discussions in DC dating back to the spring about preventing such a move. She added Van Orden had nothing to do with the increased assessment being included in the budget.
“Put simply, if Congressman Van Orden wanted to take credit for supporting Medicaid and protecting Wisconsinites’ access to healthcare, perhaps he shouldn’t have voted to gut Medicaid and kick 250,000 Wisconsinites off their healthcare,” Cudaback said.
The offices of Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee didn’t immediately respond to a message yesterday seeking comment.
Evers first proposed in February upping the assessment to 5.7% of hospital patient revenue through his state budget plan. It had been 1.8%. The state uses that money to draw additional federal funds through the Medicaid program.
The deal he struck with GOP lawmakers — announced publicly early July 1 — included taking the assessment to 6%, the maximum allowed for matching funds. The move is expected to generate an additional $1 billion a year in payments to hospitals while providing more money to the state.
The reconciliation bill the House approved in May with Van Orden’s support included language barring states from establishing new provider taxes and freezing the assessment at existing rates for those that already had them.
He also voted for the version of the reconciliation bill the Senate sent back to the House last week with similar language. President Donald Trump signed it into law on Friday.
Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, on Friday began a series of posts on X touting $1 billion “to ensure the solvency of BadgerCare” as the state Dem Party knocked the lawmaker for posting “YES!” in response to a tweet saying millions had lost their access to health care and food assistance in the reconciliation bill. He later said that response was supposed to be to another post.
Van Orden also posted that the state got an extra $1 billion through the reconciliation bill as he responded to Dem U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a frequent sparring partner on social media.
Yesterday, Van Orden took a shot at Evers on X after the guv posted the state budget ensured access to health care while Republicans in DC gutted it.
Van Orden responded that preserving access to health care was “because of State and Congressional Republicans. You know it. I told you.”
Evers’ office shared with WisPolitics a June 30 email saying Van Orden was “adamant” about speaking to the guv about the impact of the reconciliation bill if the budget wasn’t signed first, even though he was told the administration was tracking the issue.
Van Orden last week also tweeted the image of a letter he sent July 2 to Evers again calling on him to sign the budget quickly with the claim, “We got the language changed so WI could up our reimbursement rate.”
The U.S. Senate added $50 billion over five years for state grants to benefit rural hospitals amid concerns over how Medicaid changes in the reconciliation bill would affect those providers.
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