A PROGRESSIVE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM:
Part of the American Dream
“We will build a new,
sustainable health care system
with affordable options for all”
No matter where I am in the state - in rural Rhinelander, on the
North Side of Milwaukee, or even here in Madison - the most
common concern I hear from voters is access to affordable
health care. We have far too many people across Wisconsin in
rural and urban communities without quality, affordable health
care. Too many Wisconsinites have to make the unenviable
decision as to whether they will pay for health care or basic
necessities. When I am elected governor, we will work to build
a new, sustainable health care system with affordable options
for all. We will start by expanding Medicaid and expanding
access to health care in underserved areas. As governor, I will
look to make Badgercare a public option for all, and expand
SeniorCare and Family Care. These programs impact millions
of lives and are vital to the future of Wisconsin’s health care
system.
I believe that health care is a human right and should be
accessible to all Wisconsinites. Together we can reform how
we deliver health care and create a better, healthier Wisconsin.
 U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT | JUNE 21ST, 2016

WALKER URGES REPUBLICAN SENATORS TO REJECT MEDICAID GROWTH

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is urging Republican senators to reject a Medicaid expansion he turned down
but that most states accepted under the health care law passed by former President Barack Obama

EXPANDING MEDICAID AND ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FACILITIES

In Wisconsin, we have roughly 300,000 people without We have thousands of workers looking for employment
health insurance.1 Governor Walker had the opportunity to opportunities, and the field of nursing has jobs available.
expand Medicaid to people with incomes above 138% of the We need to ensure that the connection is occurring between
federal poverty level, but chose not for political reasons. Had those who are looking for work and our health care options.
Walker expanded Medicaid, roughly 80,000 more residents Together, we can improve health outcomes for Wisconsinites
would have health insurance and the state would have saved and address the shortage of nurses.
about $190 million dollars per year.2
States that chose to expand Medicaid had marketplace
premiums 7% lower according to a 2016 study from the
Department of Health and Human Services.3 Under my
administration, Wisconsin will expand Medicaid and help
increase access to health care for our low income residents,
while saving millions of dollars. I want to end the days where
people have to choose between paying for health care and
paying for other basic necessities. If we don’t take this step, we
will continue to see unnecessary deaths and rising premiums.
According to the American Journal of Public Health, nearly
45,000 deaths are attributed to lack of health insurance
across our country per year.4 This is completely unacceptable
in one of the world’s wealthiest countries. Increasing health
care coverage will help Wisconsin move forward as a state
and save lives.
Wisconsin also needs to look at the current accessibility of
our hospitals and clinics in our rural and urban areas. As
governor, I will review the current status of our hospitals and
health clinics and see where we can add more to increase
access to health care options. I want to ensure that people
don’t have to drive hours to find affordable health care
facilities. This could include more mobile health care options
or building new facilities. Wisconsin’s shortage of nurses and
health care workers is an impending crisis. As governor, I
will look to find new ways to keep our current nurses and
increase the amount of nurses graduating here in Wisconsin.
Source: US Census Bureau
MAKING BADGERCARE A PUBLIC OPTION
“we will make badgercare
a public option, available
to all wisconsinites”
In 2017, State Senator LaTonya Johnson and State
Representative Eric Genrich proposed legislation to
make BadgerCare a public option. However, the current
administration stood with the special interests and opposed
the legislation. The bill would have allowed for people to
buy into the state program and would cost those adults who
opted in $7,224 per year, according Wisconsin’s Legislative
Fiscal Bureau.5 When I am governor, this sort of legislation
will see the light of day. It is long overdue to expand Medicaid
and help some of our most vulnerable Wisconsinites. We
have far too many families living without health insurance.
As governor, I plan on being a champion for expanding
health care and I will not back down from increasing
access to Medicaid for those who qualify. The status quo is
not working in Wisconsin and we have an opportunity to
make a generational change to help improve the lives of our
residents.
EXPANDING SENIORCARE
AND FAMILY CARE PROGRAMS
In Wisconsin over 50,000 people depend on long term care
such as Family Care, which accounts for over $2 billion in
state spending.6 In 2015, Scott Walker attempted to radically
change long term care programs. He proposed that “... all
long-term care programs, except for Family Care, would be
cut.”7 The changes would “...replace a system built over several
decades with a new model in which the state would contract
with large insurance companies to manage both long-term
care and medical care.”8 The cuts would have led to savings
for the state, but at high cost to our residents and those who
depend on Family Care. Under my watch as governor, we will
never look to cut or privitize programs like Family Care. We
need to expand Family Care and other programs which help
our neighbors who need long term care. This includes adding
more health care workers and nurses to help those residents
using Family Care. When I am elected, I will champion long-
term care programs and and put patients first.
“we are going to expand seniorcare and
control our prescription drug costs”
Furthermore, I would also look to expand SeniorCare.
SeniorCare is a program to help those who are 65 and older
receive help paying for prescription drugs. As our state
ages, we are going to need to make more of a commitment
to helping our older residents. This includes a serious
investment in home health care workers and programs such
as SeniorCare which help decrease the cost of prescription
drugs. In my administration we will work with advocates
for SeniorCare to find ways to work with the legislature and
expand the program, all while keeping an eye on the state’s
fiscal sustainability.
FIGHTING THE OPIOID CRISIS
In Wisconsin, we have an opioid crisis ravaging our urban and
rural areas. According to federal health officials, emergency
room visits for suspected opioid overdoses increased 109%
in Wisconsin from mid 2016 to late 2017.9 We need to work
diligently to address this serious issue. We need to work to
hold dealers accountable who are selling opioids into our
communities, while providing treatment to those who are
addicted. Locking up addicts and throwing away the key is
not the solution for the opioid crisis. As governor, I would
like to see more treatment options in communities impacted
by the opioid crisis. Additionally, our state needs to legalize
marijuana and use it for medical purposes. The connection
between painkiller abuse and the use of opioids is clear. Other
states have led the way on legalizing medical marijuana,
and we can use the lessons they learned to do the same in
Wisconsin. We also need to expand access to naloxone,
the overdose-reversing drug for our first responders across
Wisconsin. The opioid epidemic reaches every part of our
society, with no limits on geography, income or race. I will
never give up on finding solutions to this pressing issue,
and would direct the state Department of Health Services to
provide some new solutions to this crisis on day one of my
 MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINAL | JULY 5TH, 20167 | BY JASON STEIN

Wisconsin Democrats double down

on expanding public health coverage

CREATING A PROGRESSIVE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Preserving the American Dream for every Wisconsinite is going to take major reform and an overhaul of the way in which we
treat our health care system. We have to go further and push for more bold ideas that will carry fairness into every generation
yet to come. As governor, I will:

LOWER THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND SERVICES REFORM HOW WE DELIVER HEALTH CARE TO OUR VETERANS
My administration will use the state’s buying power to negotiate lower At the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, we saw negligence, cuts in
drug prices and services through making BadgerCare a public option. funding, and lack of oversight from the state of Wisconsin. Congress
This would mean lower out-of-pocket costs for consumers when they recently doled out $55 million for improvements, but that doesn’t mean
purchase the medication they need. We’re going to use all the resources we can stop there. As governor, I plan on working extensively with local
we have to create a better health care system for all. veterans groups to find effective and efficient ways to improve the
health care we provide for our veterans.
WORK TO IMPORT CHEAPER MEDICATION FROM CANADA
My administration will seek permission from Washington to begin our SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS
own Canadian drug importation plan. While this practice is currently not AND PLANNED PARENTHOOD
permitted under the law, I will work with fellow governors who wish to Wisconsin has 18 CHCs serving over 305,000 patients10 located around
see this same change and push for this progressive reform across the the state that receive federal CHC grants. We need to continue to
country. support these vital institutions, which provide health care for thousands
of Wisconsities. We also need to end the war on Planned Parenthood.
PASS A DRUG PRICING TRANSPARENCY LAW In 2011, the current administration ended funding for five Planned
It’s time to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. Under this Parenthood locations, which have remained closed. Men and women
plan, companies will have to give notice of any future price increases depend on this important institution for a variety of health care needs.
on prescription drugs along with a justification for the increase. We need to return funding for Planned Parenthood and increase access
Another component will be for the disclosure of the top ten medications to health care.
prescribed by health plans in order for the state to monitor trends
and price increases. My administration will not sit idly by while drug INVESTING IN OUR MENTAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
companies arbitrarily push up costs on medication that Wisconsinites According to a report from the CDC, suicides have risen 25% in the US from
depend on without being held accountable. 2005 to 2016.11 It is time to provide mental health counseling at younger
ages to try and address some of the root causes leading to suicides
PROVIDE STATE TAX CREDITS TO SMALL BUSINESSES THAT here in Wisconsin. We also need to look at some of the community care
ALREADY PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO EMPLOYEES options, which have become the norm in dealing with mental health. I
In order to ease the burden of providing health coverage to employees, will push for more oversight of Community Based Residential Facilities,
the state is going to provide a tax credit and help our economy grow. some of which care for those with mental health problems. We need
Additionally, we’re going to provide further credits to businesses that to know that the people living in CBRF’s are receiving the best care
expand existing coverage options to cover family members and enter available.
into plans that provide more coverage.
PRESERVING THE AMERICAN DREAM
Part of the American Dream is access to affordable and
efficient health care. This dream has not been realized
here in Wisconsin. Over nearly eight years, the Walker
“It is time to build a truly progressive
administration has failed Wisconsin when it comes to health care system in wisconsin”
access to health care. We still have hundreds of thousands
of Wisconsinites without health care and more who cannot
Not only do we need to decrease the cost of health care, we
afford their current health care. This path is unsustainable.
need to ensure that people can access health care facilities.
Wisconsin needs to expand Medicaid immediately, and
My administration will look at underserved areas, and
fight to make BadgerCare a public option. We can save lives
develop a comprehensive plan to deliver more options for
if we make these policy changes, we need the leadership in
care to those in need. In order to increase access, Wisconsin
Madison to get the job done. must invest in its nurses. That means finding new ways to
Governor Walker made several attempts to slash SeniorCare, draw more young people to the profession and help retain
creating uncertainty about the program and its future. those who are currently in the field.
Under a Mitchell Administration, you have a guarantee We can change how we deliver health care in Wisconsin and
that SeniorCare will be expanded and maintained for every finally put patients first. My administration will work with
eligible Wisconsinite. experts in the field to build a new system with increased access
and lower costs. It is time to build a healthier Wisconsin.
1
United States Census Bureau, “Number of People Without Health Insurance Coverage by State: 2013 to 2016,” https://www2.census.gov/
programs-surveys/demo/tables/p60/260/tablea_5.pdf
2
Jon Peacock, “Wisconsin’s Partial Medicaid Expansion Covers Far Fewer People at Much Greater Cost,” Georgetown University Health Policy
Institute, https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2018/01/05/wisconsins-partial-medicaid-expansion-covers-far-fewer-people-at-much-greater-cost/,
(January 5, 2018)
3
Aditi P. Sen and Thomas DeLeire, “The Effect of Medicaid Expansion on Marketplace Premiums,” ASPE Office of Health Policy - US Department of
Health and Human Services, https://aspe.hhs.gov/pdf-report/effect-medicaid-expansion-marketplace-premiums, (September 6, 2016)
4
Susan Heavey, “Study links 45,000 U.S. deaths to lack of insurance,” Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-deaths/
study-links-45000-u-s-deaths-to-lack-of-insurance-idUSTRE58G6W520090918, (September 18, 2009)
5
David Wahlberg, “BadgerCare would become ‘public option’ under proposed bill,” Wisconsin State Journal, http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/
health-med-fit/badgercare-would-become-public-option-under-proposed-bill/article_a44cc66f-caae-51f8-873a-0b20456894e7.html, (Jul 6, 2017)
6
Guy Boulton, “Gov. Walker proposes overhaul of Wisconsin’s long-term care program,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://archive.jsonline.com/
business/gov-walker-proposes-overhaul-of-wisconsins-long-term-care-program-b99453054z1-295281591.html, (March 6, 2015)
7
Jessica Bringe, “Advocates say Walker’s budget could harm programs for disabled,” WEAU 13 News, http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/
Advocates-say-Walkers-budget-could-harm-programs-for-disabled-295083031.html, (March 4, 2015)
8
Guy Boulton, “Gov. Walker proposes overhaul of Wisconsin’s long-term care program,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://archive.jsonline.com/
business/gov-walker-proposes-overhaul-of-wisconsins-long-term-care-program-b99453054z1-295281591.html, (March 6, 2015)
9
David Wahlberg, “ER visits for opioid overdoses soar in Wisconsin,” Wisconsin State Journal, http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health-
med-fit/er-visits-for-opioid-overdoses-soar-in-wisconsin/article_13cf4bd8-1926-5c7d-99c9-5159f0fb989f.html, (March 7, 2018)
10
Wisconsin Primary Healthcare Association, About Community Health Centers, https://www.wphca.org/page/AboutCHC
11
Audrey Nowakowski and Ben Binversie, “With Suicide Rates Trending Upward, What Can We Do To Help?,” WUWM - Milwaukee Public Media,
http://wuwm.com/post/suicide-rates-trending-upward-what-can-we-do-help#stream/0, (June 28, 2018)

Paid for by Mahlon Mitchell for Wisconsin

P.O.Box 628 Madison, WI 53701
www.mahlonmitchell.com | facebook.com/mahlonmitchell | twitter.com/mahlonmitchell