Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Backlash in Wisconsin

On October 31, 2011, the Wisconsin Office of Free Market Health Care submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on various proposed rules designed to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

"The proposed regulations demonstrate that PPACA itself is full of conflicts, inequities, and inconsistencies," said Health Services Secretary Dennis G. Smith.  "It is clear that the regulations cannot cure the underlying problems of PPACA.  The interaction between Medicaid and new eligibility rules, as just one example, create a tangled web that will affect the lives of low-income individuals in ways that are still unknown and untested.  We are also deeply concerned about definitions regarding federal reimbursement that will create a crater in future state budgets."

Both Smith and Insurance Commissioner Ted Nickel believe the Patient Protection Act jeopardizes Wisconsin's successful health care and health insurance market.

State Senator Frank Lasee also joined the discussion, saying that he would let AB 210, which would begin the implementation of the PPACA in Wisconsin statute, die in his committee.

To read the full press release from the Office of Free Market Health Care, click here.

To read Senator Lasee's press release, click here.