2017 New Year Resolution: With President Trump how will I know I am better or worse off?

I will be thinking about this and assemble two lists by December 31st, 2016.  Why don't you do it too! 

A START:

Worse Off: ACA or Obamacare is repealed, especially the provision to require participation and pay penalties for not participating (there are other features).  Repeal will drive up costs for all of us; not to say it can't be improved, e.g.,  large scale negotiation with pharmaceutical companies to control drug prices.

Better Off: Student Loan policy is amended to allow students to secure competitive market interest rates rather than locked into higher rates that benefit banks.  This would be an economic stimulus more beneficial to family formation, job creation and consumer demand.  Making schools more accountable, in some manner, for a student's success, could be another approach -- a claw back.

Worse Off: Supreme Court Appointments are likely to be conservative and thus likely to restrict Women's Rights Pro-Choice, Voter Rights and Personal Liberties.

Better Off: Medicare and Medicaid remain essentially intact or with improved benefits with "high compensation" (include stock options as income in kind) individuals being tapped to pay taxes through removing the "cap" or raising it substantially.

Worse Off: Social Security is converted to an IRA like program.  This will burden people with more detail investment choices they do not understand, give a piggy-bank to Wall Street in endless fee generation, make the safety net available only to those that do not need it.

Better Off: Climate Change is put on the Trump agenda as real, not further exploitation of fossil fuels - pipelines, fracking, coal.  Unfortunately it seems improbable that Climate Change will be recognized until the Polar Bears and ice caps have disappeared and catastrophic coastal flooding overwhelms President Trump.

AFTER NEW YEAR'S:

Muslim Ban and "So called Judges"

Build A Wall

Gorsuch - White Privilege for SCOTUS - Supreme Court nominee

Devos - knows little to nothing about Public Education

Sessions - racist Attorney General

President criticizes Nordstrom's hurting Ivanka's bottom line

June 27th, 2017

Trump won, and Amy Siskind started a list of changes. Now it’s a sensation.

WI 1848 Forward: #2017 #NewYearResolution: With President #Trump how will I know I am better or worse off? #ACA #STUDENTLoans #SafetyNet #SCOTUS #ClimateChange #Pandemic

WI 1848 Forward: #2017 #NewYearResolution: With President #Trump > am I better or worse off? #Siskind #WAPO

1% : They really can't relate to most of us! - Wilbur Ross [ Trump Cabinet] - Dark Towers (2020) - Enrich - NYT

Published 2020 - HarperCollins

Dark Towers by David Enrich

Wilbur Ross [Trump Cabinet] p 320, 338  - Bank of Cyprus (became an owner 2014?) - A Laundromat Bank? - Mirror Trades - $$$ Laundering



October 16, 2017 - Dan Alexander, Forbes
The Mystery Of Wilbur Ross' Missing Billions

... What he left unsaid, however, was that between the November election and January inauguration, he had quietly moved a chunk of assets into trusts for his family members, leaving more than $2 billion off of his financial disclosure report—and therefore out of the public eye. Ross revealed the existence of those assets, and the timing of the transfer, when Forbes asked why his financial disclosure form listed fewer assets than he had previously told the magazine he owned. ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 5, 2016 (has been revised slightly with this lead in in September)

Only behind closed doors and off-limit special groups do they say what the really think.  They talk about supporting gerrymandering, vote suppression, voter intimidation, and tax breaks for themselves.

Ironic ... I wrote this before I knew about his close Putin connection ... and hidden offshore money

Wilbur Ross is now Secretary of Commerce and travels with his own porta potty, so his personal swamp is never far away.

Paradise Papers: Leaks Show Wilbur Ross Hid Ties to Putin Cronies by RICHARD ENGEL and AGGELOS PETROPOULOS 11/5/2017



One-Percent Jokes and Plutocrats in Drag: What I Saw When I Crashed a Wall Street Secret Society By Kevin Roose New York Magazine 2014 (Adapted from Young Money)

... Recently, our nation’s financial chieftains have been feeling a little unloved. Venture capitalists are comparing the persecution of the rich to the plight of Jews at Kristallnacht, Wall Street titans are saying that they’re sick of being beaten up, and this week, a billionaire investor, Wilbur Ross, proclaimed that “the 1 percent is being picked on for political reasons.”

Ross’s statement seemed particularly odd, because two years ago, I met Ross at an event that might single-handedly explain why the rest of the country still hates financial tycoons – the annual black-tie induction ceremony of a secret Wall Street fraternity called Kappa Beta Phi. ...

... Paul Queally, a private-equity executive with Welsh, Carson, Anderson, &Stowe, told off-color jokes to Ted Virtue, another private-equity bigwig with MidOcean Partners. The jokes ranged from unfunny and sexist (Q: “What’s the biggest difference between Hillary Clinton and a catfish?” A: “One has whiskers and stinks, and the other is a fish”) to unfunny and homophobic (Q: “What’s the biggest difference between Barney Frank and a Fenway Frank?” A: “Barney Frank comes in different-size buns”). [emphasis added] 

 Housing Secretary Ben Carson Says Poverty Is A 'State Of Mind' -May 25, 2017


CAMPAIGN CASH Nebraska Billionaire Loves Our Politicians March 6, 2018


#1% : They really can't relate to most of us! - #Commerce Sec. Wilbur #Ross - #FollowTheMoney [ #Trump Cabinet] - They just pretend! #Manafort #Cyprus Bank ... Ross Director - Money Laundering? - WI 1848 Forward #DarkTowers About #Trump & Rosemary #Vrablic 

#1% : They really can't relate to us! - Housing Secretary #Carson > #Poverty A 'State Of Mind' - WI 1848 Forward: #GOP GRAND Ostrich Party 

 1% #Grifters : They really can't relate to us! - Housing Secretary #Carson > #Poverty A 'State Of Mind' - WI 1848 Forward: #GOP Grand OSTRICH Party 

Why the Specifics Matter on School Funding Promises

December 2, 2016 - State Budget, State Issue2017-19 State Budget, Advocacy, K-12 Funding, Property Tax, Referendums, Revenue Limits, Robin Vos, Scott Fitzgerald, Scott Walker, WASB Advocacy Tips - Chris Kulow

When an increase in school funding isn't!

... School district budgets are controlled by the state-imposed revenue limits. Revenue limits are the reason lawmakers can increase the amount of general aid for schools yet school budgets remain essentially frozen. If the per pupil revenue limit doesn’t increase, the additional state aid goes toward reducing property taxes, plain and simple. (See graphic above.)There are good reasons why lawmakers are so fond of revenue limits.  As the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance notes, they “give lawmakers near total control over school revenues, other than those from Washington.”  Revenue limits also let lawmakers increase state aid while reducing property taxes at the same time, thus checking all the boxes voters want checked.To get more money into school budgets without increasing property taxes, lawmakers must either increase revenue limits and general aid at the same time or increase the per pupil categorical aid payments to school districts.Because lawmakers haven’t allowed increases in school district revenues to keep pace with inflation in recent years, we have seen record numbers of successful school operating referendums. As school leaders know, the only way school districts can exceed the revenue limits so the district can keep pace with inflation is by seeking voter approval of a referendum. We have to educate our lawmakers to make sure our lawmakers understand this, too.

Republican lawmakers seek limits on school referendums ... overturn local control; 3/31/17

School districts would no longer be able to ask voters to raise their taxes permanently and districts would lose some state funding if they exceed their state-imposed limits on raising property taxes through referendums under a package of bills Republican lawmakers are releasing this week.

... “I believe there is more harm being done to our tax climate via school referendum than anyone realizes,” said Stroebel, R-Saukville. “If everything passed, next year property taxes in Wisconsin would be $63 million higher just from operating (referendums) this election and voters would have approved a total of over $2 billion in school debt in the past thirteen months.” 

i.e., the property rich would pay more since property tax burden is proportional to value.

It's a fact not a bias.  If you have little in the way of property you should be seeking tax credits as a way of balancing "inequality", not property tax reductions.  Walker is playing you for a "sucker" and really benefiting his "wealthy" donors!


Specifics #SchoolFunding - Limits that sound like Increases : District budgets are controlled by the state-imposed revenue limits. Revenue limits - reason lawmakers increase the $ of general aid yet school budgets are essentially frozen. WI 1848 Forward

WI 1848 Forward: Specifics Matter on #SchoolFunding Promises - #Walker (Ex-Gov.) Limits sound like Increases for #schools NOT 

Useful Bits & Pieces

Spin is mean't for TOPs, TOYs and TOTs plus the naive !

Finding Politicians:

Find Your Wisconsin Legislator -- let them know what you think!

Lookup and contact POLITICIAN !

Health and Well-Being:

December 13th, 2016 maybe a prequel to DROP Dead date ... Group Insurance Board meets!  As well your health insurance just got worse again -- going to cost you more!

WI Medical SelfInsurance > Beware: Taxpayers, WRS Retirees, State Employees - You will spend your Golden Years doing paperwork for Walker


Money In Politics  Who would have thought?

Think Guardian 9/14/2016 Walker - DarkMoney Laundering - Hendricks - Prosser - Wisconsin Club for Growth


Taxes: Property

Who Wins From Walker Tax Cuts?

Your Neighbors In Rural Wisconsin ... Right !

*Those with taxable incomes of less than $50,000 will get an average tax cut of $82. Why that’s important: Half of all taxpayers who owe taxes have taxable incomes of $50,000 or less." ...

The top 20% ....

*Those with taxable incomes of between $100,000 and $150,000 will get an average tax cut of $335. About 12 percent of taxpayers who owe taxes have incomes in this range.
*Those with taxable incomes of between $150,000 and $200,000 will get an average tax cut of $453. They make up about 4 percent of taxpayers who owe taxes.
*Those with taxable incomes of more than $200,000 will get an average tax cut of $892. They also make up about 4 percent of taxpayers who owe taxes.

Florence Cnty WI >Social Not Just Physical Infrastructure should be Dems Party Strategy

If Trumpcare passes then these kind of counties and the people calling them home will become even more hapless and hopeless... 6/23/17

~~~~~~~~~
Conveying what you mean, so that you tilt a few people to vote for you rather than your opponent is a subtle and tricky business. Some do it by championing lower taxes and less regulation. Deeper reflection will lead you to conclude this is exactly the wrong thing to believe.

The following story appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal about Florence County rebounding.  It is a small population county, with a small economic base and few business players.  From the story  I conclude ... that a few local folks made some strategic investments coupled with some economic recovery in the hardwood business has led to the success.  

On Wisconsin: Florence rebounds; votes for Donald Trump and improved schools - Barry Adams

It seems to me that their continued success is still tenuous.  The title of the article illustrates one important choice they made - support education.  Other choices to renovate and rebuild real estate derive from a combination of local folks and development decisions.

As I read the story I kept thinking about what I would want to find in a rural community to get me to move there and stay year round:

• If I were a young family would I want to move to a place with few or no schools  ... this almost happened in Florence.

• At any age, would I want to live a long way from "healthcare facilities" in the many ways that might be defined ... depending on my age and family status.

• What about public libraries, grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, technology (internet, etc.).  Do I want to live where there are few to none?

• If I was a young person, who spent 3 hours a day being bused to school most of their life, would I want to stay there if I could not get a job or go to college or technical school.  I think I would prefer a larger city where I can meet and do things my peers are doing.

• If I went away to school would I come back to a place with few job prospects and perhaps none given my education?

• If I were a "business" would I expand or locate in an area, with an aging labor supply or none at all.  I think I would locate there only if the business were intrinsic to the local resources (e.g., hardwoods). 

The next recession may knock them back to where they were before! 

What is "Social Infrastructure"?  All of the things mentioned above are examples of it.  The article detailed how they had used Federal Grants of $2.75 million to replace water and sewer lines. Broadband internet access prioritized for small community access although physical is also social infrastructure.

Once upon a time "Universal Telephone Suffrage" was public policy -- why not the "Internet?"

That kind of investment is both social infrastructure and physical infrastructure.  I wonder, did they have "lead" pipes? 

The key message is what should they be expecting and asking from their elected state representatives.  Should every community and county be on their own or should there be a concerted political effort to address this kind of inequality?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11/11/2016

I don't doubt plenty of people have trouble, especially in rural areas, paying their property tax bill.  That is a problem the "Homestead Credit" was designed to alleviate in Wisconsin - does it need expansion?  Many rural areas also lack social infrastructure as well as physical infrastructure.

Why would a family with children want to move to or live in a place with no schools and little immediate access to health care.  Why would a retired person want to live there either - they may be stuck and getting to a doctor is really a major problem?  Why would someone growing up there, spending most of their time being bused to school, want to stay there when they can't get a job later; when they can go to a larger community get a job, meet other people their age, and have more of a social life?

Wisconsin Self-Insurance is likely to decimate healthcare alternatives for all citizens in rural areas. Decimating Medicaid and Medicare will hurt these places even more.
~Why?__________________________________

The Homestead Credit is a tax benefit for renters and homeowners with low or moderate incomes. It is designed to lessen the impact of rent and property taxes. Qualifying persons can get back some or all of their state taxes withheld during the year.Jan 15, 2016

Homestead Credit – Tax Credits for Low and Moderate Income Families

https://fyi.uwex.edu/eitc/8-2/

*Homestead Tax Credit: In 2009, Democrats tied the Homestead 
tax break to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index. 
Republicans repealed that annual “indexing,” beginning with the 
2011 tax year.  
Another way of saying Republicans and Walker repealed 
#SocialInfrastructure.




Florence County Net Migration since 1970s ... see the tool below!

Local Schools are so very important ...

Net Migration Patterns for US Counties ... WI POP Lab

Net out migration, in most counties, has been the pattern for decades.  It is simple to explain ... the labor force requirements have fallen dramatically (think of the first tractor, then think of the first tractor with headlights).  Some small towns and counties have thrived by attracting "new sustainable businesses" and investing in social infrastructure to attract ancillary services: healthcare, libraries, retail stores, etc.

So you may be in one of those communities not doing so well.  What can you do to spice it up?  Get involved in politics and insist on real programs that will make a difference: universal internet service everywhere ... skip it and the out migration will accelerate and your community collapse even faster. 

It's nice to think things are rosy but the fundamentals have not changed except for a greater than normal political disconnect.

Consider ... 12/9/16 ... a little in the weeds but worth understanding !

Even with "help", manufacturing jobs sliding in WIsconsin

...But let’s also remember that right-to-work (for-less) was signed into law in Wisconsin in March 2015, with Governor Walker and his fellow Koch/ALEC hacks promising that it would “free up” manufacturing jobs, and “worker freedom” would allow for a better quality of life for workers. So given that right-to-work (for less) was in place for this time period, let’s take a look and see how that theory worked out, shall we? ...

Problems with Property Taxes

On February 4th, 2017 ... Is Walker starting to wakeup?  Homestead Tax Credit still maybe a better idea then EIC !  HTC would do more to help "rural and elderly Wisconsinites".

Explained: Scott Walker's proposal to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced this week he plans to increase a tax credit for the working poor he cut early in his first term. What is the Earned Income Tax Credit, and what would the governor's proposal accomplish? 

Let's start with the tax credit. The Wisconsin Earned Income Credit is a state extension of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, which is essentially a tax cut benefiting low- to moderate-income working people. The federal credit is based on earnings, marital status and the number of qualifying children a filer has. 

In the 2015 tax year, 391,000 Wisconsinites received the federal credit, which amounted to an average credit of $2,167 per person.

... This must be something Democrats support, right? Not so fast.

In theory, yes. But it's more complicated than that. That's because Walker cut the EITC in his 2011-13 budget by about $24 million per year, a move critics said resulted in an effective tax increase on the working poor. 

"Maybe if Republicans hadn’t cut the Earned Income Tax Credit in their 2011-13 budget, we wouldn’t need to have this 'plan,'" said Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison. "This is classic GOP politics: they start fires, watch them burn, then put the fires out, and take credit for being the heroes who save the day. All the while, Wisconsin’s working families get burned in the process." 

  


#SocialInfrastructure Not Just Physical Projects should be #Democratic Party Strategy> #Florence WI #Rural Reality - WI 1848 Forward 

#Florence Cnty #WI 1848 Forward: #SocialInfrastructure: Increase #HomesteadTaxCredit was #Dems Policy not #GOP 

#Florence Cnty #WI 1848 Forward: #SocialInfrastructure as #Dems Policy NOT #GOP.  Why do the kids leave? 

#Foxconn :) for #Florence Cnty #WI 1848 Forward: #SocialInfrastructure #HomesteadTaxCredit Policy Keep the kids home 

#Florence Cnty #WI 1848 Forward: #SocialInfrastructure: Increase #HomesteadTaxCredit was #Dems Policy not #GOP -support #RichlandCenter #UWPlatteville

Has GOP & Walker rigged the Vote? WI redistricting suit ask judges >consider election results

FiveThirtyEight Newsletter 9/28/2017

A really important question!

Plaintiffs in Wisconsin's redistricting suit ask judges to consider election results - KATELYN FERRAL | The Capital Times

What is the efficiency gap?

The gap represents the difference between political parties’ respective wasted votes in an election. The model considers a vote “wasted” if it:1. Is cast for a losing candidate2. Is cast for a winning candidate but that vote is in excess of what the candidate needs to winVotes can be considered wasted as a result of districts that have been re-drawn for partisan advantage in the past, known as gerrymandering. Two techniques are commonly used: 

1. Cracking — Spreading one party’s voters across multiple districts to dilute their voting power, denying the group representation in multiple districts 

2. Packing — Concentrating one party’s voters in one district to limit their voting party to only one district, limiting its influence in other districts 

Large numbers of votes commonly are cast for losing candidates as a result of cracking.

PauseCurrent Time

Likewise, excessive votes often are cast for winning candidates because of packing.

Federal Court: Wisconsin's GOP-Drawn Legislative Districts Unconstitutional Judges Rule Map Constitutes A 'Partisan Gerrymander' In 2-1 Decision Monday, November 21, 2016, 2:30pm By Shawn Johnson (WPR)

Federal judges panel finds state redistricting plan an 'unconstitutional gerrymander  WSJ 20111121

In 2012, Republicans got 48.6 percent of the statewide vote, but got 60 seats in the 99-seat assembly, and in 2014 got 52 percent of the vote and 63 Assembly seats. Democrats in 2012 received 51.4 percent of the vote and only 39 Assembly seats, and 36 seats when they received 48 percent of the vote in 2014.

"The evidence establishes, therefore, that even when Republicans are an electoral minority, their legislative power remains secure," Ripple wrote.

... and Voter Suppression is a component not even addressed. 

Wisconsin’s gerrymander being struck down should scare Republicans nationwide

WI 1848 Forward: Has #GOP [ #GriftersOnParade ] & #Walker rigged the #Vote? WI #Gerrymandering ask judges >consider election results > WI redistricting suit 

WI 1848 Forward: Has #GOP & #Walker rigged the #Vote? WI #Gerrymandering -What about #VoterID Suppression too!

WI 1848 Forward: Has #GOP & #Walker rigged the #Vote? WI redistricting suit judges panel say it's rigged! 

Duration Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00Fullscreen00:00Mute

WI Medical SelfInsurance > Beware: Taxpayers, WRS Retirees, State Employees - You will spend your Golden Years doing paperwork for Walker

2/8/2017 ... the deed has been done but Joint Finance Committee can stop it !!!!

12/14/2016 ... Group Health Board postones making up their minds(?) until January?

12/13/2016 Today!

State worker benefits board to vote on options, including self-insurance

Might save estimated 2.8% or cost 6.7 percent more!  

Retirees pay their own way as it is ... so maybe you save $200 a year or it costs you $600 more ... what with new office visit charges, etc., retirees seem likely to pay more and have more paperwork to deal with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 13th maybe a prequel to DROP Dead date ... Board meets!  As well your insurance just got worse again -- going to cost you more!

Find Your Legislator -- let them know what you think!

Lookup and contact POLITICIAN !


11/6/2016

I would like to share the following memo which describes some of the implications of Medical Self-Insurance.  In addition I recently received an offer to select "Medicare Supplemental Insurance" from a very reputable insurance company - The application and documentation is 39 pages; and this is for a supplement.  Self-Insurance will make doing your taxes look simple.  Unfortunately this is what our Legislature - Joint Finance Committee is poised to impose on all of us, directly and indirectly.  As they say **** rolls down hill.  So take 2 or 3 million people in the state who have to start figuring this all out for themselves and their families, their parents, their kids.
My calculations are admittedly on the back of an envelop but an earlier document estimated $42 million in savings:

State could save $42 million a year through self-insurance, consultant says. DAVID WAHLBERG dwahlberg@madison.com, Nov 18, 2015

Do you think JFC can save "retirees"? Walker in charge: How to mess up Healthcare even more

That might save 2 million people about $21 or less per year.  Earlier estimates are that it might cost an additional $100 million.

What is a day of your time worth to you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes from ACE Annual Meeting September 26, 2016 Capitol Lakes, Premier Room

Justin Sydnor, Professor in Risk Management and Insurance, UW Madison School of Business
Currently there are 17 health insurance providers for the WI state insurance system administered by Employee Trust Funds. Generally, these are integrated systems involving hospitals, providers, and insurers.
Most neighboring states and Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. use self-insurance. They contract with a 3rd party administrator.
There are costs to the current system. The insurers make a profit, about 1 or 2% of the total cost of the program. There are taxes by the federal government related to premiums.
Wisconsin is unique, with the most competitive health insurance model in the country. We have lots of localized small insurers/providers. Moving to a self-insurance system for the state system would be a big change.
Segal recommends that the State of WI move away from localized health insurers, which would be very disruptive to the current system. Our current system works well and is competitive. The change would affect citizens who are not state employees or retirees.
The current vision for the system administered by ETF: control of health insurance costs results from managed care.
Segal’s vision: Patients are supposed to compare costs and pay large deductibles and co-pays in order to limit the costs of their health insurance.
The most effective way to control costs is competition, and the current system is functioning well. The change to self-insurance by the state is likely to lead to mergers of insurance systems. Although

1

the change would save the 1 or 2% profit currently made by insurers, the costs would rise significantly later.
Nancy Wenzel, CEO, WI Association of Health Plans
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, WI has the most competitive health insurance market in the county. 18 different insurers are involved in covering 80% of the insured population. Segal’s experience is mostly with states that have one or two major insurers.
250,000 insured persons are involved in the state and local employee/retiree system administered by ETF.
Deloitte Consulting suggested in 2012 that self-funding could save $20 million or cost $100 million. Deloitte suggested that there could be negative impacts on small business in WI from the switch.
Administration of the system is 9% of the total cost—that is what the winner bidder(s) will handle. Bids were turned into ETF on Sept. 19. On November 30 Segal will provide a (mostly closed) briefing to the Group Insurance Board. Segal will score the RFP technical responses, thus evaluating their own recommendation to self-fund.
In early December the GIB will meet to decide what to do. Any new model would begin January 2018.
Premiums for the current system are increasing 1.6% for 2017. In Georgia, which moved to self-insurance, the per employee cost went up 18.6% in 2014. In Milwaukee County, which switched to self- insurance, overall costs decreased while Walker was the County Executive because the number of county employees decreased. However per employee premiums have increased 9 – 20% annually.

Chris Taylor, State Representative Assembly District 76
The federal “Cadillac tax” on high cost plans has been delayed.
Segal reports that self-funding would require tripling the cash reserves the state has for heath insurance. When North Carolina

2

switched to self-insurance, the state took money from other programs to fund the increase needed for cash reserves for health insurance.
Money could be saved by increasing the deductibles paid by employees/retirees. Any self-insurance program is not required to follow state coverage mandates.
Health actuaries agree that reducing competition increases costs. The Joint Committee on Finance must approve any switch. General Discussion and Responses to Questions
In November 2015, Segal indicated that they do not recommend splitting out WI retirees form the system because in WI retirees pay their own premiums. (Although the RFP leaves that option open.) The panelists do not anticipate any change in use of converted sick leave to pay retiree insurance premiums. If the sick leave conversion system changed, they expect it would affect only new employees.
Segal did recommend that Medicare eligible retirees be placed into national Medicare Advantage Plans, but that recommendation was put on hold.
In response to a question about Wisconsin’s reportedly high health insurance costs, Nancy Wenzel explained that this was based on a study involving only large national insurer costs. Because large national insurers have so few insured in Wisconsin, this was not representative of typical Wisconsin costs.
She said that Deloitte found that WI health insurance costs are 4.1% lower than national costs. She also said that WI is rated in the top 3 states for quality of health care.
Nancy pointed out that Chuck Grapentine represents insured participants on the Group Insurance Board, and that he is conscientious and does his homework. She indicated that the representative on the GIB from the Attorney General’s office is thoughtful. Nancy Thompson represents local units of government on the GIB.

3

There was discussion of the need for local constituents to contact the Joint Committee on Finance.
It was suggested that the general public should be warned of the potential for the system to cause a reduction in the number of insurers in the state and therefore an increase in health insurance costs.
Prof. Sydnor said that research shows that systems of integrated care in which the insurers and providers have incentive to restrict costs, which is the system we have in Dane County currently, have been shown to effectively hold down health care costs.
Rep. Taylor noted that the end result of self-insurance may be shifting jobs from Wisconsin employers to a national firm.

4 

#Medical #SelfInsurance > #Taxpayers, #WRS Retirees, State Employees - spend your time doing paperwork for #Walker -- a #GOP philosophy of "If you can't afford it you can't have it." 

#Medical #SelfInsurance > #Taxpayers, #WRS Retirees, State Employees - spend your time doing paperwork for #GOP #JFC

Walker - DarkMoney Laundering - Hendricks - Prosser - Wisconsin Club for Growth

July 21, 2018

Gov. Scott Walker Political Operation Snagged $250,000 Check Mere Days After Meeting With Accused Russian Spy ‘Sure looks like Scott Walker's Non-Meeting Meant Something to Somebody’

In all fairness she is accused presently as acting as an "unregistered agent" of Putin's government.

... MADISON, Wis. — As Gov. Scott Walker desperately tries to downplay his meeting with accused Russian spy Maria Butina at a 2015 VIP reception, a new report discloses his political operation mere days later snagged a $250,000 donation from a billionaire who made a fortune in Russian oil.

According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

“Days after Walker’s photo was taken with Butina and Torshin, Our American Revival received $250,000 from Access Industries, a company founded by Ukrainian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik. Blavatnik, who has U.S. and U.K. citizenship, previously was part owner of a Russian oil company … Months after the Our American Revival donation, Access Industries gave $1.5 million to a super PAC supporting Walker’s presidential run.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOP - You get what you pay for ! Unfortunately !

Leaked court documents from ‘John Doe investigation’ in Wisconsin lay bare pervasive influence of corporate cash on modern US elections By Ed Pilkington and the Guardian US interactive team

/ CORY DOCTOROW / 10:13 AM WED SEP 14, 2016 Leaked: damning Scott Walker dark money docs that judge ordered destroyed

...The documents come from a failed bid by Wisconsin prosecutors to hold Walker to account. That case went all the way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court before the slim majority of Republican judges on the bench dismissed the case and ordered all documents permanently destroyed. As the documents -- published today in the Guardian -- show, some of those same judges relied on the money laundry that Walker used to get and keep his office to campaign for their own elections.

What's more, the documents reveal that the dark money that Walker raised translated into a tit-for-tat in the form of legislative and executive favors from the Wisconsin government -- for example, NL Industries nearly escaped all punishment for the lead poisoning it induced in the people who lived and worked near its factory, thanks to a law that retroactively immunized them from liability for polluting (NL was only held to account when a court ruled that retroactive immunity was unconstitutional). Harold Simmons, owner of NL Industries, wrote three checks of undisclosed amounts to the Wisconsin Club for Growth -- checks that Scott Walker solicited.

The trove is fascinating, and documented in eye-watering detail by the Guardian's team in a tremendous, deep interactive piece. There's lots of juicy notes, like the fact that Donald Trump gave big when asked by Scott Walker. 

... From the Guardian (?!)

 Among the leaked John Doe files that the Wisconsin supreme court ordered to be suppressed are documents that underline how anxious Walker's circle were about the threat, as they saw it, to the court's conservative majority. In an email dated 14 December 2010, WCfG's director Eric O'Keefe says he's been in touch with Diane Hendricks, the owner of a roofing company who Forbes describes as America's richest self-made woman with a personal fortune of $5bn. Hendricks is a well-known funder of rightwing causes and individuals, among them Scott Walker himself who she was to go on to support with $500,000 in 2012 for his own recall election.

______
Healthcare Conspiracy: Is WI Governor Walker , GOP pursuing corporate or public interests ?


#Walker - #DarkMoney Laundering - #Hendricks - #Prosser - #WisconsinClubforGrowth #GOP #GriftersOnParade #Trump  WI 1848 Forward

#Guardian Link: WI 1848 Forward: #Walker - #DarkMoney Laundering - #Hendricks - #Prosser - #WisconsinClubforGrowth  #GOP #GriftersOnParade 

#Guardian Link: WI 1848 Forward: #NoFingerPrints #Walker - #DarkMoney Laundering> #Hendricks #WisconsinClubforGrowth

#Guardian Link: WI 1848 Forward: #NoFingerPrintsWalker #Walker - #DarkMoney Laundering #Healthcare WI SelfInsurance

Trump > new version of Scandalous TrumpUniversity as Public School Replacement

2017/09/08  Bondi still getting patronage ... now on a panel for "opioid" problem - as Trump appointee

2016/11/14

... and Bondi, Florida's Attorney General now on the Trump Transition Team

Donald Trump, Pam Bondi and $25K: Was it pay to play?

Sorry for the ad.



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Donald Trump lays out his education plan: Gut public schools By Laura Clawson   DailyKos

Donald Trump gave a big education policy speech Thursday afternoon, choosing to deliver it at an appropriate location: a poorly performing charter school with a lot of lobbying money in its background. Trump offered up the usual Republican privatization wish list of vouchers, charter schools, and online charter schools bleeding money from public schools, with the centerpiece being to take all of the federal money currently allocated to schools and districts with the most low-income students and allow it to bleed out to charter and private schools. As education reporter Dana Goldstein tweeted, “I could write something about Trump's ‘plan’ but all there is to say is that it's warmed over early '00s stuff.”

Trump touted merit pay for teachers, which research shows does not improve educational outcomes. He called for vouchers, which haven’t done especially well by students in Milwaukee or Louisiana or, for that matter, Ohio:

Ohio has a state program that supplies taxpayer-funded vouchers to more than 18,000 students. A recent study of that program, released in July by the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, found that students who used the vouchers to attend private schools actually performed worse on standardized tests than similar students who stayed in public schools

ELECTION 2016 Trump University? You Won't Believe This Other Under-the-Radar Bondi Scheme, Says Colbert (Video) Did Trump pay off Florida's attorney general to drop the Trump University case? By Alexandra Rosenmann / AlterNet September 9, 2016

Double Dipping #Tuition Ripoff #Trump #Devos > new version of Scandalous #TrumpUniversity as #Vouchers ? for Public School Replacement > #Colbert > #Bondi ( #Impeachment Team)

Healthcare Conspiracy: Is WI Governor Walker , GOP pursuing corporate or public interests ?

Update: Afraid of public scrutiny?  They punted for at least a month!

December 13th, 2016 maybe a prequel to DROP Dead date ... Board meets!  As well your insurance just got worse again -- going to cost you more!

Find Your Wisconsin Legislator -- let them know what you think!

Lookup and contact POLITICIAN !

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Think Guardian 9/14/2016 Walker - DarkMoney Laundering - Hendricks - Prosser - Wisconsin Club for Growth

This story about healthcare behemoths, like Aetna and Humana, along with with further national impacts that broadcast television coverage reveals (4 states left w/o any insurance companies - MSNBC), led me to wonder if there is a larger conspiracy.

NPR: Aetna CEO To Justice Department: Block Our Deal And We'll Drop Out Of Obamacare

...But thanks to the Huffington Post's Jonathan Cohn and Jeff Young, we got a glimpseat how health insurer Aetna is making its case to acquire rival Humana — and new insight into Aetna's decision announced Tuesday to pull out of Obamacare exchanges in 11 states.

The reporters obtained a copy of a letter from Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini to the Justice Department on July 5. The letter was written while the government was still deciding whether to oppose the insurance companies' merger on the grounds that it (and another proposed deal between Anthem and Cigna) would hurt consumers and reduce competition. ..

... On Tuesday, Aetna said it would dramatically scale back its participation on the insurance exchanges in 2017. The company move would take it out of 546 counties in 11 states, leaving it active in 242 counties in four states: Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska and Virginia. 

The Walker administration, in Wisconsin, seems very directed toward rearranging the deck chairs of how healthcare would be provided to many public employees and retirees.  This of course spills over to the private sector and will potentially decimate and/or eliminate many providers, especially HMOs. The public in general will have less choice or perhaps no choice if Wisconsin government goes to a self-insured model, i.e., eliminate insurance companies as a middle-man.  The individual will suddenly find that Wisconsin state government will ultimately control which health services are covered or which services will become "elective", e.g., "you want it you pay for it."

Of course this self-insured model is being presented by proponents as saving money.  The devil is in the details of what actually gets done or how the "model" evolves to save money.

What leads me to think conspiracy is that Wisconsin is not going to want to negotiate thousands of contracts with individual doctors or hospitals and clinics.  So ultimately Wisconsin will elect to deal with a company like Aetna to do this for them.  In other words the Walker administration is setting up the field for a monopoly with the public getting less in the way of services.

Walker's association with special interests, like the Koch brothers and others, his disdain for Obamacare, his refusal to take additional Medicare monies to provide more Wisconsinites with healthcare just adds to reasonable people wondering what price we are going to pay for his political ambitions.

Group Health Board now has enough cronies to work Walker divide and conquer scheme on "workers" and "retirees".

Think Guardian 9/14/2016 Walker - DarkMoney Laundering - Hendricks - Prosser - Wisconsin Club for Growth
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11/11/2016

I don't doubt plenty of people have trouble, especially in rural areas, paying their property tax bill. That is a problem the "Homestead Tax Credit" was designed to alleviate in Wisconsin - does it need expansion?  Many rural areas also lack social infrastructure as well as physical infrastructure.

Why would a family with children want to move to or live in a place with no schools and little immediate access to health care.  Why would a retired person want to live there either - they may be stuck and getting to a doctor is really a major problem?  When getting anywhere is a burden.  Why would someone growing up there, spending most of their time being bused to school, want to stay there when they can't get a job later; when they can go to a larger community get a job, meet other people their age, and have more of a social life?

Wisconsin Self-Insurance is likely to decimate healthcare alternatives for all citizens in rural areas.

Why?
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WI 1848 Forward: #Healthcare #Conspiracy > Was Ex-Gov #Walker , #GOP pursuing corporate #darkmoney or public interests ?  Make it "private" - the essence of "pay-to-play" HealthCareForAll