2011-12 WEAC Legislative Agenda
Health Care Reform
The Wisconsin Education Association Council believes every Wisconsin resident should have access to preventive,
diagnostic, routine and catastrophic care. Health care coverage in Wisconsin must not be denied based on age, health
status, occupation or pre-existing conditions. Strategies must be implemented that reduce and contain costs to assure
affordable coverage for all individuals and employers. Individuals, employers and government must be required to pay
their fair share. Full, free and fair collective bargaining rights must be established which will allow unions to negotiate
over both supplemental coverage beyond that provided by the universal plan, as well as a share of the savings from
health care reforms.
WEAC members see the impact of the health care crisis in their classrooms and school buildings every day. Poor health
is an obstacle to learning for students. Children have a broad and unique range of health care needs. Children need
regular, preventive care, including vision, hearing and dental care for their healthy development. That is why WEAC
supports the inclusion of these as part of any basic health care package.
Vision, hearing and dental care are among the services children need to develop and achieve their full potential. Children with vision problems may not learn to read if they don’t have glasses. A hearing impaired child may not
develop speech appropriately without hearing aids. Untreated dental disease can lead to pain and infection, resulting
in poor school attendance and performance. By ensuring vision, dental and hearing are covered in a basic health care
package, we reduce the disparities in children’s health that contribute to achievement gaps.
Our current health care system is unsustainable. Costs are out of
control and rising. To put it in context, if the price of milk had
skyrocketed at the same rate as medical services in the last
four decades, a gallon today would cost a whopping $30. In Wisconsin, health insurance costs are 23% higher than the
national average.
In addition, too many hard-working people don’t have access
to health care. While Wisconsin can take pride in having
one of the lowest rates of uninsured in the nation,
hundreds of thousands of our residents are
uninsured or underinsured. Many educational
support professionals fall into this
category. They are the bus drivers who
transport students to and from schools.
They are the paraprofessionals who assist in the classroom and supervise children during recess and the lunch hour. They are the secretaries who maintain school records. They are the custodians who look after the school building and
grounds. They are the school cafeteria workers who prepare and serve meals to children.
The time is now to address the health care cost crisis and ensure that everyone has access to affordable health care.
Educators want to be part of the solution. Over the years, educators have negotiated health care changes to assure
coverage is cost-effective. In recent years, more than 90% of WEAC members have moved to three-tiered drug cards and
locals have used the collective bargaining process to implement innovative, cost-saving health insurance plan designs.
Wisconsin should continue to take the lead in tackling health care affordability and accessibility. Our state has been an
innovator in health care reform, from Badger Care for the working poor, to Badger Care Plus for children, parents and
other caretaker adults, to Badger Care Plus Core Plan for childless adults. The demand for these programs highlights the
need for broader reform to bring affordable, quality coverage to all Wisconsinites.
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