John Torinus makes the case for Healthy Wisconsin

WMC board member John Torinus' biggest contribution to the debate over Healthy Wisconsin has not been disingenuous columns he's penned for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Talk -- especially the sort that engages in numerical chicanery -- is cheap. It's actions that count.

And on Monday -- ironically the day after his last broadside was published -- John took action that underscores why we need health coverage reform in Wisconsin:

Weakness in the automotive and housing sectors are tamping down sales at printer Serigraph Inc., which plans to cut about 25 of its 800 positions (Brawler's bold) in West Bend. Serigraph Chief Executive Officer John B. Torinus Jr. estimated Monday that about half of the affected workers would be leaving through early retirement packages. He said others would receive severance benefits, including long-term outplacement services if needed.

Now, the Brawler is sure -- seriously -- that that John's a benevolent employer who did the best he could by his terminated workers. But it's a fact that in our employer-based health care system, insurance is crushingly expensive when you don't have a job -- i.e., the time at which you can least afford it. Never mind if you're older and potentially less marketable and/or have health issues.

John can talk all he wants about the power of the consumer-driven health care packages offered by KI, Serigraph et al. But those benefits don't mean squat when you get a pink slip.

In other news underscoring the meritocracy of American capitalism, the Brawler sees that Serigraph named a new CEO, some guy by name of Sean Torinus. Maybe John can spend more time on fact-based columns now.

Comments

[kr]

This guy is 37?

[twitch]

as I "enjoy " my first day laid off from a non profit and ruefully scoff at my 1300 dollar amonth COBRA "option" and wonder if my paltry UC will leave me eligible for GAMP to cover my kidney disease, I could go for some healthcare reform!

from WI Democracy Campaign today-

http://www.wisdc.org/pr073007.php

Health Care Reform Opponents Hold
$7 to $1 Edge in Contributions
Madison - Special interests that oppose a universal health care plan in the Senate Democrats’ proposed state budget contributed $18.08 million to current legislators and the governor from 1999 through 2006 – over seven times more than the $2.5 million in contributions from supporters of the plan, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Universal health care opponents contributed $10.81 million to current legislators versus $1.64 million in contributions from supporters from 1999 through 2006. The opponents’ contributions represent 53 percent of the total $20.23 million in large special interest contributions current legislators have accepted in the last four, two-year election cycles. Supporters’ contributions represent 8 percent.

Democratic Governor Jim Doyle, who does not support the Senate Democrats’ universal health plan, accepted $7.27 million, or 48 percent, of his total large special interest contributions from universal care opponents, compared to $857,697, or 6 percent, from those who support the Senate plan.

Republicans control the Assembly 52-47 and Democrats control the Senate 18-15. The budget and the fate of the universal health care plan is now before an eight-member conference committee of four Democratic and four Republican legislative leaders from each house who will craft a compromise budget that can be passed by both houses and sent to Doyle.

Last week, WDC reported the plan’s opponents contributed $4.38 million from 1999 through 2006 to Assembly Republicans who removed the universal health care plan when they passed their version of the budget. Those contributions comprise 66 percent of the Assembly GOP’s total large special interest contributions compared to $115,089, or 2 percent from supporters of universal health care.

WDC’s latest analysis shows the other three caucuses also got substantially more support from opponents than supporters of the Senate’s universal health care plan (see Chart).

Senate Republicans, who voted against the majority Democrats’ budget and strongly criticized the health plan, accepted $3.51 million, or 62 percent, of their large special interest contributions from opponents of universal health care compared to $81,490, or 1 percent, from the plan’s supporters.

Assembly Democrats accepted $1.26 million, or 31 percent, of their large special interest contributions from opponents of the plan compared to $797,823, or 20 percent, from supporters of the plan.

Even Senate Democrats got more of their campaign cash from opponents rather than supporters of their health plan. The plan’s opponents gave Senate Democrats $1.66 million, or 42 percent, of the large special interest campaign contributions they raised from 1999 through 2006 compared to $643,380, or 16 percent, from supporters.

Chart
Large Individual and Political Action Committee Contributions
From Supporters and Opponents
of the Senate Democrats’ Health Care Plan
1999-2006

Opponents of universal health care include insurance, business, hospitals, manufacturers, banking, health maintenance organizations, agriculture, telecommunications, transportation, utility, construction and restaurant interests.

Supporters include nearly three dozen organizations, including labor unions, advocacy groups for the elderly, poor and people with mental and physical disabilities and left-leaning political groups that have formed the Wisconsin Health Care Reform Campaign. The organizations include AARP, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood, Service Employees International Union, Wisconsin Council of Churches, Wisconsin Laborers District Council, the League of Women Voters, the state NAACP, the state AFL-CIO, Wisconsin Education Association Council and the Greater Wisconsin Committee.

The Greater Wisconsin Committee is a Milwaukee-based phony issue ad group that spent an estimated $4.5 million mostly on negative broadcast advertising to support Doyle and Democratic legislative candidates in the 2006 elections and Supreme Court candidate Linda Clifford in the 2007 spring elections.
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