May 18, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Tunisia: Politics: State Government: The Capital Times: For the second budget in a row, lawmakers have rejected Gov. Jim Doyle's bid to balance the state's books by diverting money from a fund that pays medical malpractice claim
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May 18, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Tunisia: Politics: State Government: The Capital Times: For the second budget in a row, lawmakers have rejected Gov. Jim Doyle's bid to balance the state's books by diverting money from a fund that pays medical malpractice claim
For the second budget in a row, lawmakers have rejected Gov. Jim Doyle's bid to balance the state's books by diverting money from a fund that pays medical malpractice claim
For the second budget in a row, lawmakers have rejected Gov. Jim Doyle's bid to balance the state's books by diverting money from a fund that pays medical malpractice claim
Doyle budget-balancing plan rejected
By David Callender
May 18, 2005
For the second budget in a row, lawmakers have rejected Gov. Jim Doyle's bid to balance the state's books by diverting money from a fund that pays medical malpractice claims.
But members of the Joint Finance Committee warned Wisconsin's doctors that they might not be able to parry another "raid" on the Patients Compensation Fund in the future, and urged physicians to consider privatizing the program.
"We are not going to be able to do this year after year, and it's up to the doctors to defend themselves," said Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills.
In one of the most controversial moves of his proposed budget for the next two years, Doyle wanted to transfer $179 million out of the fund to help cover the rising costs of Medicaid, the federal-state program that pays for medical care for the poor, elderly, and disabled.
But lawmakers, along with the state medical society, warned that using the money could jeopardize the fund. And they say that because of the fund's stability, Wisconsin has not faced the kind of malpractice crisis other states have, where doctors have given up practices because they cannot afford rising premium costs through private insurers.
Doyle contends that lawmakers will have to make major cuts in Medicaid and other programs unless they approve the transfer. But both co-chairs of the finance committee -- Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah -- have pledged that there will be no such cuts.
One possible fix for the hole created by the committee's action could be an $1-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax, which would generate about $250 million a year.
The committee deferred action on a proposed increase.
In other action, the committee also rejected Doyle's bid to tap $25 million in reserve funds for the state veterans' home in King.
Lawmakers argued that the money should be set aside for veterans' programming instead of being used to help balance the state's $1 billion budget deficit.
E-mail: dcallender@madison.com
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Story Source: The Capital Times
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Tunisia; Politics; State Government
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