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Protesters calling for Walker to re-think his decision on Medicaid

Posted: 8:45 PM Feb 16, 2013
Reporter: WEAU Staff

Protestors calling for Walker to re-think his decision on Medicaid

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -- Governor Scott Walker was in Eau Claire as a guest speaker for the Annual Lincoln Day Dinner Fundraiser, which was hosted by the Wisconsin Republican Party of Eau Claire County.

The event put on the Wisconsin’s Republican Party is meant to bring conservative lawmakers together for discussion, but protestors, calling for Walker to re-think his decision on Medicaid, created a little distraction from the event.

On Wednesday Walker announced he won't use federal money to supplement the state's Badgercare system and declined federal Medicaid funding.

Protest organizer Jeremy Gragert says it’s wrong that Walker is leaving thousands of Wisconsinites uninsured.

“If we bring in billions of dollars of federal money for Medicaid we are helping more people in the hospitals and clinics around the state, it's creating jobs, and it’s projected to create 10 thousand jobs,” said Gragert.

Walker addressed the protesters at the Lincoln Dinner saying his plan will strengthen the state run program and cut the number of uninsured Wisconsinites in half.

"For some of the protesters, they're upset, because we found a way to reduce the number of uninsured, at the same time we didn't burden the state, with the future costs that Medicaid expansion of the Federal Government should bring up," said Walker.

Another hot topic at the dinner was speculation over Walker's budget, which is expected to be released next week.