Gov. Jim Doyle called for an increase of affordable health care in Wisconsin at the Wisconsin Hospital Association annual Advocacy Day Wednesday.

Over 600 hospital administration officials, workers and volunteers representing 116 health care organizations from around Wisconsin met to speak about upcoming concerns for the future of the health care industry as well as the economic importance of hospitals for the state.

As part of the afternoon session, 350 attendees traveled to the state capitol to meet with their legislators on the importance of hospitals in Wisconsin as well as possible steps to improve health care on a statewide level.

During his address to the association, Doyle spoke about the important expansion of the BadgerCare Plus program he proposed to provide health care to all childless adults in the state.

Currently, Wisconsin is the second in the nation in terms of providing health care to their citizens. As part of his BadgerCare initiative, the state was able to expand coverage to 100,000 people in the state who did not have health insurance last year. Of those, 70,000 were children, Doyle added.

“It’s the difference between those families being able to move on with some confidence that their children have a future,” Doyle said.

In a time when many states are cutting health care programs for their citizens, Wisconsin will be stepping up efforts to increase coverage, the governor added.

“I think we might end up being the only state in the country where this is true … we are going to expand our basic health care program to childless adults,” Doyle said.

According to the governor, funds Wisconsin will receive from the American Recovery and Reinvestment stimulus package will allow the state to expand coverage despite the state’s expected $5.9 billion budget shortfall over the next two years.

Doyle also expressed his confidence that under President Barack Obama’s administration, adequate health care will soon be available to all citizens nationally.

WHA spokesperson Mary Kay Grasmick joined the governor in supporting the need for increased health care coverage both throughout the state and nationally.

Hospitals also play an important role economically in many Wisconsin communities by providing countless jobs to the communities. Although Grasmick supports increased health care coverage for individuals, she acknowledged the state’s need for more health care workers.

“The question in the future is going to be will our workforce be able to keep up with demand of health care… particularly with primary care physicians. As more people get coverage… the physicians are just busy and most of them are saying they’re just barely keeping up now. It’s a problem weather you live in Madison, Milwaukee or Spooner,” Grasmick said.

Although the governor is optimistic about the future increase of health care coverage, Republicans are skeptical of the measure.

Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, ranking member of the Legislative Joint Committee on Finance who must review the governor’s proposal, is against the proposal.

“Wisconsin can already not afford the level of benefits we provide,” Vos said. “It’s a nice proposal to do if we’re flush with money, but it’s not something Wisconsin taxpayers can afford right now.”