The state’s Joint Finance Committee has approved a proposal to restrict government spending on health services in an effort to curb the budget deficit. The proposed change in Medicaid and Medicare services denies eligibility to adults under the age of 26 who are covered under their parents’ insurance, caps premiums and raise co-pays. A conservative estimate shows that the plan would leave 64,000 Wisconsin residents without health insurance.

Of all the ways this state could balance the budget, cutting medical care for the disadvantaged in a time of economic hardship for the state is one of the worst options. A comment made by JFC Co-Chair Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, encapsulated the hard-headed and narrow-minded politics that went into this legislation. When asked about the proposed cuts to medical care, Vos replied, “The timeline is wise, and the time for social justice achieved through government money is over.” Vos’ statement disregards government social programs as unnecessary, but he fails to realize that hampering them with funding cuts is a dangerous pattern that will only cause more political turmoil in the state of Wisconsin. 

There was a time when the government left social justice efforts to churches and charity. This was also the time when malnutrition was common and diseases were rampant in tenements, and a time before modern medicine became widely available. Since the Great Depression, government has taken up the responsibility of making sure American citizens have food to eat and are in good health, ensuring that no one goes hungry or dies from a treatable illness.

People still go hungry, and from a public health perspective, preventable illnesses still claim many lives every year. With that said, the social welfare programs that provide a safety net for those who would otherwise be unable to feed themselves or afford medical care make Wisconsin a much nicer place to live than it was at the turn of the century.

I’d think Vos and other politicians who vocally disregard social welfare programs as unnecessary economic burdens on the government should think this one over. If Vos had his wish and the government ended its social welfare programs today, the outlook for tomorrow would be grim.

Quite literally millions of people would be sick and hungry, a situation current events have shown spells political instability and imminent conflict. Removing the government safety net would be an economic catastrophe – without welfare and Medicaid, the United States would look like a developing country. In light of this, I find it hard to believe that the legislators who proposed cuts in social programs have fully considered the ramifications of these cuts. I find it alarming that Rep. Vos thinks the government is no longer responsible for the physical well-being of its citizens.

It is no secret there is a great deal of economic inequality in this country, and in this state. But government support of social justice is a buffer that cushions the impact of inequality, and is essential to stabilize a steep gradient of wealth. Beyond that, it is a matter of the most essential of human rights, the right to a healthy life and food security. It is morally wrong to deny food to the hungry, and in the era of modern medicine, it is morally wrong to deny care to those without money. It is imperative that food and medicine are provided for in the state of Wisconsin. State government programs are the most centrally organized and efficient means to accomplish this task.

As I understand it, the purpose of economics is not simply to balance the state budget, but to spend taxpayer dollars in a way that results in the greatest benefit for the most people. For this reason, I don’t understand the logic of cutting spending on medical services in order to balance accounts. It will result in less benefit for the most disadvantaged of Wisconsin residents and Robin Vos is okay with this social injustice. Left unchecked, this lack of attention to social justice will make Wisconsin a terrible place to be poor, sick, or hungry.

Charles Godfrey ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in math and physics.