1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,920 I'm State Senator Kelda Royce, and I'm running for governor to raise wages, lower costs, 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:11,400 have the best public schools in the nation, and to protect our rights and freedoms. 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:16,600 I'm here today to talk about my plan for health care in Wisconsin, my vision, to bring 4 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:22,160 us closer to universal affordable health care coverage for every single Wisconsin night. 5 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,920 As I travel around the state, I hear about a lot of different issues. 6 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:30,960 But one thing that comes up every single time is the way in which so many Wisconsin 7 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,600 nights do not have access to affordable health care. 8 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:39,440 Even if they do have insurance, it costs way too much, and the premiums are skyrocketing. 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,680 It doesn't cover what it should. 10 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:47,920 People and providers are spending time arguing with insurance companies, and we cannot continue 11 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:49,440 like this. 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:55,160 Our country spends more per capita than any other country on health care, and yet we 13 00:00:55,160 --> 00:01:01,240 have some of the worst outcomes in the world, right, in terms of our longevity, our level 14 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,240 of illness, our infant and maternal mortality rates. 15 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,520 We're not getting what we're paying for. 16 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,200 My plan is very different than what my friends in this Democratic primary are offering, because 17 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:15,880 it takes something that is actually working well in health care in Wisconsin, and that's 18 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:18,880 the coverage that I receive as a state employee. 19 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,040 I have high quality, comprehensive insurance. 20 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:28,920 We have several non-profit provider-owned insurers that provide health coverage to 21 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:34,440 state employees, and there are also some private insurance companies as well. 22 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:39,480 But it is very predictable because we are part of a really large pool, and what that means 23 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:45,520 is I know that if my kid gets sick, I can take my kid to the doctor, and it's not going 24 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,400 to result in a huge bill. 25 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:53,440 I know that if I were to have a bad diagnosis or be in a car accident, that it's not going 26 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,240 to bankrupt my family. 27 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,360 And that kind of health security is something that every single Wisconsin, no matter who 28 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:04,840 you are, where you're from, or who you work for, absolutely deserves. 29 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:11,200 My plan, Kaldecare, will allow anyone in Wisconsin, an individual or an employer, to 30 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:16,000 buy in, at cost, to the very same coverage that state employees get. 31 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:20,040 Now, to be clear, this is not a taxpayer-funded plan, right? 32 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,360 You will have to pay the cost. 33 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:27,040 And if you're an employer, you're probably going to find that being a part of the state 34 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:34,120 plan is cheaper, provides better coverage, and takes away from that time tax of having 35 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,600 to constantly be looking for more affordable health insurance options. 36 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:44,160 I talked to Kyle, a teacher up in Superior, Wisconsin, who said that this year, their 37 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:52,640 insurance premiums for the school district, were going up 38%, 38%, so guess what, not 38 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:56,920 only is no teacher in Superior going to be getting a raise this year, they'll all functionally 39 00:02:56,920 --> 00:02:58,480 be getting a pay cut. 40 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:03,560 I talked to an owner of a mid-size manufacturing company in Merrill, who said that it used to 41 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:08,600 be a matter of pride for her, that she was able to cover the health insurance costs, 42 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,880 you know, all the premium costs for her in place. 43 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,640 And over the past 20 years, that percentage that she's been able to cover has gone down 44 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:20,360 and down and down, and now she's looking at how can I even offer coverage, maybe everyone's 45 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,600 just going to have to go on an ACA. 46 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:29,360 This is a problem that we can solve with public policy by letting people buy in at cost. 47 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,760 And let me lay out some of the benefits to taxpayers for this. 48 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,920 Number one, when you have a larger pool, you can spread the administrative costs of that 49 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:42,600 program over a broader number of people, and that will bring down the cost for taxpayers. 50 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:47,320 Number two, a big reason that premiums keep going up and up and up in health insurance 51 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:52,040 is uncompensated and undercompensated care, because people don't have insurance or their 52 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,560 insurance isn't good enough to cover things. 53 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,440 And this is why I have a friend who is an emergency room doctor. 54 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,640 She tells me every single day there is somebody in the emergency room who says, do I really 55 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:06,440 need to be here, because I don't think I can afford it. 56 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:12,280 That cost, that care is being provided, but the cost is not being born by the uninsured 57 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:14,440 patient generally, because they don't have the money. 58 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,680 If they had money, they'd have insurance. 59 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:22,360 It is being born by the providers, the system, and all of us who have private insurance, 60 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,280 and so that's going in to increase our premiums. 61 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:30,920 When we expand access to coverage, we can reduce that compensated care and slow the growth 62 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,680 of premiums that we have experienced. 63 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:38,600 Perhaps most importantly, here we are in Milwaukee at a federally qualified health 64 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,480 center. 65 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:44,560 Throughout Wisconsin, we have a severe provider shortage. 66 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,280 We have rural hospitals and clinics closing their doors. 67 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:52,800 We have critical access hospitals in jeopardy of closing and leaving millions of Wisconsin 68 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,120 nights without access to care that they need. 69 00:04:56,120 --> 00:05:00,040 In large part, because of uncompensated care. 70 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:06,200 My plan, because the state health insurance plans reimburse providers at a reasonable 71 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:10,920 rate, so not less than the cost of care, but the actual cost of providing the care, we 72 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:16,640 can help keep those critically provider doors open for Wisconsin nights in communities like 73 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:22,480 Milwaukee, up in Ashland where I was this weekend, throughout the state. 74 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:24,720 Now this is not the only piece of my health care plan. 75 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:29,000 I also have detailed plans for how we're going to invest in mental health and behavioral 76 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:33,320 health, how we're going to protect access to reproductive rights and reproductive freedom 77 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,480 so that politicians are never between you and your doctor, and how we can help lower 78 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:44,280 the cost of prescription drugs and increase the pipeline of providers here in Wisconsin. 79 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:50,920 But the ad that my campaign released today really focuses on the fact that we need affordable 80 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,720 access to high quality health insurance, and that's what I'm going to deliver with Kelda 81 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,280 Care as governor. 82 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,520 I would be happy to take any questions. 83 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:06,640 Senator, Republicans are going after your latest ad saying that escalates to the rhetoric 84 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,400 by saying that U of P insurance companies are trying to kill us. 85 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,520 What's your response to that? 86 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:14,480 Well I would just say look at the data. 87 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:19,000 You know, we're a state that should have expanded Badger Care and covered at least 80,000 more 88 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,160 Wisconsin nights over the last 15 years. 89 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:25,880 I wonder how many Wisconsinites in that time, who would have been eligible for the expanded 90 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:30,520 Badger Care coverage are dead because they did not have access to that care. 91 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:36,280 I think about the women who have died post-dobs because they were turned away and they had 92 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:40,960 to bleed out or go septic instead of receiving access to abortion care. 93 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:46,880 I think about the substandard care that we have been providing as a state to women of 94 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:53,200 color and babies of color pre and postpartum because Robin Voss was blocking the extended 95 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,120 coverage for postpartum care for low-income women. 96 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:03,000 There is a very, very real cost, not just financial, but human, when we deny people 97 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,560 access to health care. 98 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:09,120 And that is why throughout my political career I have been always dedicated to getting more 99 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:13,640 people access to high-quality health care and health insurance coverage every single 100 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:14,640 year. 101 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,080 But in the midst of political violence that we've seen in assassination attempts is saying 102 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,440 Republicans are trying to kill us appropriately, which during a campaign like this. 103 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:26,120 Well I think the line is, it's almost like they're trying to kill us. 104 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:31,680 And this is language that I have heard again and again from patients around the state and 105 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:36,800 from the doctors who are trying desperately to care for them and saying these patients 106 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:38,720 are not able to get the care. 107 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,320 They are dying because they don't have access to it. 108 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:47,600 Do you think health care is the area where you couldn't stand out in what's becoming 109 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,200 very jumbled in the private primary? 110 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,760 I think health care is absolutely top of mind for voters, both for this primary election 111 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:55,120 and for the general. 112 00:07:55,120 --> 00:08:00,320 I think that there are many areas where I stand apart from my friends in this primary. 113 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:04,960 Health care is certainly one, but I also think public education is another one. 114 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:09,480 I am the candidate that has put a stake in the ground and has a plan to bring the private 115 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,800 voucher scheme that is diverting billions of dollars from our public schools into the 116 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:18,120 pockets of unaccountable privatizers to bring that program to a responsible end. 117 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:22,760 I'm also the candidate that has a more than two decades long track record of actually 118 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:27,200 passing laws in the toughest of political environments and really delivering progressive 119 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:29,000 change for people. 120 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:34,440 In line of the news regarding Sarah Rodriguez and her campaign finance issues, have you 121 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:36,600 been talking with Missy Hughes? 122 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,920 Have you been talking to David Crowley to try to get them to change their enforcement 123 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:41,920 to you? 124 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:46,880 I have heard from and of course have reached out to hundreds of folks around the state 125 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:51,000 and I'm proud to say that I have earned the support of many, many people who initially 126 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:56,560 were supporting other candidates including Missy and David and Sarah. 127 00:08:56,560 --> 00:09:00,200 This is the work that all campaigns and candidates should be constantly doing. 128 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,960 It is ABC, always be campaigning and working to earn people's support and votes. 129 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:09,400 I do think that the dynamics have shifted markedly in this race. 130 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:14,880 We've always known that this is going to be a very late-breaking primary, that there 131 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:19,960 is really, we're not going to really know anything until August 11th because so many 132 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,920 people are still not paying attention and don't in fact even know that there's an election 133 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:30,560 going on and that because there are not huge resources that any candidate has, there has 134 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:32,560 been very little communication. 135 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:39,400 We announced four weeks ago that we were putting forth a statewide ad buy of half a 136 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:42,600 million dollars that's been up for four weeks. 137 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,600 We announced earlier this week now we've got another ad buy focused on the Milwaukee 138 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:48,600 media market up on broadcast. 139 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:53,120 So we are all in, we are making those investments because we believe that this is the moment 140 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:58,200 when people are going to start paying attention and I am the candidate that folks all across 141 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:03,720 the Democratic Party from folks on the left and young people who feel like politics has 142 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:10,760 failed them to moderate sort of normy Democrats to those disaffected Trump voters can find 143 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:17,000 in me a candidate who is responsible, who listens and who is focused on the issues that 144 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:18,000 matter most to Wisconsin. 145 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:22,360 So no direct conversations with Crowley or with Hughes? 146 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:23,360 Not no. 147 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:28,200 How would you describe the state of the race as we sit here at this moment? 148 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:32,440 I would describe it as completely wide open and up in the air. 149 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:37,680 I still think that Mandela Barnes has a significant advantage because of his name ID and that 150 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:43,000 makes sense because you know I think close to 70 million dollars was spent trying to 151 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:47,800 elect him to the United States Senate four years ago and so people do know his name. 152 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:52,840 But we also know from our polling that that support is very, very soft and that most Democrats 153 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:56,080 want somebody else to be able to carry the banner. 154 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:00,760 The job of governor is a very serious one and this is a once in a generation opportunity. 155 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:05,720 We need a candidate at the top of the ticket who will not only beat Tom Tiffany but help 156 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:09,360 us deliver a Democratic Assembly and Senate. 157 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:13,480 And most importantly we need somebody who is actually capable of doing the job of governing. 158 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,280 What's your July campaign finance report going to show? 159 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:23,080 I already released a report basically outlining the fact that I have raised 1.2 million dollars 160 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,080 in this campaign. 161 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:31,560 I have spent a good number of that on the early investment in media that I've already 162 00:11:31,560 --> 00:11:35,560 outlined in press releases and that people have seen on their screens. 163 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:39,960 So I'm probably not going to have as high of cash on hand as some of the other candidates. 164 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:44,800 But I can assure you that the numbers that I put out in my campaign finance report and 165 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:49,320 file with the state will be accurate and that voters can trust the numbers that I put in there. 166 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:51,120 Is that a shot at Rodriguez? 167 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:52,120 Questions? 168 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:56,960 Are the errors in Rodriguez campaign finance reports disqualifying in your mind should 169 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,160 you drop out of the bid? 170 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,840 It's not for me to tell anybody else how to run their race. 171 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,480 I can tell you that when I looked at those finance reports in January it didn't take 172 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,040 me about five minutes to immediately say hey there's something wrong here. 173 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:12,200 There's so many duplicates what's going on. 174 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:16,960 And as a candidate for office I have run five campaigns. 175 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:20,840 I ran a statewide nonprofit organization for four years. 176 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:24,920 I have run a small business for 13 years through boom and bus times and I have served 177 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:28,680 on the Joint Finance Committee in the state senate. 178 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:36,840 I cannot imagine having no financial procedures in place where you could end up with such 179 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:42,080 a massive discrepancy and not be looking at the bank balance and reconciling that with 180 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:43,640 the numbers that you're getting. 181 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:50,680 It is simply unimaginable that you would have no idea that you were basically inflating 182 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:55,640 your fundraising numbers, almost doubling them in representations that were being made 183 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:56,640 to donors. 184 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,680 There is no way that that should be able to happen. 185 00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:03,640 You know every day how much money you raise, how much money you spend, and you should be 186 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:07,320 reconciling those internal books with what's actually in your checking account. 187 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:12,080 You mentioned Mino Barnes earlier, do you think that Barnes or Francesco Hom could be 188 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,680 Tiffany in November? 189 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:16,720 I think that's up to us in Wisconsin. 190 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,680 I think that we cannot allow Tom Tiffany to be governor. 191 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:22,360 There is no question about that. 192 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,640 And I have in, you know, since I was in high school I've never sat on an election cycle 193 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:29,200 and I will not be sitting out this one regardless of whether I am the nominee. 194 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,760 I do think that I am the strongest candidate to beat Tom Tiffany. 195 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,400 I think I am the strongest candidate to help give us our best chance of flipping that 196 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:37,960 legislature democratic. 197 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:42,440 And I am by far the candidate with the experience to actually govern the state on day one. 198 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:46,080 And by the way, that is not just an opinion that I hold. 199 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,760 That is also borne out by the fact that I have by far the most endorsements of elected 200 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:53,200 and former elected officials from every corner of the state. 201 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:57,840 I actually have more endorsements from Milwaukee County than any of the other candidates. 202 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:01,800 I have the biggest endorsement in the race, which is we act our state teachers union and 203 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,760 the backing of former lieutenant governor Barbara Lawton. 204 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:09,480 So folks who are paying attention and who really know what's at stake here have already 205 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:10,480 made their choice. 206 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:13,560 And they've said that Calderon is our strongest choice. 207 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:19,200 Is that more much at the field to himself and run multiple as per train himself as 208 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:22,080 a friendly guy at the bar or neighbor next door? 209 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:26,000 Is that too big of a hill to overcome after this primary assault? 210 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:31,200 What kind of ads will have to be aired in order to contrast that with this record that you're 211 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:32,200 going to talk about? 212 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:33,200 Absolutely not. 213 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,000 I think it's really important that Wisconsinites know the truth about Tom Tiffany. 214 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:37,800 Listen, I like old fashions. 215 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:39,160 I've got four daughters and a son. 216 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,040 I like going to the nutcracker with them. 217 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:44,480 That is not what qualifies me to be governor. 218 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,840 What qualifies me to be governor is that unlike Tom Tiffany who is a rubber stamp for Donald 219 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:54,280 Trump, I am an independent thinker who has strong democratic values but has also worked 220 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:58,520 across the aisle year after year to get things done and actually deliver for people. 221 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:00,560 He wants a national abortion ban. 222 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:05,720 I believe that you and your body and your health, those decisions belong only to you 223 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:07,880 and not to your neighborhood politician. 224 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,560 Tom Tiffany is an election denier. 225 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:13,440 I believe in free and fair elections and fair maps. 226 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:18,600 Tom Tiffany supported Donald Trump's illegal tariffs that are bankrupting our farmers and 227 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:22,280 our small businesses and raising our prices at the grocery store. 228 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:26,040 I've taken action again and again to stand up to bullies and billionaires like Donald 229 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:27,040 Trump. 230 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:29,040 I will deliver for Wisconsinites. 231 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,680 Tom Tiffany only cares about doing whatever Donald Trump wants. 232 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:33,680 Thank you, I appreciate it. 233 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:34,440 Thank you so much.