WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:06.920 I'm State Senator Kelda Royce, and I'm running for governor to raise wages, lower costs, 00:06.920 --> 00:11.400 have the best public schools in the nation, and to protect our rights and freedoms. 00:11.400 --> 00:16.600 I'm here today to talk about my plan for health care in Wisconsin, my vision, to bring 00:16.600 --> 00:22.160 us closer to universal affordable health care coverage for every single Wisconsin night. 00:22.160 --> 00:25.920 As I travel around the state, I hear about a lot of different issues. 00:25.920 --> 00:30.960 But one thing that comes up every single time is the way in which so many Wisconsin 00:30.960 --> 00:34.600 nights do not have access to affordable health care. 00:34.600 --> 00:39.440 Even if they do have insurance, it costs way too much, and the premiums are skyrocketing. 00:39.440 --> 00:41.680 It doesn't cover what it should. 00:41.680 --> 00:47.920 People and providers are spending time arguing with insurance companies, and we cannot continue 00:47.920 --> 00:49.440 like this. 00:49.440 --> 00:55.160 Our country spends more per capita than any other country on health care, and yet we 00:55.160 --> 01:01.240 have some of the worst outcomes in the world, right, in terms of our longevity, our level 01:01.240 --> 01:05.240 of illness, our infant and maternal mortality rates. 01:05.240 --> 01:07.520 We're not getting what we're paying for. 01:07.520 --> 01:11.200 My plan is very different than what my friends in this Democratic primary are offering, because 01:11.200 --> 01:15.880 it takes something that is actually working well in health care in Wisconsin, and that's 01:15.880 --> 01:18.880 the coverage that I receive as a state employee. 01:18.880 --> 01:23.040 I have high quality, comprehensive insurance. 01:23.080 --> 01:28.920 We have several non-profit provider-owned insurers that provide health coverage to 01:28.920 --> 01:34.440 state employees, and there are also some private insurance companies as well. 01:34.440 --> 01:39.480 But it is very predictable because we are part of a really large pool, and what that means 01:39.480 --> 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 01:45.520 --> 01:48.400 to result in a huge bill. 01:48.400 --> 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 01:53.440 --> 01:55.240 to bankrupt my family. 01:55.240 --> 01:58.360 And that kind of health security is something that every single Wisconsin, no matter who 01:58.360 --> 02:04.840 you are, where you're from, or who you work for, absolutely deserves. 02:04.840 --> 02:11.200 My plan, Kaldecare, will allow anyone in Wisconsin, an individual or an employer, to 02:11.200 --> 02:16.000 buy in, at cost, to the very same coverage that state employees get. 02:16.480 --> 02:20.040 Now, to be clear, this is not a taxpayer-funded plan, right? 02:20.040 --> 02:22.360 You will have to pay the cost. 02:22.360 --> 02:27.040 And if you're an employer, you're probably going to find that being a part of the state 02:27.040 --> 02:34.120 plan is cheaper, provides better coverage, and takes away from that time tax of having 02:34.120 --> 02:38.600 to constantly be looking for more affordable health insurance options. 02:38.600 --> 02:44.160 I talked to Kyle, a teacher up in Superior, Wisconsin, who said that this year, their 02:44.160 --> 02:52.640 insurance premiums for the school district, were going up 38%, 38%, so guess what, not 02:52.640 --> 02:56.920 only is no teacher in Superior going to be getting a raise this year, they'll all functionally 02:56.920 --> 02:58.480 be getting a pay cut. 02:58.480 --> 03:03.560 I talked to an owner of a mid-size manufacturing company in Merrill, who said that it used to 03:03.560 --> 03:08.600 be a matter of pride for her, that she was able to cover the health insurance costs, 03:08.600 --> 03:10.880 you know, all the premium costs for her in place. 03:10.880 --> 03:14.640 And over the past 20 years, that percentage that she's been able to cover has gone down 03:14.640 --> 03:20.360 and down and down, and now she's looking at how can I even offer coverage, maybe everyone's 03:20.360 --> 03:23.600 just going to have to go on an ACA. 03:23.600 --> 03:29.360 This is a problem that we can solve with public policy by letting people buy in at cost. 03:29.360 --> 03:32.760 And let me lay out some of the benefits to taxpayers for this. 03:32.760 --> 03:36.920 Number one, when you have a larger pool, you can spread the administrative costs of that 03:36.920 --> 03:42.600 program over a broader number of people, and that will bring down the cost for taxpayers. 03:42.600 --> 03:47.320 Number two, a big reason that premiums keep going up and up and up in health insurance 03:47.320 --> 03:52.040 is uncompensated and undercompensated care, because people don't have insurance or their 03:52.040 --> 03:54.560 insurance isn't good enough to cover things. 03:54.560 --> 03:58.440 And this is why I have a friend who is an emergency room doctor. 03:58.440 --> 04:02.640 She tells me every single day there is somebody in the emergency room who says, do I really 04:02.640 --> 04:06.440 need to be here, because I don't think I can afford it. 04:06.440 --> 04:12.280 That cost, that care is being provided, but the cost is not being born by the uninsured 04:12.280 --> 04:14.440 patient generally, because they don't have the money. 04:14.440 --> 04:16.680 If they had money, they'd have insurance. 04:16.680 --> 04:22.360 It is being born by the providers, the system, and all of us who have private insurance, 04:22.360 --> 04:25.280 and so that's going in to increase our premiums. 04:25.280 --> 04:30.920 When we expand access to coverage, we can reduce that compensated care and slow the growth 04:30.920 --> 04:33.680 of premiums that we have experienced. 04:33.680 --> 04:38.600 Perhaps most importantly, here we are in Milwaukee at a federally qualified health 04:38.600 --> 04:40.480 center. 04:40.480 --> 04:44.560 Throughout Wisconsin, we have a severe provider shortage. 04:44.560 --> 04:47.280 We have rural hospitals and clinics closing their doors. 04:47.280 --> 04:52.800 We have critical access hospitals in jeopardy of closing and leaving millions of Wisconsin 04:52.800 --> 04:56.120 nights without access to care that they need. 04:56.120 --> 05:00.040 In large part, because of uncompensated care. 05:00.040 --> 05:06.200 My plan, because the state health insurance plans reimburse providers at a reasonable 05:06.200 --> 05:10.920 rate, so not less than the cost of care, but the actual cost of providing the care, we 05:10.920 --> 05:16.640 can help keep those critically provider doors open for Wisconsin nights in communities like 05:16.640 --> 05:22.480 Milwaukee, up in Ashland where I was this weekend, throughout the state. 05:22.480 --> 05:24.720 Now this is not the only piece of my health care plan. 05:24.720 --> 05:29.000 I also have detailed plans for how we're going to invest in mental health and behavioral 05:29.000 --> 05:33.320 health, how we're going to protect access to reproductive rights and reproductive freedom 05:33.320 --> 05:37.480 so that politicians are never between you and your doctor, and how we can help lower 05:37.480 --> 05:44.280 the cost of prescription drugs and increase the pipeline of providers here in Wisconsin. 05:44.280 --> 05:50.920 But the ad that my campaign released today really focuses on the fact that we need affordable 05:50.920 --> 05:54.720 access to high quality health insurance, and that's what I'm going to deliver with Kelda 05:54.720 --> 05:57.280 Care as governor. 05:57.280 --> 06:00.520 I would be happy to take any questions. 06:00.520 --> 06:06.640 Senator, Republicans are going after your latest ad saying that escalates to the rhetoric 06:06.640 --> 06:10.400 by saying that U of P insurance companies are trying to kill us. 06:10.400 --> 06:12.520 What's your response to that? 06:12.520 --> 06:14.480 Well I would just say look at the data. 06:14.480 --> 06:19.000 You know, we're a state that should have expanded Badger Care and covered at least 80,000 more 06:19.000 --> 06:21.160 Wisconsin nights over the last 15 years. 06:21.160 --> 06:25.880 I wonder how many Wisconsinites in that time, who would have been eligible for the expanded 06:25.880 --> 06:30.520 Badger Care coverage are dead because they did not have access to that care. 06:30.520 --> 06:36.280 I think about the women who have died post-dobs because they were turned away and they had 06:36.280 --> 06:40.960 to bleed out or go septic instead of receiving access to abortion care. 06:40.960 --> 06:46.880 I think about the substandard care that we have been providing as a state to women of 06:46.880 --> 06:53.200 color and babies of color pre and postpartum because Robin Voss was blocking the extended 06:53.200 --> 06:57.120 coverage for postpartum care for low-income women. 06:57.120 --> 07:03.000 There is a very, very real cost, not just financial, but human, when we deny people 07:03.000 --> 07:04.560 access to health care. 07:04.560 --> 07:09.120 And that is why throughout my political career I have been always dedicated to getting more 07:09.120 --> 07:13.640 people access to high-quality health care and health insurance coverage every single 07:13.640 --> 07:14.640 year. 07:14.640 --> 07:18.080 But in the midst of political violence that we've seen in assassination attempts is saying 07:18.080 --> 07:22.440 Republicans are trying to kill us appropriately, which during a campaign like this. 07:22.440 --> 07:26.120 Well I think the line is, it's almost like they're trying to kill us. 07:26.120 --> 07:31.680 And this is language that I have heard again and again from patients around the state and 07:31.680 --> 07:36.800 from the doctors who are trying desperately to care for them and saying these patients 07:36.800 --> 07:38.720 are not able to get the care. 07:38.720 --> 07:41.320 They are dying because they don't have access to it. 07:41.320 --> 07:47.600 Do you think health care is the area where you couldn't stand out in what's becoming 07:47.600 --> 07:50.200 very jumbled in the private primary? 07:50.200 --> 07:53.760 I think health care is absolutely top of mind for voters, both for this primary election 07:53.760 --> 07:55.120 and for the general. 07:55.120 --> 08:00.320 I think that there are many areas where I stand apart from my friends in this primary. 08:00.320 --> 08:04.960 Health care is certainly one, but I also think public education is another one. 08:04.960 --> 08:09.480 I am the candidate that has put a stake in the ground and has a plan to bring the private 08:09.480 --> 08:13.800 voucher scheme that is diverting billions of dollars from our public schools into the 08:13.800 --> 08:18.120 pockets of unaccountable privatizers to bring that program to a responsible end. 08:18.160 --> 08:22.760 I'm also the candidate that has a more than two decades long track record of actually 08:22.760 --> 08:27.200 passing laws in the toughest of political environments and really delivering progressive 08:27.200 --> 08:29.000 change for people. 08:29.000 --> 08:34.440 In line of the news regarding Sarah Rodriguez and her campaign finance issues, have you 08:34.440 --> 08:36.600 been talking with Missy Hughes? 08:36.600 --> 08:40.920 Have you been talking to David Crowley to try to get them to change their enforcement 08:40.920 --> 08:41.920 to you? 08:41.920 --> 08:46.880 I have heard from and of course have reached out to hundreds of folks around the state 08:47.240 --> 08:51.000 and I'm proud to say that I have earned the support of many, many people who initially 08:51.000 --> 08:56.560 were supporting other candidates including Missy and David and Sarah. 08:56.560 --> 09:00.200 This is the work that all campaigns and candidates should be constantly doing. 09:00.200 --> 09:04.960 It is ABC, always be campaigning and working to earn people's support and votes. 09:04.960 --> 09:09.400 I do think that the dynamics have shifted markedly in this race. 09:09.400 --> 09:14.880 We've always known that this is going to be a very late-breaking primary, that there 09:14.880 --> 09:19.960 is really, we're not going to really know anything until August 11th because so many 09:19.960 --> 09:23.920 people are still not paying attention and don't in fact even know that there's an election 09:23.920 --> 09:30.560 going on and that because there are not huge resources that any candidate has, there has 09:30.560 --> 09:32.560 been very little communication. 09:32.560 --> 09:39.400 We announced four weeks ago that we were putting forth a statewide ad buy of half a 09:39.400 --> 09:42.600 million dollars that's been up for four weeks. 09:42.600 --> 09:46.600 We announced earlier this week now we've got another ad buy focused on the Milwaukee 09:46.600 --> 09:48.600 media market up on broadcast. 09:48.600 --> 09:53.120 So we are all in, we are making those investments because we believe that this is the moment 09:53.120 --> 09:58.200 when people are going to start paying attention and I am the candidate that folks all across 09:58.200 --> 10:03.720 the Democratic Party from folks on the left and young people who feel like politics has 10:03.720 --> 10:10.760 failed them to moderate sort of normy Democrats to those disaffected Trump voters can find 10:10.760 --> 10:17.000 in me a candidate who is responsible, who listens and who is focused on the issues that 10:17.000 --> 10:18.000 matter most to Wisconsin. 10:18.000 --> 10:22.360 So no direct conversations with Crowley or with Hughes? 10:22.360 --> 10:23.360 Not no. 10:23.360 --> 10:28.200 How would you describe the state of the race as we sit here at this moment? 10:28.200 --> 10:32.440 I would describe it as completely wide open and up in the air. 10:32.440 --> 10:37.680 I still think that Mandela Barnes has a significant advantage because of his name ID and that 10:37.680 --> 10:43.000 makes sense because you know I think close to 70 million dollars was spent trying to 10:43.000 --> 10:47.800 elect him to the United States Senate four years ago and so people do know his name. 10:47.800 --> 10:52.840 But we also know from our polling that that support is very, very soft and that most Democrats 10:52.840 --> 10:56.080 want somebody else to be able to carry the banner. 10:56.080 --> 11:00.760 The job of governor is a very serious one and this is a once in a generation opportunity. 11:00.760 --> 11:05.720 We need a candidate at the top of the ticket who will not only beat Tom Tiffany but help 11:05.720 --> 11:09.360 us deliver a Democratic Assembly and Senate. 11:09.360 --> 11:13.480 And most importantly we need somebody who is actually capable of doing the job of governing. 11:13.480 --> 11:16.280 What's your July campaign finance report going to show? 11:16.280 --> 11:23.080 I already released a report basically outlining the fact that I have raised 1.2 million dollars 11:23.080 --> 11:25.080 in this campaign. 11:25.080 --> 11:31.560 I have spent a good number of that on the early investment in media that I've already 11:31.560 --> 11:35.560 outlined in press releases and that people have seen on their screens. 11:35.560 --> 11:39.960 So I'm probably not going to have as high of cash on hand as some of the other candidates. 11:39.960 --> 11:44.800 But I can assure you that the numbers that I put out in my campaign finance report and 11:44.800 --> 11:49.320 file with the state will be accurate and that voters can trust the numbers that I put in there. 11:49.320 --> 11:51.120 Is that a shot at Rodriguez? 11:51.120 --> 11:52.120 Questions? 11:52.120 --> 11:56.960 Are the errors in Rodriguez campaign finance reports disqualifying in your mind should 11:56.960 --> 11:59.160 you drop out of the bid? 11:59.160 --> 12:01.840 It's not for me to tell anybody else how to run their race. 12:01.840 --> 12:05.480 I can tell you that when I looked at those finance reports in January it didn't take 12:05.480 --> 12:09.040 me about five minutes to immediately say hey there's something wrong here. 12:09.040 --> 12:12.200 There's so many duplicates what's going on. 12:12.200 --> 12:16.960 And as a candidate for office I have run five campaigns. 12:16.960 --> 12:20.840 I ran a statewide nonprofit organization for four years. 12:20.840 --> 12:24.920 I have run a small business for 13 years through boom and bus times and I have served 12:24.920 --> 12:28.680 on the Joint Finance Committee in the state senate. 12:28.680 --> 12:36.840 I cannot imagine having no financial procedures in place where you could end up with such 12:36.840 --> 12:42.080 a massive discrepancy and not be looking at the bank balance and reconciling that with 12:42.080 --> 12:43.640 the numbers that you're getting. 12:43.640 --> 12:50.680 It is simply unimaginable that you would have no idea that you were basically inflating 12:50.680 --> 12:55.640 your fundraising numbers, almost doubling them in representations that were being made 12:55.640 --> 12:56.640 to donors. 12:56.640 --> 12:59.680 There is no way that that should be able to happen. 12:59.680 --> 13:03.640 You know every day how much money you raise, how much money you spend, and you should be 13:03.640 --> 13:07.320 reconciling those internal books with what's actually in your checking account. 13:07.320 --> 13:12.080 You mentioned Mino Barnes earlier, do you think that Barnes or Francesco Hom could be 13:12.080 --> 13:14.680 Tiffany in November? 13:14.680 --> 13:16.720 I think that's up to us in Wisconsin. 13:16.720 --> 13:20.680 I think that we cannot allow Tom Tiffany to be governor. 13:20.680 --> 13:22.360 There is no question about that. 13:22.360 --> 13:25.640 And I have in, you know, since I was in high school I've never sat on an election cycle 13:25.640 --> 13:29.200 and I will not be sitting out this one regardless of whether I am the nominee. 13:29.200 --> 13:32.760 I do think that I am the strongest candidate to beat Tom Tiffany. 13:32.760 --> 13:36.400 I think I am the strongest candidate to help give us our best chance of flipping that 13:36.400 --> 13:37.960 legislature democratic. 13:37.960 --> 13:42.440 And I am by far the candidate with the experience to actually govern the state on day one. 13:42.440 --> 13:46.080 And by the way, that is not just an opinion that I hold. 13:46.080 --> 13:49.760 That is also borne out by the fact that I have by far the most endorsements of elected 13:49.760 --> 13:53.200 and former elected officials from every corner of the state. 13:53.200 --> 13:57.840 I actually have more endorsements from Milwaukee County than any of the other candidates. 13:57.840 --> 14:01.800 I have the biggest endorsement in the race, which is we act our state teachers union and 14:01.800 --> 14:04.760 the backing of former lieutenant governor Barbara Lawton. 14:04.760 --> 14:09.480 So folks who are paying attention and who really know what's at stake here have already 14:09.480 --> 14:10.480 made their choice. 14:10.480 --> 14:13.560 And they've said that Calderon is our strongest choice. 14:13.560 --> 14:19.200 Is that more much at the field to himself and run multiple as per train himself as 14:19.200 --> 14:22.080 a friendly guy at the bar or neighbor next door? 14:22.080 --> 14:26.000 Is that too big of a hill to overcome after this primary assault? 14:26.000 --> 14:31.200 What kind of ads will have to be aired in order to contrast that with this record that you're 14:31.200 --> 14:32.200 going to talk about? 14:32.200 --> 14:33.200 Absolutely not. 14:33.200 --> 14:36.000 I think it's really important that Wisconsinites know the truth about Tom Tiffany. 14:36.000 --> 14:37.800 Listen, I like old fashions. 14:37.800 --> 14:39.160 I've got four daughters and a son. 14:39.160 --> 14:42.040 I like going to the nutcracker with them. 14:42.040 --> 14:44.480 That is not what qualifies me to be governor. 14:44.480 --> 14:48.840 What qualifies me to be governor is that unlike Tom Tiffany who is a rubber stamp for Donald 14:48.840 --> 14:54.280 Trump, I am an independent thinker who has strong democratic values but has also worked 14:54.280 --> 14:58.520 across the aisle year after year to get things done and actually deliver for people. 14:58.520 --> 15:00.560 He wants a national abortion ban. 15:00.560 --> 15:05.720 I believe that you and your body and your health, those decisions belong only to you 15:05.720 --> 15:07.880 and not to your neighborhood politician. 15:07.880 --> 15:10.560 Tom Tiffany is an election denier. 15:10.560 --> 15:13.440 I believe in free and fair elections and fair maps. 15:13.440 --> 15:18.600 Tom Tiffany supported Donald Trump's illegal tariffs that are bankrupting our farmers and 15:18.600 --> 15:22.280 our small businesses and raising our prices at the grocery store. 15:22.280 --> 15:26.040 I've taken action again and again to stand up to bullies and billionaires like Donald 15:26.040 --> 15:27.040 Trump. 15:27.040 --> 15:29.040 I will deliver for Wisconsinites. 15:29.040 --> 15:32.680 Tom Tiffany only cares about doing whatever Donald Trump wants. 15:32.680 --> 15:33.680 Thank you, I appreciate it. 15:33.680 --> 15:34.440 Thank you so much.