Mayor Barrett says WI on the hook for nearly $700M after Gov. Walker rejected federal ACA funding

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says the state is on the hook for nearly $700 million after Governor Scott Walker rejected federal funding under the Affordable Care Act.

During a news conference Wednesday, August 9th, Mayor Barrett called on Governor Walker and state legislators to reverse their position and start accepting those federal dollars.

He said this would protect taxpayer money and cover more people across the state.

"We're in this rare occurrence where fiscally it makes all the sense in the world for us to accept these dollars and from a healthcare perspective, it makes all the sense in the world for us to make sure these individuals are covered by BadgerCare," Barrett said.

Republicans have said they're protecting taxpayers because the government cannot pay for promises it has already made.