Western Wisconsin has a swing district, WI-03, which was held by a conservative Democrat, Blue Dog Ron Kind, since his election in 1996. When he retired in 2022, the Democrats ran another Blue Dog type, who lost to an actual Republican, Derrick Van Orden, whose frequent deranged outbursts have put him on shaky ground with his constituents. The district, which includes La Crosse, Eau Claire, Stevens Point and western suburbs of Minneapolis, has an R+9 partisan lean. It will never be easy for a Democrat, but it will never be out of reach either, especially not with a good candidate in a good blue year.
There are 3 Democrats competing to take on Van Orden in November— conservative Rebecca Cooke, former progressive-turned-moderate Katrina Shankland and real progressive Eric Wilson, a Berniecrat in a district that Bernie won. A couple of weeks ago, Randy Bryce introduced me to Wilson as the only Democrat in the race who backs Medicare for All. I asked Eric if he’d be willing to write a guest post and tell us how that goes over in the district. If you like what he has to say, please contribute to his campaign here on our Flip Congress page.
A Fight for Life, Finances and Fairness: Championing Medicare for All
-by Eric Wilson
My sophomore year of college, I all but had to drop out of college because of my health. In March of 2013, I underwent major reconstructive surgery on my chest to fix the heart and breathing problems I was having due to a concave chest. Months after my first surgery, I was still combating infections in both sides and underwent 11 additional surgeries over the course of 2 months. In total my medical bills were well over 100k. At the age of 19, I learned what it was like to fight for your life and your finances at the same time. That’s why my fight for Medicare for All is personal.
The Affordable Care Act made massive strides in expanding access to health insurance coverage, and we must defend Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act against Republican attempts to rip health care away from people. But it’s time for the next step.
I support Medicare for All, which would provide all Americans with a public health care program. Medicare for All is the best way to give every single person in this country a guarantee of high-quality health care. Everybody is covered. Nobody goes broke because of a medical bill. No more fighting with insurance companies.
What does a more holistic healthcare system mean? It means that we could start tackling the mental health crisis we have in this nation and people would have more access to mental health services. It means we could pivot from our “sick” care system and start actually focusing on “health” care. We can fight the opioid and fentanyl crisis. You would no longer have to make the decision while you’re waiting at the pharmacy on which drug to not get because you can’t afford all of them that you’ve been prescribed.
The recent closure of nearly two dozen clinics and hospitals throughout our state’s western region will have dire impacts on those in Wisconsin’s 3rd District and beyond. The numbers speak for themselves. Our community is losing:
1,400 jobs
2 emergency rooms
100-plus hospital beds, including 15 in critical care units
A cancer center that served 100 patients
Western Wisconsin's only inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit
A birthing center that served hundreds of parents and babies
A dialysis treatment center
A wound care clinic with hyperbaric capabilities
EMS services, and more…
Odds are that if you know someone in Western Wisconsin, you know someone impacted by this crisis.
Which begs the question… Why are we tolerating this? We wouldn't let an electric company shut off 40% of a community's electricity, so why are we allowing healthcare companies to do the same? It's wrong. We need people to stand up and take action against under-regulated healthcare corporations.
I joined the race for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District because I refuse to let healthcare corporations prioritize profits over the well-being of our communities any longer. As someone who has worked in healthcare and faced several major health obstacles of my own— I understand what it’s like to feel like adequate and affordable healthcare is out of reach.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Our health is the cornerstone of everything we do— without it, every other aspect of our lives become more challenging. And the simple fact is that keeping oneself healthy has become exponentially more difficult, but it doesn’t have to be.
Medicare for All will mean access to primary care and lower health costs for patients— and less uncompensated care for rural hospitals, helping them stay afloat. We will create a new Medicare designation for rural hospitals that reimburses them at a higher rate and offers flexibility of services to meet the needs of their communities. I will also support strengthening antitrust protections to fight hospital mergers that increase costs, lower quality, and close rural facilities.
The solution is obvious. Every American deserves Medicare for All, and I am the only candidate in this race fighting for it. Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, not a privilege based on where you live or how much money you have. Let's make sure all people— including those of us in rural areas— have access to the healthcare they deserve.
Please join me in the fight for a better life for all of us.