Nathan Miller drove three hours to attend the What Matters to Wisconsin Community Conversations event in La Crosse. Living in a rural area, he struggles with limited healthcare access.
It’s hard to get. Healthcare is a for-profit industry, Miller said. It’s not about providing care, but making money and moving on.
Miller joined over 20 others at the town hall at Western Technical College’s Lunda Center. The event, hosted by UW-Madison’s La Follette School, is part of the Main Street Agenda series, which focuses on important issues like climate change and healthcare.
The topics for these town halls are chosen through surveys by Wisconsin Says. Since 2022, panelists have held discussions on issues impacting Wisconsin residents.
Morgan Edwards, a climate policy professor at UW-Madison, noted that climate change is hitting Wisconsin hard.
This is one of the hottest years on record, Edwards said. We’re seeing more heatwaves, which affects health, safety, and energy bills.
The goal is to open discussions on healthcare and climate change and seek solutions, especially as the state plays a key role in upcoming elections.
We’re a swing state, and it’s important to talk about these issues and understand what people think, Edwards said.
La Crosse is just one stop for the series, with other events planned for Pewaukee, Green Bay, Eau Claire, and Madison this fall.