Lt. Governor Rodriguez, County Executive Crowley, Kat Klawes, Julie Buchholz, and Lauren Lopez hold a press conference in Milwaukee
On March 21st, Wisconsin leaders and local health care advocates in Milwaukee and Green Bay celebrated the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) becoming law and highlighted the urgent threat facing 260,000 Wisconsinites’ health care if Donald Trump is elected. While President Biden has lowered costs, expanded health care coverage, and protected the ACA, Trump is promising to once again try to repeal the health care law and gut health care protections for Wisconsinites.
In Green Bay, local health care advocates shared their stories on how the ACA has benefited them, and in Milwaukee, Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and County Executive David Crowley underscored the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to Wisconsinites’ healthcare. Today, the Biden-Harris campaign highlighted the contrast between President Biden and Donald Trump on the Affordable Care Act with an ad that will be running in battleground states, including Wisconsin.
In the past few months alone, Trump has repeatedly claimed he would overturn the ACA, calling the landmark law “a catastrophe,” and saying Republicans should “never give up” trying to repeal the ACA – despite the fact that the law is more popular than ever and a record number of people are signing up for new policies. And this week, his MAGA allies in Congress released a budget straight from Trump’s wishlist that would gut the Affordable Care Act.
“The day I turned 26, I didn’t give much thought to that birthday. It wasn’t a landmark birthday, until it became the birthday that changed my life. On my 26th birthday, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It was also the day that I had to leave my parents’ health insurance plan,” said Kat Klawes, a local health care advocate and cancer survivor in Milwaukee. “When I received the cancer diagnosis, the cancer wasn’t even my biggest concern. My biggest worry was figuring out how I would be able to afford health care and treatment. Thankfully, though, I was able to register for a health care plan through the Affordable Care Act. Immediately, it took me less than 15 minutes to sign up for a plan online.”
“When the ACA passed, it gave us a second chance at life. Going to the doctor was no longer a question because I knew we could afford it,” said Julie Buchholz from Milwaukee. “I didn’t have to worry about receiving our medication, it was now accessible for the first time since my diagnosis. 14 years later, I still celebrate the ACA every day.”
“I was so grateful that I didn’t have to worry about my son getting kicked off of my insurance when he got cancer at age 17,” said Jennifer Neary from Oshkosh. “And that’s because of the Affordable Care Act.”
“But let me be very, very clear. Folks right here in Milwaukee County rely on the Affordable Care Act. If Donald Trump is successful, Black and Latino uninsurance rates will just skyrocket,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “And meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration, they’re working to ensure that even more people have the health coverage that they need, particularly with a record number of 21 million people enrolling into the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces this year. But we’ve also seen a large increase in Black and Latino enrollment as well. Trump really needs to explain why he thinks that Wisconsinites with preexisting conditions should have to pay more for their health care, because they should not.”
“President Biden is working to build on the success of the ACA by expanding coverage and lowering costs for families across the country, including right here in Milwaukee. He’s lowering prescription drug costs, saving families hundreds of dollars by lowering premiums, strengthening access to reproductive health care, fighting to protect and expand Medicare and making sure mental health care is covered by insurers,” said Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez. “We can’t let Donald Trump have another chance to take health care away from millions of Wisconsinites. We have to work to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, our families are counting on it.”
Lt. Governor Rodriguez, County Executive Crowley, Kat Klawes, Julie Buchholz, and Lauren Lopez hold a press conference in Milwaukee