Contact: Alec Zimmerman
(608) 257-4765
(608) 257-4765
Senator Tammy Baldwin Offering Nothing but Defense of the Status Quo
[Madison, WI]—On Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence met with Wisconsinites at Direct Supply, Inc. to highlight the need for healthcare reform. Joined by Governor Scott Walker, Vice President Pence listened to local Wisconsin small business owners and families about struggles stemming from Obamacare and promised relief. Meanwhile, Democrats like Senator Tammy Baldwin lined up to defend the status quo, offering no solutions on how to help Wisconsin’s hard-working families.
See coverage from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the visit here, or read excerpts below.
VP Mike Pence tells Milwaukee audience Trump will end ‘the Obamacare nightmare’
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Rick Barrett
June 10, 2017
Vice President Mike Pence campaigned in Milwaukee Saturday for an overhaul of health care, promising small-business owners the Trump administration would replace the Affordable Care Act and listening to their complaints about a system that’s doubled some insurance premiums.
Pence spoke at Direct Supply Inc., a northwest Milwaukee company that employs more than 1,000 and helps build and equip long-term care and senior living communities.
Addressing a crowd of about 200 Direct Supply employees and invited guests, Pence said the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called “Obamacare,” is hopelessly broken and that some insurance premiums have risen nearly 200% under it.
“We are going to keep our promise to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Pence said.
The vice president’s sentiments were underscored by Julie Champine of Waukesha County, who said her health insurance premiums have risen so sharply under the Affordable Care Act that she and her husband, Bart, had to choose between paying for insurance or buying Christmas gifts for their children.
Even after $979 a month in premiums, Champine said, she and her husband still had to meet a total of more than $13,000 in annual deductibles.
“It has been devastating to us financially. Every purchase I make, I question,” Champine said, adding that they can’t afford to go to the doctor.
“Her story is one that millions of Americans are facing every day,” Pence said.
President Donald Trump and Pence contend that the Affordable Care Act is collapsing as insurers pull out of the system and people choose to pay a penalty, and go without insurance, rather than sign up for policies they can’t afford.
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At Saturday’s event, business owner Mary Springer of Waukesha said her company’s health care costs have risen so much under the Affordable Care Act that she’s hesitant to add more employees.
Another small-business owner said his insurance premiums have gone up more than 80%, to $21,000 a year, and his deductible has risen to $6,500.
Another business owner said some of his employees dropped their insurance, and instead paid the penalty for not having coverage because they couldn’t afford it.
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Still, “the Obamacare nightmare is about to end,” Pence said. “We are going to repeal and replace it once and for all,”
Read the full story here.
