Contact: Melanie Conklin, 608-260-2409
Move would make receiving treatment for addiction even more difficult
MADISON — President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice announced this week that it would not defend the Affordable Care Act against a lawsuit that would strike down the entire law, removing protections for those with pre-existing conditions and putting millions at risk of losing coverage. Attorney General Brad Schimel, with Gov. Scott Walker’s green light of approval, is the #2 party on this lawsuit.
“Brad Schimel is spearheading a callous political campaign that could take health care away from 2.4 million Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions,” said Melanie Conklin, Democratic Party of Wisconsin communications director. “It’s unthinkable that our state’s attorney general not only refuses to defend our basic access to health care, but is using our tax dollars to undermine sick Wisconsinites while giddily pandering to his far-right base.”
Wisconsinites with a pre-existing condition would lose consumer protections if Schimel’s ACA repeal effort was successful. Pre-existing conditions that could deny a person coverage before the ACA was enacted included cancer, mental illness and in some states, surviving rape and domestic violence.
A repeal of the ACA could also deny affordable coverage for those with histories of drug and alcohol abuse. Schimel has already failed to take meaningful action on the opioid crisis, refusing to join in a bipartisan lawsuit to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for the crisis they helped manufacture, but if successful, Schimel’s ACA repeal lawsuit would cause even more pain for those struggling with addiction.
“Brad Schimel is playing with people’s lives,” Conklin said. “ He’s championing proposals that harm Wisconsinites and fly in the face of the basic responsibilities of his job. In November, voters will elect an attorney general who prioritizes Wisconsinites’ safety and that person will be Josh Kaul.”