MADISON, Wis. — On Thursday, Rep. Gwen Moore, State Rep. Kalan Haywood, and WisDems Chair Ben Wikler held a virtual press call highlighting how North Carolina’s recent expansion of Medicaid has left Wisconsin as one of just 10 states to have not implemented Medicaid expansion under the ACA. Speakers also highlighted the stark contrast between Donald Trump and Republicans’ attempts to strip Americans of their health care and President Biden’s fight to continue lowering health care costs and increase access for working Wisconsin families.
Watch the full event and see what speakers had to say in part below:
Representative Gwen Moore: “But I can tell you, the Affordable Care Act is covering almost 23 million more people who would not have been covered, not been able to get the life saving care that they are now receiving. The Affordable Care Act has also been expanded and protected by President Joe Biden. By adding on provisions where we can negotiate the price of drugs, starting out with a provision that insulin would only cost $35 a month, that’s a life changer for our senior citizens and other citizens that are beleaguered with the dreaded disease of diabetes, which can cost people up to $500 a month. The Affordable Care Act is an Act that enables young people to stay on their parent’s private health insurance until they’re 26 years old, thanks to a provision that was championed by our own Senator Tammy Baldwin. And so I want to remind people, that while there may be some debate about what our United States constitutions means, when they say that all of us are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, there is some sort of hint that access to health care ought to be a right that we pursue.”
State Representative Kalan Haywood: “Health care is about quality of life. It’s about how you take care of a person, the people who you care about. Health care is also important when it comes to breaking the cycle of poverty, and research supports and shows that. So, when we talk about Medicaid expansion here in Wisconsin, we know at one point in time, Wisconsin was one of the leaders in the country, Wisconsin was the one setting the tone, setting the example for what other states should be doing, how other states should be treating its residents and members of the state. Under the Republican-controlled legislature that’s been gerrymandered over the last decade, Wisconsin has gone from being a leader, and setting the tone for other states in our country, to being an outlier.”
Chair Ben Wikler: “We have the clear as day difference between Democrats who will fight for your health care, fight to bring costs down, fight to ensure that everyone can get a doctor when they need a doctor versus Donald Trump and Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature and nationally, who are trying to take your health care away and drive up costs for the enrichment of insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. This is plain as day, and anyone who doesn’t want to pay more for their insulin, who doesn’t want to be rejected because of a pre-existing condition when they need health insurance, has to vote in 2024 for President Biden and for Democrats up and down the ballot.”
