Today, local leaders including Kathleen Rulka, Franklin Pyles, and Collin McNamara held a press conference to respond to Donald Trump’s pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act at last week’s debate. Trump has called the ACA “lousy” and has promised to “terminate” it as part of his Project 2025 agenda. As president, Trump repeatedly tried to cut Medicare and repeal the ACA.
Health care providers and patients also highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’ New Way Forward plan to lower health care costs, protect rural hospitals, and strengthen the ACA that 45 million Americans rely on, including 266,000 Wisconsinites. Local leaders credited Vice President Harris and Governor Walz for fighting to lower prescription drug costs and protect essential programs like Medicare, ensuring every Wisconsinite can access the health care they need.
“We can’t let Donald Trump have another chance to take health care away from hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites and make good on his promise to ‘terminate’ the ACA,” said State Senate Candidate Collin McNamara. “We have to work to elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Walz who will lower health care costs and strengthen these critical services.”
“My job was to help people through some of the most difficult, delicate days of their lives,” said former clinical chaplain Kathleen Rulka. “I saw how important health insurance was – that it could save people’s lives, or make their last days easier for them and their families. We’re here today because Donald Trump wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act and devastate the 266,000 Wisconsinites who rely on the ACA for health care coverage. And we can’t let that happen.”
“When I watched the debate last week, I saw two versions of the future: one with Trump, where retirees like myself lose health coverage or have benefits cut and spend every day fearful of getting sick – and one with Vice President Harris, where my coverage and my neighbors’ health care is protected and we can all better make ends meet,” said local resident Franklin Pyles. “Vice President Harris showed me on the debate stage exactly how she’ll be as president – someone who puts the American people first.”