The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
As the Big Beautiful Act polls badly the economy stalls with more jobless and higher inflation. Trump also faces foreign policy debacles (Ukraine, Gaza), public backlash on his handling of the Epstein scandal, anger in the farm belt as farmers lose foreign markets because of his trade wars and fear of RFK, Jr.’s reckless campaign against vaccines. No wonder Trump wants to change the subject – attack the media, pretend to restore law and order and bomb (illegally) boats in the Caribbean.
However, the Big Beautiful Act remains unpopular. Voters know that tax dodges for the wealthy are paid for by big cuts in health care coverage, leaving hospitals on life support. In contrast, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is beloved: 23.6 million, including 306,470 Wisconsinites, covered by ACA private insurance and 21.8 million by ACA Medicaid expansion. So Trump and the GOP-led Congress, including all Wisconsin Republicans, falsely said: “They’re looking at fraud, waste and abuse.”
Despite Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson’s misleading claim about “fraudulent” ACA health care tax credits, the real corruption is elsewhere. The Washington Post reported ”while it is true that the federal ACA marketplace has seen fraudulent enrollments, this is largely due to some health insurance brokers gaming the system to enroll people in plans without their permission.” Moreover, Johnson should look closer to home for health care fraud.
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Florida GOP Senator Rick Scott, key ally of Johnson, once led Columbia/HCA. Scott was fired by his board after the huge hospital chain was accused of overbilling Medicare and Medicaid. Columbia/HCA then pleaded guilty and paid a whopping $1.7 billion in fines. Scott refused to cooperate with authorities and pleaded the Fifth Amendment 75 times. Outrageously, he sits in the Senate, approving cuts in health care coverage for 15 million, including over 270,000 Wisconsinites.
In contrast to Johnson and all other Wisconsin Republicans in Congress, Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin is fighting to extend ACA enhanced health care tax credits for “working families” that buy ACA private insurance. “Unless Congress acts to extend the health care tax credits … before they expire (in) December, around four million people are projected to lose coverage starting next year, and prices would go up for around 20 million more” (NYT).
Baldwin said: “At a time when Wisconsin families just want a little breathing room, Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are about to jack up the cost of health care for millions of Americans. This president promised to lower costs on day one. Instead, he’s doled out tax breaks to big corporations and his super wealthy friends while leaving working families to foot the bill. In a few short weeks, millions of Americans will get a letter that says premiums are going to skyrocket (for) next year.”
As a government shutdown looms Baldwin and her Democratic colleagues want to avoid an impasse and keep the government open by negotiating with Republicans to reverse health care coverage cuts. Congress must permanently extend the ACA health care tax credits and save Medicaid.
– Kaplan wrote a guest column from Washington, D.C., for the Wisconsin State Journal from 1995 – 2009.
