Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.
Healthcare should not be a privilege afforded only to the healthy and wealthy.
And over the past six years, my administration and I have worked hard to increase the affordability, accessibility, and equity of healthcare in our state.
However, in recent months, we’ve seen politicians in Washington cut critical programs that kids, families, seniors, veterans, and farmers depend on to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
One of those critical programs being decimated is Medicaid, which provides care for more than 1.2 million Wisconsinites.
Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans, including Wisconsin’s, voted to cut Medicaid and kick 270,000 Wisconsinites off of their healthcare.
And at a time when our hospitals—and rural hospitals in particular—are struggling, cutting Medicaid jeopardizes their ability to keep their doors open.
We’ve already seen the impact hospital closures can have on the well-being of local communities in the wake of the closures in Western Wisconsin.
These closures were devastating to folks all across the region, disrupting the lives of hundreds of workers and leaving thousands without access to care in their area.
Now, the Trump Administration has made expanding Medicaid more difficult and less advantageous for states.
While the feds are hellbent on stripping healthcare access to afford egregious tax cuts for the wealthiest among us, I’m proud to have worked hard on a budget that supports access to healthcare, most especially in our rural communities.
This includes over $1.1 billion to support healthcare access, especially in rural communities, continuing critical funding for BadgerCare, providing increased funding for free and charitable clinics, and more.
But our work doesn’t end here, folks.
And as we look ahead, my administration and I will keep working to defend access to quality, affordable healthcare, bolster our healthcare workforce, and ensure Wisconsinites have the resources they need to access care quicker and closer to home.
Thank you.
