LA CROSSE, Wis. – Opportunity Wisconsin responded to Congressman Van Orden’s vote this afternoon for a temporary extension of healthcare tax credits after refusing to stop their expiration at the end of last year.
“Congressman Van Orden’s vote is a step in the right direction, but Republicans in Congress have a long way to go to restore devastating cuts that are making healthcare more expensive for Wisconsin families,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. “While we are thankful he listened to constituents on this vote, including the one featured in our recent ad campaign who was facing a premium hike of $12,000 per year, many Third District constituents are still waiting for relief. Last year, Van Orden joined Republicans in voting for a tax law that makes drastic cuts to Medicaid and ripped away SNAP funding to help hungry families. If Van Orden is serious about lowering costs, we expect that he’ll quickly work to undo the damage caused by these votes.”
This morning, Opportunity Wisconsin delivered a piggy bank to Van Orden’s offices with a final plea for the congressman to support an extension of healthcare tax credits. Along with the piggy bank, a card said, “You are forcing us to break the bank for our health care. Restore the Health Care Tax Credits.”
This week, Opportunity Wisconsin also launched a new seven-figure TV and digital ad campaign in the Third Congressional District highlighting the real-world impact of expired health care tax credits. The ad features Marty, a constituent of Van Orden’s from Sparta, whose insurance premiums were set to skyrocket by more than $12,000 per year after health care tax credits expired.
