Hey there, folks! Governor Tony Evers here.
With economic uncertainty and prices going up on everything from groceries to school supplies, we should be working to make healthcare more affordable and more accessible—not making it more expensive and harder for folks to get the healthcare they need.
Unfortunately, President Trump and Congressional Republicans would rather shut down the government than work together with Democrats to do that.
The government has been shut down for over 20 days now because Republicans refuse to work with Democrats to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits that help make healthcare more affordable for millions of Americans.
And without these enhanced tax credits, healthcare premiums for Wisconsinites are going to skyrocket. Period.
Many Wisconsinites will see their premiums double. Some will see staggering increases over $30,000 per year. Here are just a few examples of what people are going to see:
· A middle-class family of four in Wausau will see their premium go from $886 a month to over $2,300 a month.
· A 60-year-old couple in Rice Lake, making about $85,000 a year could see their premium skyrocket 800 percent. That’s an annual increase of over $30,000 in costs.
· A 26-year-old in Eau Claire, who makes $48,000 a year and is no longer eligible for their parent’s insurance, would see their premium double, costing them an additional $2,000 a year.
If Congress doesn’t act, healthcare coverage will be so expensive, many Wisconsinites may be forced to go without healthcare at all.
Folks, open enrollment is just days away. Republicans in Congress must work across the aisle to end the government shutdown and prevent Wisconsinites from seeing skyrocketing healthcare costs this next year.
Get to work. Let’s get this done. Thank you.
