From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez today slammed Republicans in Congress for failing to extend ACA premium tax credits as thousands of Wisconsin residents are losing coverage under the program.
Speaking this morning during an online news conference organized by Protect Our Care Wisconsin, the former nurse and Dem candidate for governor noted Affordable Care Act insurance premiums have doubled or tripled for some in Wisconsin since the enhanced tax credits went away.
More than 22,000 state residents have lost coverage under the ACA since the start of the year, Rodriguez said.
“These cuts being instituted by the current administration will shift providers from being proactive with their patients to being reactive, putting health care providers on their heels, putting a large strain on emergency services,” she said.
She called for continuing advocacy on behalf of “the small business owner, the farmer, the teacher and the neighbor who must decide between health care coverage and whether they can eat lunch.”
The campaign of GOP guv candidate Tom Tiffany, a Republican who represents Wisconsin’s 7th CD, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Also during the call, Milwaukee-area social worker and mother Jessica Seawright said the ACA has been a “lifeline” for her.
“It ensured that my midwife, my prenatal visits and my son’s entry into this world were covered,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez weighed in on the recent passage of legislation extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year in the state, calling it “quite remarkable” that Wisconsin was among the last two U.S. states to make the change. Every state other than Arkansas has now extended postpartum Medicaid coverage in this way, she noted.
“It was a bipartisan bill, and there were Republicans that acknowledged that this was a need within our community,” she said.
Responding to a question from a reporter about the prospects for expanding BadgerCare, Rodriguez said she’s “excited to be able to come into this next election cycle to make sure that we’ve got individuals who want to make sure people have health care.” She noted Wisconsin is one of 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid.
“If you ask Wisconsinites whether they want us to expand Medicaid overall to cover more people, the majority say yes,” she said.
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