MADISON – Following is the statement of Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate on the one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act:
“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more than 63,000 Wisconsinites with “pre-existing conditions” will no longer be denied insurance coverage or forced to pay more for care; more than 1.3 million Wisconsin families will receive tax credits and other assistance to help them purchase health care more affordably; the insurance industry can no longer arbitrarily hike premiums without warning; young people can now stay on their parents’ health care plan until the age of 26; families can now receive free preventive care; and Medicare processes are being streamlined to better serve our seniors.
“Despite all this, one of the Republicans’ first acts in Washington was an attempt to repeal health care reform – a purely political move that aims to help their special interest and insurance company friends while stripping away choices and rights from the American people.
“Here in Wisconsin, Scott Walker is waging an all-out assault on working families with his Backward Budget that grants rule-making authority to partisan extremist health czar Dennis Smith, who refuses to recognize the $500 million in savings Wisconsin will realize as a direct result of the Affordable Care Act, slashes Wisconsin’s successful SeniorCare program, kicks thousands of working families, small business owners and farmers off of BadgerCare and reduces services for the poor, elderly and disabled.
“But what Democrats know, and the Republicans choose to ignore, is that, for our economy to truly recover and prosper, we must help middle-class families, businesses, and federal, state, and local governments cope with skyrocketing health care costs. That’s why today we celebrate the real health care reform that addresses the health care cost crisis and ensures quality, affordable health care for all Wisconsinites and all Americans.”
