For Immediate Release
Monday, August 27, 2018
Contact: Brad Bainum, bradb@wisdems.org
Leah Vukmir Attacks Nurses, Then Doubles Down On Cutting Health Care Access
Days after attacking nurses and doctors who spoke out against her health care agenda, Vukmir is recommitting to plans that would increase health care costs and cut access for millions
MADISON — After last week accusing Wisconsin nurses and doctors of “doom-and-gloom” lying about her dangerous health care agenda, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir has now reaffirmed her commitment to the dangerous set of health care policy priorities that the Wisconsin medical providers warned about, including Vukmir’s support for gutting pre-existing condition protections and slashing funding for Medicaid, which covers three in five Wisconsin nursing home residents.
Here’s a look at Vukmir’s health care agenda, via the Wisconsin State Journal:
- Vukmir supports GOP repeal plans that gut pre-existing condition coverage protections — “Vukmir has supported various Obamacare repeal proposals offered by Republicans in Congress. She said she supported the Graham-Cassidy repeal measure debated in the Senate last year, and praised the American Health Care Act, the repeal bill that passed the U.S. House last year.”
- What that means for Wisconsin: The Graham-Cassidy repeal plan would gut protections for pre-existing conditions, take health care away from 21 million Americans, spike health care premiums, and impose an “age tax” on older Americans, according to the AARP. The American Health Care Act would gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions, take health care away from 23 million Americans and allow insurance companies to charge older Americans thousands more for coverage, according to the AARP.
- Vukmir supports deep cuts to BadgerCare (Medicaid) — “The Graham-Cassidy measure she supported would have cut funding for Medicaid relative to the future course set under current law. Wisconsin would have gotten $562 million fewer federal dollars for Medicaid over a decade under the plan, the Kaiser foundation found.”
- What that means for Wisconsin: Following the passage of the Republican tax law that sends more than 80 percent of benefits to the richest 1 percent and large corporations, Vukmir signaled her support for cuts to programs like Medicare, which covers more than 1 million Wisconsinites, and Medicaid, which provides coverage for 3 in 5 Wisconsin nursing home residents.
- What that means for Wisconsin: Following the passage of the Republican tax law that sends more than 80 percent of benefits to the richest 1 percent and large corporations, Vukmir signaled her support for cuts to programs like Medicare, which covers more than 1 million Wisconsinites, and Medicaid, which provides coverage for 3 in 5 Wisconsin nursing home residents.
- Vukmir supports the Trump administration’s “junk plan” rule — “Vukmir, in an interview with the State Journal earlier this month, said she supported scaling back essential health benefit requirements…Vukmir supports rules recently issued by the Trump administration that aim to chip away at Obamacare by permitting certain types of health plans that don’t meet the law’s requirements.”
- What that means for Wisconsin: According to the AARP, the “junk plan” rules that Vukmir supports would allow insurance companies to “deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions” and “impose an age tax, charging older Americans much higher premiums.”
Read more here.
