FACT SHEET: Repealing the Affordable Care Act Would Have Devastating Consequences for Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — The Affordable Care Act led to a historic expansion of health care coverage, ensuring more people than ever before are able to access the essential health care they need at an affordable cost. If Donald Trump and Republicans succeeded in repealing the ACA, it would have devastating consequences for millions of Wisconsinites who have access to health care thanks to the ACA.

Here’s how Donald Trump’s Affordable Care Act repeal would hurt Wisconsin:

• If Republicans and Donald Trump succeeded in repealing the ACA, 40 million Americans—and over 200,000 Wisconsinites—could lose their health care coverage.
• Donald Trump’s plan to “terminate” the ACA would rip away protections for the over 800,000 Wisconsinites with preexisting conditions, allowing insurance companies to deny basic care like hospital visits and prescription drugs.
• Tammy Baldwin championed a provision in the ACA which allows children to stay on their parents’ insurance up to age 26. Without the ACA, 23 million adult children nationwide would be suddenly left without health insurance.
• 1.2 million Wisconsin Medicare beneficiaries would face higher costs and disruptions to their care if the ACA were repealed.
• Rural hospitals would lose critical support if the ACA were repealed, worsening Wisconsin’s rural care gap that Democrats are fighting to close.
• Without the ACA, insurance companies will once again be allowed to charge women more than men, cap lifetime coverage, and refuse coverage for prescription drugs and maternity care.

“Donald Trump has made clear his top priorities for a second term: take away Wisconsinites’ health care and force people to pay more for the care they need,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Haley McCoy. “Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites have access to affordable health coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act, and Trump’s pursuit of a repeal of this lifesaving law is downright dangerous. It’s abundantly clear that Wisconsinites cannot afford another four years of Donald Trump.”

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