MADISON -- Last night, the Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump's administration will not defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in a lawsuit filed by a group of Republican attorneys general, including Wisconsin AG Brad Schimel.

Reminder: Scott Walker authorized this lawsuit. 

In joining the suit, the Trump Administration is protecting big insurance companies by arguing it is  unconstitutional to stop them from denying or dropping coverage for people with pre-existing conditions such as cancer, asthma, mental illness, addiction or diabetes.

"Walker and Schimel’s lawsuit continues their long history of pandering to extremists rather than protecting Wisconsinites’ health,” said Melanie Conklin, communications director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “Walker was hell-bent on depriving people of health care so he could pander to the far right in his run for president. And he has consistently put his national image as a hard-right ideologue before the needs of Wisconsin families with his refusal accept federal money that would expand BadgerCare.

"This politically-driven lawsuit would bring us back to the days when cancer patients could get kicked off their health insurance for being too sick and when pregnancy was considered a 'pre-existing condition.' It would make health care completely unattainable for Wisconsinites with serious illnesses, and unaffordable for millions more. If Walker's lawsuit succeeds, millions of Wisconsin families will lose.

“Democrats believe that health care is a right and people’s health should come before big insurance companies. No one should be discriminated against by Walker, Schimel and Republicans just because they are sick.”

FACTS:

• More than 2.4 million non-elderly Wisconsinites have pre-existing conditions that could cause them to pay more for their health insurance - or lose their healthcare altogether - if Walker's lawsuit is successful.  

• More than 850,000 non-elderly Wisconsinites have "declinable" pre-existing conditions that could cause them to be rejected from getting health insurance under pre-ACA practices.

• Examples of pre-ACA "declinable" pre-existing conditions includecancer, arthritis, organ transplant, diabetes and pregnancy.

• Under the health care repeal plan pushed by Walker and Republicans at the federal level, 24 million Americans – including an estimated 311,000 Wisconsin residents – would have lost their health care coverage.

• Wisconsin is the only state in the upper Midwest that has not expanded Medicaid.

• Expanding BadgerCare in the 2017-19 state budget would saveWisconsin taxpayers $380 million.

• Gov. Walker’s refusal to expand BadgerCare has cost Wisconsin families a total of $1.07 billion in state tax dollars – money that could have been invested in schools, roads and job training.