Round Up: Democrats Highlight Effects of Government Shutdown Across the State, Discuss Impacts of Potential ACA Cuts on Wisconsinites

“When that coverage disappears, the nature of our emergencies changes; they become more avoidable crises.” — Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Chris Ford.

“This is a manufactured crisis that they are making that is going to make the lives of people in this community and in communities just like ours so much worse.”
— Racine Mayor Cory Mason.”

MADISON, Wis. — This week, former CMS Director Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, former CMS Director, and emergency medicine physician Dr. Chris Ford, laid out the stakes of the GOP shutdown, including how this could force nearly 300,000 Wisconsinites to deal with skyrocketing health care premiums and will further jeopardize rural health care access. Democrats across the state, including Governor Tony Evers, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Reps Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan echoed these sentiments and implored the GOP to continue funding the ACA.

Wisconsin Congressional Republicans, led by Tom Tiffany, Derrick Van Orden and Brian Steil are refusing to extend existing funding for Wisconsinites already dealing with a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by Trump’s tariffs. Democrats spoke with furloughed federal workers facing financial strain, farmers who rely on the ACA and spoke about the impact of the shutdown on rural communities, while an emergency room physician highlighted that avoidable emergencies and community leaders facing resource shortages will become more frequent.

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WKOW: “‘People across our country deserve a health care system that is both affordable and accessible, rather than a health care system that forces them to choose between coverage or affording groceries,’ Brooks-LaSure said during a press call. Nearly 90% of the 313,579 Wisconsinites enrolled in ACA coverage could see premium increases when open enrollment begins in November. Brooks-LaSure said states that have not expanded Medicaid, such as Wisconsin, are particularly vulnerable because hospitals in both rural and urban areas are already under strain from uncompensated care costs. ‘When that coverage disappears, the nature of our emergencies changes; they become more avoidable crises,’ Ford said.”

WisBusiness: “Health care costs could balloon because of Republicans’ budget decisions, former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Chiquita Brooks-LaSure argued today. […] For example, a family of four earning $64,000 a year would see their annual premiums increase by almost $3,000, she said. […] ‘Yet the Republican tax law and congressional Republicans’ decision to not renew the critical health insurance subsidies for marketplace enrollees has sent us down a trajectory that will mean Americans, some as early as this fall, could face this reality and make the difficult choices to affect their care,’ she said. ‘That said, this is not inevitable. I hope that the members of Congress will make a different decision.’”

FOX6: “Gov. Tony Evers stopped in Racine on Wednesday to speak to residents who are worried about how the ongoing federal government shutdown will impact Wisconsin. […] ‘Republicans are dead set against putting money into the Affordable Care Act,’ said Evers. ‘All hell’s going to break loose here.’ ‘I’m concerned about this impact on veterans who fought for this country,’ said Robert Turner, a Racine resident. Evers and other leaders spoke about the possibility of people losing SNAP benefits and FoodShare services next month, too. ‘This is a manufactured crisis that they are making that is going to make the lives of people in this community and in communities just like ours so much worse,’ said Racine Mayor Cory Mason.”

WKOW: “Ellie Lazarcik, a physical-science technician at the Forest Products Laboratory, highlighted the financial strain, especially regarding child care. ‘Flexible day care they still need usually two weeks’ notice if you try and change your schedule; it’s hard to scale that back without knowing when the furlough is going to end,’ Lazarcik said. Grant Kirker, a research technologist with 16 years at the Forest Products Laboratory, expressed his concerns about supporting his family. ‘I’ve got a senior in high school and another who’s a freshman in college. You know, if this drags on much longer I’m going to have to get creative,’ Kirker said.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “[Katrina] Becker says the ACA has been invaluable as they’ve grown their Marathon County farm that produces organic vegetables, seedlings, maple syrup and herbs for many central Wisconsin communities…’We have not yet seen what our increases will be, but using the Kaiser Family Foundation’s calculation tool, we are expecting we’ll probably pay another $4,000 a year. And then looking at our deductibles, it will end up being around 20% of our family’s income, which is a fairly high amount.’”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.