The November 1st One–Two Punch: ACA Premiums Set to Skyrocket and SNAP Gets Illegally Withheld

MADISON, Wis. — Tomorrow, November 1st, Wisconsinites face a stark reality. Open enrollment for Affordable Care Act insurance coverage begins and premiums will rise an average of 30%, but with some reaching as high as 800%. This means that the roughly 300,000 Wisconsinites who receive an ACA subsidy will go without medical coverage or face unnecessary and unbearable financial hardship, with a couple over the age of 60 seeing a possible rate hike of $33,000 a year. Republicans are ignoring the people who elected them—with recent polls showing that preventing these huge premium increases is more important to voters than ending the government shutdown by a 2:1 margin.

“Republicans like Tom Tiffany, Derrick Van Orden, and Bryan Steil are ripping healthcare from hardworking Wisconsinites and stealing food from the needy to pay for Donald Trump’s new ballroom and billionaire buddy taxbreaks,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Philip Shulman. “For the real people who will be affected, this is a devastating reality that will force them to make impossible choices. Democrats up and down the ticket, from Senator Tammy Baldwin to Rep. Gwen Moore to State representatives like Vincent Miresse are fighting like hell for Wisconsinites facing this cruel reality brought on them by the Republican Party.”

For many Wisconsinites, November 1st is going to cause double the pain: SNAP benefits are being illegally withheld by the Trump administration starting tomorrow, which will impact the more than 700,000 Wisconsinites who rely on these programs. Republicans Tom Tiffany, Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil refuse to condemn this policy that is starving children, veterans, and the elderly. This comes after they voted to pass the largest cuts to SNAP in history this summer when they passed the Big Ugly Bill.

See below for how a more detailed breakdown of how ACA premium increases will impact different counties and age groups.

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.