Washington, DC — Last night at his rally in Colorado, President Trump heaped praise on Senator Cory Gardner, telling the crowd that Gardner has “been with us 100%.” Cory Gardner’s “100%” backing of President Trump includes his unwavering support for the president’s disastrous health care agenda that puts the health care of millions of Coloradans at risk. In response to President Trump’s full-throated endorsement of Senator Gardner, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:
“President Trump is right, Cory Gardner has never wavered in his support for the president’s disastrous health care agenda. From refusing to condemn President Trump’s Texas lawsuit that would strip protections from nearly 2.5 million Coloradans with pre-existing conditions, voting to slash over $1 trillion in Medicare and Medicaid and supporting disastrous junk insurance plans that don’t cover protections for pre-existing conditions, when the president says Senator Gardner is with him “100%,” this is what he means. Voters in Colorado know that Gardner has always stood with President Trump while he tries to destroy their health care, and last night’s rally was just further confirmation that his priorities will never change.”
BACKGROUND:
Gardner Has Propped Up Trump-Backed Texas Lawsuit That Would Devastate Coloradans
- 2018: Gardner Refused To Condemn The Texas Lawsuit: “What I Hope Succeeds Is This Place Getting Together To Find A Way To Drive Down Healthcare Costs.” “I asked Cory Gardner, up in 2020 in a purple state, if he hopes the anti-ACA lawsuit succeeds. Not quite a yes? ‘What I hope succeeds is this place getting together to find a way to drive down healthcare costs,’ says ACA ‘failed’ to do that.” [@PeterSullivan4, 12/18/18]
- 2019: Gardner Said The ACA Was “Unconstitutional.” “Asked if he supported the lawsuit, Gardner replied: ‘That’s the court’s decision. If the Democrats want to stand for an unconstitutional law, I guess that’s their choice.’ Republicans, including Gardner, have said they will provide protections for people with pre-existing conditions if the courts overturn the ACA. But Democrats argue the GOP proposals fall short of the protections enshrined in the 2010 law.” [The Hill, 8/8/19]
- Gardner Voted For The Tax Bill Which Forms The Basis For The Trump-Republican Lawsuit. Gardner was a key vote for the Republican tax bill, which repealed a key provision of the Affordable Care Act that required most people to have health coverage and which is the basis of the Trump-Republican lawsuit seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
- Gardner Refused To Support Authorizing The Senate Legal Counsel To Intervene In The Trump-Republican Lawsuit And Defend The ACA. Gardner refused to sponsor a resolution (S. Res. 18), which would authorize Senate legal counsel to defend the Affordable Care Act against attack in Texas v. Azar
If Trump And Gardner Get Their Way, Coloradans Would Lose Their Coverage
- 400,000 Coloradans Could Lose Coverage. According to the Urban Institute, 400,000 Coloradans would lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 101 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
- 2,400,600 Coloradans Have A Pre-existing Condition, including 300,500 Colorado children, 1,180,000 Colorado women, and 550,000 Coloradans between ages 55 and 64.
- 453,400 Coloradans Enrolled Through Medicaid Expansion Could Lose Coverage. Seventeen million people have coverage through the expanded Medicaid program, including 453,400 in Colorado.
- Key Support For Rural Hospitals Would Disappear, leaving Colorado hospitals with $1 billion more in uncompensated care.
- 56,531 Colorado Seniors Could Have To Pay More For Prescription Drugs. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, seniors could have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare “donut” hole would be reopened. From 2010 to 2016, “More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs – an average of $2,272 per beneficiary,” according to a January 2017 CMS report. In Colorado, 56,531 seniors each saved an average of $1,081.
- Reinstate Lifetime And Annual Limits On 1,902,000 Privately Insured Coloradans. Repealing the Affordable Care Act means insurance companies would be able to impose annual and lifetime limits on coverage for those insured through their employer or on the individual market.
Gardner Has Voted To Slash Medicare and Medicaid
- 2017: Gardner Voted To Cut Medicare By $473 Billion. Gardner voted for the FY 2018 budget resolution, which included $473 billion in cuts to Medicare over 10 years. [H Con Res 71, Vote #245, 10/19/17; Vox, 10/26/17]
- 2017: Gardner Voted To Slash $1.3 Trillion From Medicaid. Gardner voted for the FY 2018 budget resolution, which cut funding for non-Medicare health programs, most notably Medicaid, by 1.3 trillion, a 20 percent cut over the course of 10 years, increasing to a 29.3 percent cut by 2027. [H Con Res 71, Vote #245, 10/19/17; Vox, 10/26/17]