Washington, DC — President Trump is coming to Wisconsin for a rally on Saturday, but his visit to the Badger State is overshadowed by his relentless desire to destroy the health care of millions of Americans, including many Wisconsinites. Trump’s Texas lawsuit puts 150,000 Wisconsinites at risk of losing coverage and his ongoing war on Medicaid, combined with Badger State Republican’s refusal to allow expansion of the program puts the health care of tens of thousands more in jeopardy.
“If President Trump’s lawsuit to terminate the healthcare law is successful, it will strip coverage from millions of Americans and thousands of Wisconsinites, raise premiums, end protections for people with pre-existing conditions, put insurance companies back in charge, and force seniors to pay more for prescription drugs,” said Brad Woodhouse, Executive Director of Protect Our Care. “President Trump’s war on Medicaid and Medicaid expansion in particular is a war on children, seniors, people with disabilities, rural Americans, those fighting the opioid crisis, our schools, and everyone else who benefits from Medicaid. Voters in Wisconsin rejected the Republican war on healthcare last year when they showed Scott Walker the door and they want no part of President Trump’s ongoing repeal and sabotage agenda.”
How Trump’s Texas Lawsuit Would Devastate Wisconsinites
- 153,000 Wisconsinites Could Lose Coverage. According to the Urban Institute, 153,000 Wisconsinites would lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 35 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
- 41,000 Wisconsin Young Adults With Their Parents’ Coverage Could Lose Care. Because of the Affordable Care Act, millions of young adults are able to stay on their parents’ care until age 26.
- Protections For The 130 Million People Nationwide With A Pre-Existing Condition Will End. 2,435,700 Wisconsinites have a pre-existing condition, including 308,100 Wisconsin children, 1,187,000 Wisconsin women, and 616,900 Wisconsinites between ages 55 and 64.
- Insurance Companies Could Charge Premium Surcharges In the Six Figures. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, insurance companies would be able to charge people more because of a pre-existing condition. The health repeal bill the House passed in 2017 had a similar provision, and an analysis by the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge up to $4,270 more for asthma, $17,060 more for pregnancy, $26,180 more for rheumatoid arthritis and $140,510 more for metastatic cancer.
- Women Could Be Charged More Than Men For The Same Coverage. Prior to the ACA, women were often charged premiums on the nongroup market of up to 50 percent higher than they charged men for the same coverage.
- 86,264 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, 86,264 seniors each saved an average of $1,129.
How the GOP War on Medicaid Would Devastate Wisconsinites
- 480,642 Wisconsin Children’s Care Is At Risk. 480,642 Wisconsin kids are currently enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, and their care could be at risk because of funding cuts in the Trump budget. 31 percent of Wisconsin children rely on Medicaid for coverage. Medicaid pays almost $4 billion annually in school-based health services. Schools depend on these funds connect students with vital health resources — 68 percent of school superintendents said that they used these funds to keep nurses, counselors, and speech therapists on staff
- 1,020,034 Wisconsinites With Traditional Medicaid Coverage, Including Seniors, People With Disabilities, And Children, Are At Risk. The Graham-Cassidy bill that President Trump revived in his FY20 budget proposal would turn traditional Medicaid into a per capita cap, meaning the 1,020,034 Wisconsinites who are enrolled on Medicaid would have their care jeopardized. Medicaid disproportionately helps children, seniors in nursing home care and people with disabilities. A study by Avalere found that Graham-Cassidy would cut funding for people with disabilities by 15-percent and 31-percent for children by 2036, and the 55 percent of Wisconsin seniors living in nursing homes have coverage through Medicaid.
- Access To Treatment Would Be In Jeopardy For 800,000 People With Opioid Use Disorder. Roughly four in ten, or 800,000 people with an opioid use disorder are enrolled in Medicaid. Many became eligible through Medicaid expansion.