Tester to Congress: Quit playing political games with the health of Montanans

(U.S. Senate) – Senator Jon Tester released the following statement after the Senate passed a bill that strips tens of thousands of Montanans access to health insurance by repealing major parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

“We are less than two weeks away from another costly government shutdown and rather than investing in education, infrastructure, or our national security, there are folks in Congress whose top priority is eliminating access to health care for tens of thousands of Montanans. Instead of playing political games with the health of our families, I will continue to work to improve the ACA to reduce the cost of healthcare for all Montanans.”

If signed into law these provisions will:
• Eliminate tax credits for health insurance, raising costs and jeopardizing health care for more than 48,000 Montanans
• Repeal Medicaid expansion denying access to health care for up to 70,000 Montanans
• Gut funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund which provides states with funds to develop public health strategies that work best for them. In Montana, this Fund has supported diabetes prevention in Indian Country.
• Defund Planned Parenthood

Since becoming law, the ACA has lowered Montana’s uninsured rate to 15 percent.

Tester has introduced multiple bills to improve the ACA, including the PACE Act, which was signed into law in October.