Tester: New year, same old attack on Montanans access to health care

(Big Sandy, Mont.)-Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that strips away access to health care for tens of thousands of Montanans by repealing major parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

“It’s a new year, but folks in Congress are continuing their same old attack on Montanans’ access to health care. Instead of focusing on improving access to care for hard working families it seems the U.S. House has chosen another round of election year politics.”

The bill the House of Representatives passed 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

The repeal bill now heads to the President’s desk where it faces a veto threat.

Since becoming law, the ACA has lowered Montana’s uninsured rate from over 20 percent to less than 15 percent.

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