From Lynn Drew
Platteville
To the Editor:
Congressional candidates Rebecca Cooke and Derrick Van Orden differ in many ways, but none may affect Wisconsinites more than their approach to healthcare.
During Van Orden’s tenure, Wisconsin has seen a drop in the quality and availability of healthcare services. In western Wisconsin alone, two hospitals and nearly 20 clinics have closed in recent years and four facilities in the 3rd congressional district have shut down their labor and delivery units. These closures and the associated loss of jobs and families are also economically devastating to communities.
In response, Van Orden proudly voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which directly affected Wisconsin’s healthcare programs. The Department of Health Services estimates that 270,000 Wisconsinites will lose their health insurance coverage by 2028, while 20,000 residents have already lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage and 45,000 have dropped their Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans due to premium hikes. Even eligible Wisconsinites will lose Medicaid coverage as many jobs do not provide documentation necessary to prove eligibility and some individuals lack the resources to complete the new bi-annual application process. The OBBBA is especially hard on rural areas as nearly half of rural births and two-thirds of residents of rural nursing homes are covered by Medicaid.
Proponents of the OBBBA, like Van Orden, will argue the aforementioned issues are offset by the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). However, this funding is just a fraction of the $137-$155 billion that rural areas will lose in Medicaid cuts. Moreover, half of the RHTP funds will be distributed equally among all approved states regardless of their rural population. For instance, Connecticut, which has three rural hospitals, would get the same amount as Wisconsin, which has 60.
Rebecca Cooke has plans to address our healthcare crisis. She wants to extend the ACA tax credit for three more years, reverse the Medicaid and ACA cuts, and increase reimbursement rates to help fund rural hospitals. She also plans to expand Medicaid coverage to include vision, dental and hearing and cap out-of-pocket costs on essential drugs. Finally, she will fight to ensure that seniors get medications they need at fair prices.
Healthcare in western Wisconsin has suffered under Van Orden, and by voting for the OBBBA, he perpetuated its downfall. We need a representative who cares about her constituents and who will fight for quality and accessible healthcare. We need Rebecca Cooke.
