As COVID-19 Cases Climb, Gianforte Votes to Make Health Care More Expensive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 30, 2020

As COVID-19 Cases Climb, Gianforte Votes to Make Health Care More Expensive

In Spite of Gianforte’s Vote, Bipartisan Legislation to Bolster Medicaid Expansion and Lower Health Care Premiums Moves to the Senate

Helena, MT – Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that would expand tax credits for health insurance premiums, boost Medicaid expansion, and drive down the price of prescription drugs. Greg Gianforte – who supports repealing the ACA and Montana’s Medicaid expansion – voted against the bill, despite the rising COVID-19 cases in Montana and across the country.

Just this week, Gianforte claimed that he wasn’t out to undercut vital programs like Medicaid expansion, but this vote proves yet again his hostility to a policy that has extended health care to over 80,000 Montanans during a public health emergency. Last week, Gianforte refused to denounce a lawsuit that would gut the ACA and eliminate Medicaid expansion.

This isn’t the first time that Greg Gianforte has voted against protecting Montanans’ health care. Last year, Congressman Greg Gianforte voted against directing the House of Representatives’ counsel to oppose the Republican lawsuit to overturn the ACA, which would eliminate Montana’s Medicaid expansion and throw 112,000 Montanans off of their health coverage. A long time opponent of affordable health care, Gianforte has called Medicaid expansion “a disaster,” and pledged to dismantle the ACA “piece by piece.”

“When given the opportunity to stand up for Montanans’ health care in Congress, Gianforte is voting to make health insurance and prescription drugs more expensive,” said MDP Deputy Comms Director Matt Fidel. “Being a multimillionaire, Gianforte may not have to worry about the rising cost of health insurance – but working families do.”

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