Gianforte Refuses to Denounce Lawsuit Seeking to Gut ACA, Which Would Rip Health Care Away From 45,000+ Montana Women

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 25, 2020

Gianforte Refuses to Denounce Lawsuit Seeking to Gut ACA, Which Would Rip Health Care Away From 45,000+ Montana Women

Suit Would Eliminate Medicaid Expansion, Ripping Health Care Away From 82,000 Montanans

Helena, MT – Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney – whose campaign recently launched Women for Cooney – has played a critical role in passing, defending, and strengthening Medicaid expansion in Montana. Meanwhile his opponent, Rep. Greg Gianforte, continues to stand idly by as thousands of Montanans’ health care — including that of more than 45,000 Montana women — hangs in the balance while Republican Attorneys General advance a partisan lawsuit to repeal the ACA.

Montana’s Medicaid expansion now provides health insurance to more than 82,000 Montanans. It has covered more than 11,000 breast cancer screenings, and prevented the closure of a single rural hospital, undoubtedly saving countless lives. But Greg Gianforte voted against directing the House of Representatives’ counsel to oppose the Republican lawsuit, prompting some of Montana’s most influential labor unions and activists to call upon him to denounce the lawsuit. He has refused. A long time opponent of affordable health care, Gianforte has called Medicaid expansion “a disaster,” and pledged to dismantle the ACA “piece by piece.”

“With thousands of Montanans’ access to quality, affordable health care in limbo, Greg Gianforte is nowhere to be found,” said MDP Deputy Communications Director Matt Fidel. “Medicaid expansion has been a lifeline for Montanans, especially those living in our rural communities. Yet as Republicans in D.C. work to destroy it, Greg Gianforte can’t even be bothered to speak up. ”

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