Knudsen Reaffirms Support for ACA Lawsuit to Rip Healthcare Away from Montanans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Knudsen Reaffirms Support for ACA Lawsuit to Rip Healthcare Away from Montanans

Helena, MT – Last week, in a statement to NBC Montana, Republican candidate for Attorney General Austin Knudsen reaffirmed his support for an extremist lawsuit that would repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and leave Montanans without healthcare coverage in the middle of a pandemic. On Sunday, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle called on public officials to end their support for repealing the ACA stating, “The administration is offering nothing to take the place of the ACA. If the court strikes it down, provisions requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions would be eliminated along with the Medicaid expansion.”

If this lawsuit is successful, it would end protections for 152,000 Montanans with pre-existing conditions, healthcare coverage for 90,000 Montanans through Medicaid expansion, the ability for children to stay on their parents’ insurance, and it would raise prices on prescription drugs.

Republican Attorney General Tim Fox declined to join the lawsuit brought forth by his fellow Republican Attorneys General out of concerns that it would take healthcare away from Montanans with pre-existing conditions. Knudsen said he entered the Attorney General race because Fox refused to join this dangerous lawsuit and has made joining this lawsuit the core message of his campaign for Attorney General.

Knudsen vs. the ACA:

Wrote an op-ed to champion the ACA lawsuit as part of his campaign launch.
Said he entered the race for Attorney General because Fox had not done enough to repeal the ACA.
Led Republican efforts against the passage of Medicaid expansion in the Montana Legislature.

“If Knudsen is elected, he will take Montana in a dangerous direction by joining this extremist lawsuit to rip healthcare away from Montanans,” said MDP Communications Director Nathan Stein. “As Montana continues to weather this pandemic, it’s more important than ever that our Attorney General acts independently of party bosses and does what’s right for the people of Montana.”

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