Montana Standard Op-Ed: Gianforte failed rural Montana by opposing broadband, Medicaid Expansion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 03, 2020
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press@montanademocrats.org
Montana Standard Op-Ed: Gianforte failed rural Montana by opposing broadband, Medicaid Expansion
Helena, MT – In yesterday’s Montana Standard, Ron de Yong, the former director of the Montana Department of Agriculture, penned an op-ed condemning Rep. Greg Gianforte’s failed leadership on rural issues.
Montana Standard Op-Ed: Gianforte failed rural Montana by opposing broadband, Medicaid Expansion
“U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte voted against a grant that is now providing rural broadband access for communities in southwest Montana. And while it’s great to see him embracing telemedicine as a tool to expand health-care services across rural areas, he should realize that Montanans without internet access can’t access the telemedicine that he’s touting!
This latest crisis demonstrates how critical high-speed broadband is to communities across our state, yet Gianforte voted against this grant which appropriated $3.3 million for a high-speed broadband project in rural Beaverhead County. Gianforte may do his best to claim credit for the grant (he voted against) by showing up for photo ops, but rural Montanans won’t forget his betrayal that easily
Congressman Gianforte’s continued assault on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid Expansion is totally unacceptable. Our state is navigating an emerging public health crisis and our rural hospitals and the communities they support need Medicaid expansion for survival. Now is the time to strengthen all Montanans’ access to quality, affordable health care, not weaken it. Gianforte’s attacks on rural hospitals and patients are downright wrong.
This November, Montana needs to elect a governor who stands for all Montanans. Greg Gianforte’s votes against rural broadband and Medicaid expansion has left rural families vulnerable in the face of a national public health emergency. Rural Montana deserves better.”
Read the full op-ed here.
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