On a Call Full of Wealthy Donors, Gianforte Accuses Hard-Working Montanans of Abusing Medicaid During a Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 1, 2020
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On a Call Full of Wealthy Donors, Gianforte Accuses Hard-Working Montanans of Abusing Medicaid During a Pandemic
Helena, MT – On Thursday night, New Jersey Millionaire Greg Gianforte hosted a virtual fundraiser with donors to his campaign. Gianforte was asked about Montana’s Medicaid program, given the news that nearly 100,000 Montanans have filed for unemployment since mid-March, and many are now turning to Medicaid expansion to secure health coverage for themselves and their families.
Greg Gianforte, who is the richest man in Congress, is wealthy enough to afford the best insurance money can buy. Recent reports show that Gianforte has invested up to $4.5 million in the stock market, just in the last three months.
But when asked about Montana’s Medicaid program – which covers working families of four making under $25,750 – Gianforte cast doubt on those who are signing up for health insurance amidst a national public health emergency. He said, “our state has not done a particularly good job of administering the program… a safety net is there for the people that need it.” Does Gianforte think that those thousands of Montanans who are suddenly unemployed are undeserving of health insurance? Or should quality health care be a luxury reserved for ultra wealthy millionaires like himself?
Greg Gianforte has called Montana’s Medicaid expansion “a disaster,” and he has said that he’d vote in Congress to dismantle the Affordable Care Act “piece by piece.” His latest comments are further proof of what we’ve known for years – Greg Gianforte believes in restricting access to affordable health care for working Montanans.
“Greg Gianforte got on a call full of wealthy donors and accused hardworking Montanans of abusing Medicaid during a pandemic,” said MDP Executive Director Sandi Luckey. “If it were up to Greg Gianforte, the Affordable Care Act would be repealed and Montana’s Medicaid expansion wouldn’t exist. Greg Gianforte doesn’t share our values — in Montana, we take care of our neighbors when they’ve fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. We need to be figuring out how to get out of this crisis safely, not punishing our neighbors during a national emergency.”
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