Letters: Daines has a poor record on healthcare, running misleading ads

Political ads try to convince us that Steve Daines supports affordable health care and coverage for pre-existing conditions, while Steve Bullock supports an “option” that will cause Montana rural hospitals to shut down.

The facts—which you can verify easily online—are that  Governor Bullock worked with both Democrats and Republicans to expand Medicaid coverage for almost 90,000 Montanans—almost one in ten of our family members, friends, and neighbors—and help save rural hospitals. He also signed bills to rein in the cost of prescription drugs.

Meanwhile, Steve Daines has voted multiple times against affordable health care and coverage for pre-existing conditions. For example, in 2015, he supported a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act entirely, and repeal Medicaid expansion and premium subsidies in two years.

He voted for three different repeal bills in 2017, and said in a public radio interview that he would support repeal with no replacement in place. The Congressional Budget Office reported in 2015 that repeal with a delayed replacement could cause 18 million Americans to lose insurance entirely (let alone coverage for pre-existing conditions) in the first year, and increase premiums by 25%.

Montanans know that actions speak louder than words. The longer Steve Daines has been in the Senate, the worse his record has become on healthcare. Steve Bullock’s record shows how much he already has done for Montanans on this crucial issue.

There is no reason—and, I believe, no way—that he suddenly will abandon us when he is elected to the U.S. Senate. There also is no reason—and, I believe, no way—that Steve Daines suddenly will become an advocate for affordable healthcare for Montanans, after doing the opposite for six years.  Please join me in voting for Steve Bullock for the U.S. Senate.