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DGA Chair Gov. Tim Walz Statement on 14th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

From the Chair’s Desk

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DGA Chair Gov. Tim Walz Statement on 14th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

On the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, DGA Chair Gov. Tim Walz released the following statement:

“This weekend we celebrate 14 years of the Affordable Care Act, groundbreaking legislation that has improved life for working families at every turn.

“Since 2010, Democratic governors have led the charge to implement the ACA in our states, expanding Medicaid and ensuring that more Americans can access and afford the health care they need. We are proud of our efforts to bring down costs, allow millions of individuals and working families to get coverage, bring billions of dollars back to our states, and work to keep our rural hospitals open.

“The fight is not over. Even as Democratic governors continue to make headway to expand Medicaid and bring down costs — like North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who just last year enacted Medicaid expansion in a historic bipartisan win — GOP extremists continue to threaten the progress we have made, blocking Medicaid expansion in the states and still trying to gut the health care law at the federal level. No matter what happens, Democratic governors will stand firm against these attacks and continue to serve as a steadfast firewall to protect affordable care in our states.”

State of Play in the fight to Expand Medicaid:

  • In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper worked across the aisle to pass Medicaid expansion in 2023, expanding access to affordable health care for more than 600,000 North Carolinians, with approximately 393,000signing up since its implementation in December.
  • In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly’s tireless advocacy for Medicaid expansion has resulted in the first public hearing on the issue in years, as she highlights the way it would expand health care access for 150,000 Kansans and create 23,000 new health care jobs.
  • In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers is urging the legislature to come together and pass Medicaid expansion, emphasizing the benefits for the state’s rural hospitals and preventing further rural hospital closures.

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