CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WCFW) – U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin hosted a virtual roundtable with Chippewa Valley leaders highlighting the need for the Affordable Care Act tax credits.

The Affordable Care Act tax credits are at the center of the ongoing federal government shutdown that has now gone on for over two weeks. On Wednesday, Senator Baldwin hosted a virtual roundtable with community leaders from various fields in the Chippewa Valley, including childcare, healthcare, and agriculture.

“We are on day 15 of a government shutdown because Republicans will not come to the table and address the healthcare crisis facing millions of Americans,” she said. “And let me be crystal clear, we need to reopen the government and address this crisis. This shutdown is about one thing and one thing only, the cost of healthcare.”

Millions of Americans could either lose their healthcare coverage outright or see significantly higher premiums with the expiration of the tax credits. Some in the meeting on Wednesday warned that increased healthcare costs would harm other industries as well.

Sarah Stokes, a local business owner, highlighted the effects increased healthcare premiums could have on the local economy. “I’m just asking that people understand what this is really about, people understand that folks like us who are just trying to have healthcare for our families and ourselves are doing the best we can,” said Stokes. “And when there is money to go around, we are happy to pay our premiums and also we’re reinvesting in our communities.”

Baldwin added to that sentiment, noting that people make different decisions when they have to pay for their healthcare out of pocket. In addition to the negative economic impacts the higher premiums could have, residents are more likely to avoid seeking preventive care or manage their chronic conditions properly.

The loss of those tax credits is also expected to hit rural healthcare systems much harder, an issue that has already plagued the Chippewa Valley over recent years. Following the HSHS hospital closures last year, officials commonly cited inadequate Medicaid reimbursements as the driving factor.

“When you cut nearly a trillion dollars out of Medicaid, BadgerCare as we know it in Wisconsin, it has a devastating effect particularly on rural communities and on rural hospitals and critical access hospitals,” said Senator Baldwin. “And when they’re in the red, they have to make horrible decisions like do we stop maternity care and obstetrics or do we stop providing behavioral health services.”

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