Tammy Baldwin: “I rise today for the third time this evening on behalf of Wisconsinites in rural communities whose access to healthcare…”

“I rise today for the third time this evening on behalf of Wisconsinites in rural communities whose access to healthcare will be devastated by cuts to Medicaid. Earlier this evening, I talked about the impact that cuts to Medicaid would have on children and babies and then about the impact that cuts to Medicaid would have on seniors and older adults. But in my home State of Wisconsin, about a quarter of the population lives in rural areas, or roughly 1.4 million people do. And across the United States, about 60 million people live in rural areas. When I travel around Wisconsin, I hear about several challenges that our rural communities face, from the lack of high-speed broadband to ensuring businesses have enough workers to thrive. But the No. 1 challenge that I hear about, time and again, is about rural access to healthcare. Wisconsinites in rural communities face long drives and wait times to see a doctor. And for specialized healthcare, many of my constituents are looking at hours in the car just to get the care that they need and that they deserve. That is why I have made it my mission to lower healthcare costs and expand care across the State, but especially for critical-access hospitals in our rural communities. I am proud of our work because I know what a lifeline our rural hospitals are for Wisconsinites, from emergency care to having a place to get regular checkups. But I know we have work to do.…”