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Why are Minnesota Republicans Silent on Trumpcare?

For years, every Republican has campaigned on having a fix for health care in this country. Now that they’re in charge (basically) from Washington D.C. to St Paul, it doesn’t seem that they have a clue.

When it comes to Trumpcare, only a handful of the announced or rumored candidates have had anything to say. And when they do speak up? Well, it’s not good.

We know the facts–children, the disabled, and the elderly will have their healthcare taken away, millions of patients will be put into harm’s way, and hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans will see an increased price in their coverage.

Here are some names you may see on the gubernatorial ballot:

The Declared

Matt Dean, the Majority Leader, hasn’t been shy about tweeting his feelings on Trumpcare. He’s the MN GOP lead on healthcare, and he voted in favor of the same bill that Speaker Kurt Daudt did. He said that Trumpcare needs some tweaks, but don’t let that fool you–if Dean thinks that this bill is a good start, he’s not thinking about the people whom it’ll affect.

Jeff Johnson and Blake Huffman have been so milquetoast on almost everything that we’re unsurprised that they haven’t spoke up about Trumpcare, especially given its unpopularity.  Although Johnson did say during his failed first run for Governor that his “first goal as governor would be to apply for a waiver… exempting us from Obamacare,” he has yet to discuss Trumpcare.

The Rumored

Despite the disastrous effects that Trumpcare will have in our state, Speaker Kurt Daudt has yet to take a position. This is surprising considering he voted for a bill which would allow insurance companies to offer plans that don’t cover conditions like pregnancy, mental health, and diabetes.

Then there’s Congressmen Tom Emmer and Erik Paulsen–two men who had no qualms about casting votes for the Republican’s nasty healthcare bill. Actions speak louder than words, but based on both, these congressmen fully stand with Trumpcare.  Emmer himself said he’s “excited to try and help Minnesotans get access to the best health care in the world.” No word yet on how he feels about Minnesotans having to pay an arm and a leg for that coverage.

Although Paulsen had publicly waffled about repealing Obamacare, in the end he followed the lemmings over the cliff and casted his vote alongside fellow Republicans. After, he was shameless in stating that “this is just the latest step in reforming our healthcare system to be more patient-centered…” Apparently being patient-centered means being denied insurance for preexisting conditions like multiple sclerosis, pregnancy, or cancer (just to name a few).

Last on the long shot rumor train is Keith Downey, the lackluster Chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota. Like Johnson and Huffman, he remains silent on Trumpcare, but with all the support he gave Trump during the election, it wouldn’t be a reach to assume he’d likely support this bill.

Barring a late entry, this is the pool of GOP Gubernatorial candidates. It’s obvious that not a single one cares about Minnesota’s citizens as they continue to support Trumpcare. And worse, most don’t have the guts to speak up against it.

 


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