Affordability is the KEY word I'm hearing!

As I travel around South Dakota, I continue to hear from South Dakotans struggling to pay for healthcare and worrying about affording the medicine they need. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration and Congress continue to take us in the wrong direction – driving up the cost of health care and increasing the number of uninsured Americans. We need a Congress that will stop these disastrous cuts.

Last week, the Trump Administration announced plans to end subsidies that limit premium increases for Medicare Part D, which provides prescription drug coverage to seniors and those with disabilities. The subsidies will end beginning in 2027. This will have devastating effects on our families, friends, and neighbors.

Nearly one in five South Dakotans is age 65 or older, and many rely on Medicare to afford lifesaving medications. Our seniors worked their entire lives paying for Medicare, expecting to utilize the program when needed. This is coming at a time when families are already struggling with the cost of groceries, housing, utilities, and health care. These consistent drops in care are just more tone-deaf moves by the

administration. News of Medicare cuts came in the same week that hospital executives expressed growing concern over the rising number of uninsured Americans who were seeking care. The cuts resulted in premiums increasing by 58% and deductibles increasing over 37% for Marketplace plans nationwide. As a result, 3 million fewer Americans are covered through the Marketplace this year. Almost 75% of Americans now say they worry about affording necessary health care.

South Dakota seniors, farmers, and small business owners shouldn’t have to lie awake at night, worrying whether they can afford the care that keeps them alive and healthy. They deserve a representative in Washington who will protect Medicare, work to lower prescription drug prices, constrain rising health care costs, and fight to ensure South Dakotans can rest easy knowing that the healthcare they deserve is within reach.