Governor Tom Wolf wants Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to see the Pennsylvania impact of the Affordable Care Act during the upcoming GOP strategy session in Philadelphia.
In a letter to Ryan’s office, Wolf invited Ryan to accompany him on a visit to an opioid treatment center to focus on the benefits of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion.
“We can all agree that the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is not perfect. However, the ACA allowed me to expand Medicaid here in Pennsylvania which gave 700,000 more people insurance coverage. Through Medicaid expansion, 63,000 Pennsylvanians suffering from addiction accessed drug and alcohol treatment,” Wolf wrote.
“I hope you can join me to see firsthand how this epidemic is hurting the state you visit this week and how access to treatment through Medicaid is keeping people alive.”
Wolf has made the opioid epidemic a major focus of his administration. Along with other Democratic statewide elected officials, he vocally opposes repeal of the ACA as well as proposals to shift Medicaid to a block grant program.
According to the release, Wolf offered to adjust his schedule to be able to hold the visit while Ryan is in Philadelphia this week for the Congressional GOP’s retreat, and additionally invited him to a previously scheduled visit to a Philadelphia treatment center on January 30th.
PoliticsPA is seeking comment from Ryan’s office.
7 Responses
Wolf needs to put Ryan IN the drug treatment center.
Does anyone know if Ryan accepted?
http://paulryan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398595
Ryan cares about the epidemic.
Cut off the opiate supply. The easy availability of the drug is the main of the problem. How are people getting it?
Take Trump instead, and leave him there for treatment.
I don’t think touting heroin programs made possible by the ACA is really a god way to drum up support. Of all the tone-deaf things to come up with, especially since a portion of the population thinks opioid addictions are never permanently treatable.
What Wolf needs is to round up a bunch of Republicans with pre-existing conditions and show how the overall costs to both them and society have gone down. Or something.
Bragging about heroin programs. Smh…
“THE RYAN” lol check before you publish