U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Congratulates Milwaukee on Winning the White House Healthy Communities Challenge

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today congratulated the City of Milwaukee on winning the White House Healthy Communities Challenge. Milwaukee finished first in the contest among 20 communities across the country competing to enroll the most uninsured residents during the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) open enrollment period for health coverage in 2016.

“I’m so proud that Milwaukee won the President’s Healthy Communities Challenge. This award is an example of the strong dedication from our community leaders and advocates, including Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Chris Abele, who came together to make the Affordable Care Act work for Milwaukee and to help improve the health and economic security of Wisconsinites,” said Senator Baldwin. “Thanks to all of the hard work done in Milwaukee, more Wisconsin families now have the quality, affordable health coverage that they need and deserve. This recognition proves that the Affordable Care Act is working for Wisconsin.”

Milwaukee won the White House Healthy Communities Challenge with over 38,000 people in the Milwaukee area newly selecting a plan through the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace. In total, during the 2016 open enrollment period, over 89,000 people in the Milwaukee area and nearly 240,000 individuals across Wisconsin signed up for quality, affordable coverage through the ACA’s Marketplace.

The White House launched the Healthy Communities Challenge to engage key communities with large numbers or high percentages of uninsured in states across the country where strong federal, state and community collaboration can have a meaningful impact on reaching the uninsured. In winning the Healthy Communities Challenge, Milwaukee will receive a visit from President Obama to celebrate their success in the coming months. Milwaukee was joined by Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, and Oakland, CA in finishing in the top five of the White House Challenge.