To the editor,

In May at a rally, Derrick Van Orden told a constituent: “There's not going to be cuts to Medicare and Medicaid."  Lying to us is part of how Van Orden sells us out and why we need to vote him out of office.

Many people don’t know that Derrick Van Orden voted for the 2025 tax bill called One Big Beautiful Bill - it should have been called One Big Brutal Bill -  that cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid health insurance permanently, in order to give a big tax break to the wealthiest people and the largest corporations in the country. Van Orden's vote will harm low-income children, pregnant women, adults (including elderly adults), and people with disabilities in Wisconsin. 

I’m a senior citizen on a fixed income, on Medicare and in cancer treatment. One of my cancer drugs costs about $14,000 per month, another costs about $40,000 per month. In July the federal administration announced an end to a subsidy program to help reduce Medicare drug plan premiums, increasing the cost of prescription drugs for seniors who rely on Medicare. The Wall Street Journal reports that about 45% of Medicare beneficiaries will see an annual increase in drug costs. 

We’re all seeing increases for gas, groceries, housing, and healthcare –  whether we’re on Medicaid, or Medicare, or not –  it’s very scary; we can’t afford to live our lives.

Van Orden did not step up, stand up or fight for his constituents in the face of devastating cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. He is afraid. He is silent. He grovels and he sells us out, while handing us lies like: “There's not going to be cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.”

We deserve better. This Nov. 3, vote to end Van Orden’s time in office. 

Jo Haberman

Maiden Rock