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June 2018

Trump Tweets Reveal President’s Complete Disregard for Americans’ Care

This morning, President Donald Trump sent out tone-deaf tweets about the ongoing Republican war on health care, writing: “We had Repeal & Replace done … except for one person” and falsely bragging that “drug prices coming down.” The President’s tweets also boasted about the tax bill’s repeal of the requirement that most Americans buy health insurance, which is forcing up premiums across the country, and about the junk plan proposal that’s being blasted by 95% of health care groups. In response, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“President Trump’s tweets this morning prove yet again his utter disregard for the heath care of the American people, his ignorance or blatant dishonesty about the damage Republican sabotage is inflicting on coverage and premiums, and that he is oblivious to the political damage his repeal-and-sabotage agenda has inflicted on his own party.

“Repeal wasn’t only rejected by one Senator, but by millions of Americans who don’t want to return to a system where millions of people can’t afford coverage, where insurance companies can discriminate based on gender and pre-existing conditions, and where premiums are skyrocketing because of his actions. And while Trump pines for another shot, Republican leaders in Congress are avoiding a return to repeal like the plague because it is a sure political loser at a time when they are already receiving blame for impending premium increases due to their continued sabotage of the health care system.

“But none of this will deter a President hellbent on devastating American health care.  In fact, President Trump intends to finalize his Administration’s junk plan proposal to push skimpy plans that don’t have to cover essential care like prescription drugs, hospitalization, and maternity care, even though it’s being blasted by over 95% of health care groups, including the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. The American people and even members of his own party are sick and tired of President Trump’s relentless war on American health care. It’s time he finally got the message – though we won’t be holding our breath.”   

 

New CBS Battleground Poll: Health Care Top Issue for Independent, Democratic and Republican Midterm Voters

A new CBS Battleground survey confirms what dozens of recent polls indicate: health care is a top issue for voters of all political stripes in the upcoming midterms.

Key results from today’s poll of competitive-district midterm voters:

  • A majority of Independents (62%), Democrats (81%), and Republicans (52%) want to hear candidates talk about health care “a lot” on the campaign trail. 
  • More than twice as many voters say recent “changes to health care laws made by the Republican Congress” have hurt their health care coverage and costs (25%) compared to those who believe it has helped (10%).

Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse said: “Poll after poll continues to confirm that health care is a burning-hot issue in the midterm elections. Republicans will bear self-inflicted wounds because of the party’s obsession with repealing and sabotaging health care instead of working on bipartisan solutions to address skyrocketing costs. Today’s numbers show that constituents of all political stripes are paying close attention to the fallout of the Republican war on health care.”

Read the full CBS Battleground results.

Protect Our Care Statement on National Cancer Survivors Day

Washington, D.C. – Today, as Americans across the country recognize National Cancer Survivors Day, the Trump Administration and Washington Republicans continue to threaten crucial pre-existing condition protections that allow millions of survivors to access coverage and care. Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following the statement:

“On National Cancer Survivors Day, we recognize the millions of American cancer survivors and support those currently battling this disease. We all have a friend, family member, co-worker, or neighbor who has faced cancer, and we all want to make sure they have the regular doctor visits necessary to defeat cancer or keep it in remission.

“But Washington Republicans continue to push policies that will make life harder, not easier, for those battling cancer. Just this week, Republican Senators started pushing yet another bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, with a proposal that allows states to waive protections for people with pre-existing conditions like cancer and paves the way for re-implementation of lifetime limits on coverage. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is trying to let insurance companies sell short-term junk plans that can refuse to enroll people with a history of cancer and pick and choose which services to cover, including even basic care like hospitalization and prescription drugs.

“Today, as we celebrate the courageous Americans in our lives who have faced cancer, let us also reaffirm our commitment to a health care system that works for them, not against them.”

BACKGROUND

Since taking office, President Trump has unveiled two budgets with massive cuts to the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health; hosted a White House celebration for a GOP bill the American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network said contained ‘numerous provisions [which] would adversely impact access to adequate and affordable health insurance coverage for cancer patients and survivors’; and signed legislation repealing the individual mandate, which ACS-CAN explained ‘leaves cancer patients, survivors and all those with serious illnesses at risk of being priced out of the individual health insurance market.’ On Friday, the Community Alliance of Oncologists filed a lawsuit against the Trump White House Office of Management and Budget and HHS to stop the Administration’s proposed Medicare drug reimbursement cuts, noting that Trump’s recent prescription drug proposal would harm cancer patients.