October 2020

Virtual Tour “Hit the Road” for Events with U.S. Senate Candidates Captain Mark Kelly and Dr. Al Gross and Elected Officials in Arizona and Alaska

On the fourth week of Protect Our Care’s 16-state “Your Health, Your Vote” virtual bus tour, Protect Our Care held events in Arizona and Alaska. During each stop, U.S. Senate candidates, elected leaders, health care advocates and storytellers from each state met in a virtual format to discuss President Trump’s complete mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic and highlight the danger of allowing President Trump to pick the next Supreme Court justice. California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, will be heard one week after the election. If successful, the lawsuit would take away protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and rip coverage away from over 20 million Americans in the middle of a pandemic.

To date, bus tour stops have included:

• Three United States Senate candidates including Speaker Sara Gideon (ME), Captain Mark Kelly (AZ) and Dr. Al Gross (AL)
• Four United States Senate Democrats including Senators Bob Casey (PA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Tina Smith (MN)
• Seven Democratic Members of Congress including Reps. Matt Cartwright (PA-08), Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Dean Phillips (MN-03), Cindy Axne (IA-03), Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) and Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01)

ARIZONA

Tuesday, October 6, 2020: Protect Our Care’s nationwide virtual “Your Health, Your Vote” tour arrived in Arizona to highlight Republicans’ ongoing war on health care and failed coronavirus response. Headlined by Congressman Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01), United States Senate candidate Captain Mark Kelly, State Senator Jamescita Peshlakai, and Dr. Hiral Tipirneni, the event highlighted how Trump’s health care sabotage, including a lawsuit to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act during a pandemic, would impact Arizona’s care. They also called on Martha McSally to denounce Trump’s war on health care and discussed Democrats’ agenda to improve health care and lower costs for Americans.

Watch the Event Here

Coverage

Tucson Local Media: O’Halleran, Democrats Keep Campaign Focus on Health Care Issues

AZ Central: ‘A Pretty Lethal Pandemic’: Arizona Deaths Have Spiked 22% So Far This Year

ALASKA

Wednesday, October 7, 2020: Protect Our Care’s nationwide virtual “Your Health, Your Vote” tour arrived in Alaska to highlight how Republicans’ ongoing war on health care and failed coronavirus response has left Alaskans at risk. Headlined by Dr. Al Gross, a former orthopedic surgeon and candidate for the US Senate, the event highlighted how Trump’s health care sabotage, including a lawsuit to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act during a pandemic, would impact Alaskans’ care. Speakers also called on Senator Dan Sullivan to denounce Trump’s war on health care and discussed Democrats’ agenda to improve health care and lower costs for Americans.

Watch the Event Here

Washington, DC — Today, reports indicated that the Trump administration is “scrambling” to send seniors $200 drug coupons to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs after President Trump announced this blatant political ploy last month. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“Donald Trump is attempting to bribe American seniors with taxpayer dollars to boost his flailing campaign after doing nothing for the last four years to meaningfully lower the cost of prescription drugs. President Trump has refused to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower prices — the single most effective way to make prescription drugs more affordable. Moreover, this hastily-conceived plan would raid the funding for Medicare, which was already at risk with his payroll tax cut plan. With 26 days to go until Election Day, these ‘drug coupons’ are nothing more than a blatant stunt from a president who threatens the lives of seniors every day by his disastrous mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic and his reckless war on Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, which millions of seniors depend on every day.”

Read the Report Here

Washington, DC — As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report showing the disproportionate impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on Hispanic communities. These worsening disparities are the result of Donald Trump’s failed leadership and his never-ending attacks on health care, including his lawsuit to completely overturn the Affordable Care Act in court that would be especially devastating to Hispanics. If successful, this lawsuit would throw our entire health care system into chaos — including further exacerbating the health disparities revealed by this new report. 

Report: Trump’s Failed Coronavirus Response Has Taken A Devastating Toll On Hispanic Communities Nationwide

“Time and time again, President Trump has failed Hispanic people in our country,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “This new report shows just how much the president’s failure to take decisive action and downplaying of the virus has disproportionately impacted Hispanic communities who already face systemic barriers to health care. Not only that, one week after the election, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act will be before the Supreme Court. The ACA has helped close health care coverage gaps for vulnerable populations. Trump’s continuous attacks on health care have only made health disparities worse.” 

Washington, DC — During tonight’s debate, Vice President Mike Pence failed to answer a basic question about how he and President Trump would protect people with pre-existing conditions and waved away concerns about Senate Republicans rushing to confirm anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. In response Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:

“As President Trump’s Vice President, Mike Pence is responsible for the administration’s war on health care. Pence has cheered on Trump’s relentless attacks on Americans’ health care including multiple attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. When those attempts were unsuccessful, Pence supported the Trump-Republican lawsuit to completely dismantle the ACA. That case will be heard before the Supreme Court one week after the election, and if successful, would rip health care from more than 20 million Americans and remove protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions in the middle of a pandemic. Now, Pence is leading the White House effort to rush through the nomination of anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett. What we saw from Mike Pence tonight was a concerted effort to hide his health care record and an inability to answer even a basic question about how he and President Trump would protect people with pre-existing conditions. The truth is he has been complicit in President’s Trump endless health care sabotage.”

BACKGROUND:

Why the ACA Is the Gold Standard for Protecting People with Pre-Existing Conditions

Trump’s Lawsuit to Overturn the Affordable Care Act Would Eliminate Protections for 135 Million People with Pre-Existing Conditions — and, Despite Claims to the Contrary, Republicans Have No Plan If the Law is Struck Down

Before the election, the Senate plans to rush through President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court before voters have a chance to make their voices heard. President Trump and his enablers in the Senate see the nomination of Judge Coney Barrett as their opportunity to accomplish what they haven’t been able to do legislatively — completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act and its protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions. One week after the election, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit that if successful, would overturn the ACA and throw our entire health care system into chaos. Trump and Senate Republicans want to tilt the balance of the court ahead of the lawsuit in their favor, and Judge Coney Barrett is their best chance to do it. Ending protections for people with pre-existing conditions is extremely unpopular with voters, so Senate Republicans and Trump have been scrambling to obscure their record and say they support these protections, but these lies are clearly just another election year stunt to try to distract voters from their decade-long war on health care. The reality is, they are in court trying to overturn the ACA — the gold standard for protecting people with pre-existing conditions.  

KEY POINTS

• Thanks to the ACA, 135 million Americans are protected from discrimination in the individual marketplaces, so regardless of their job status or state of residence, they will be able to access quality coverage without being charged more for having a pre-existing condition. If the ACA is overturned, these protections will be ripped away overnight, and in the middle of a pandemic. 
• Over seven million Americans have already tested positive for coronavirus and would likely be deemed as having a pre-existing condition without the ACA. If the law is overturned, the millions of Americans who have contracted the virus would be at the mercy of their insurance companies who could refuse to pay for needed care. Because of Donald Trump’s failure to respond to the coronavirus crisis, the number of Americans with coronavirus is only increasing, with roughly a million cases being reported every month. 
• Despite claims made to the contrary, the ACA includes key protections for people with employer-based coverage, including guaranteed free preventive care, bans on annual and lifetime caps on coverage, and out-of-pocket limits for patients.
• The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates the importance of the ACA. An estimated 12 million people have lost employer-sponsored coverage and experts say an overwhelming majority have been able to get covered under the ACA — through the marketplaces or through Medicaid expansion. Every single one of these individuals now relies on the ACA’s protections for pre-existing conditions. We cannot return to the days where, if people lost their job, they would lose access to quality, affordable health care at a time they need it the most. 

For the full report, click here. 

Voters in Arizona, Iowa and Colorado Name Health Care as a Top Priority

Washington, DC — A new Change Research poll on behalf of Protect Our Care released today shows voters in states with competitive Senate races overwhelmingly disapprove of the Trump-Republican lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act that would rip coverage from more than 20 million Americans and remove protections for more than 135 million people with a pre-existing condition. Despite this, Republican senators continue to rush through President Trump’s anti-ACA nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, expecting she will be the deciding vote to eliminate the entire ACA in the middle of a pandemic. Voters in Arizona, Iowa and Colorado identify health care as a top issue in November, especially seniors. Overall, voters in these states trust the Democratic candidates for Senate on health care over the Republican incumbents who have been supporting President Trump’s war on the Affordable Care Act. 

“Voters overwhelmingly reject the Trump-Republican lawsuit to completely eliminate the ACA in the middle of a pandemic. Republican Senators are putting themselves at grave risk by rushing through the nomination of anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett. COVID-19 is in the White House, in the Senate and in the Pentagon, yet Republican Senators are irresponsibly supporting taking away health care from millions of Americans. Voters know President Trump and his Republican allies in the Senate will stop at nothing to rip away their health care and end protections for pre-existing conditions — even during this crisis,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. 

See the full Change Research memo and toplines.

Key Findings:

• Health care is a top factor in determining the outcome of the 2020 race. Voters choose health care as the number two issue in all three states behind the economy and ahead of crime, taxes, and immigration. Independents are in the middle ranking COVID as a top issue along with many others. Seniors in Arizona and Iowa rank health care at the top (46% economy in AZ, 45% health care in AZ, – 50% health care, 47% economy in IA) and second in Colorado (44% economy, 39% health care, 39% Supreme Court vacancy). The voters who select health care as a top issue are overwhelmingly supporting the Democratic senate candidate – 71% for 25% Mark Kelly in Arizona, 81% to 14% for John Hickenlooper in Colorado, and 69% to 23% for Theresa Greenfield in Iowa.
• Majorities of voters in these key swing states disapprove of the Trump Administration lawsuit at the Supreme Court that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act. In Arizona, 53% disapprove of this lawsuit while just 41% approve of it. Voters in Colorado (55% disapprove, 40% approve) and Iowa (52% disapprove, 43% approve) feel similarly. Most of those who disapprove of this lawsuit strongly disapprove of it (49% in AZ, 52% in CO, and 47% in Iowa). Women, in particular, hate this lawsuit as 60% in Arizona, 64% in Colorado, and 63% in Iowa disapprove of it. Independents in Arizona (20% approve-71% disapprove) and Iowa (32% approve-51% disapprove) oppose this lawsuit.
• Republicans, Independents, and Democrats all strongly support a variety of proposals on health care, proposals that the Trump Administration’s upcoming lawsuit in front of the Supreme Court puts at risk. This includes giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices, guaranteeing insurance companies cannot charge women more than men, guaranteeing insurance companies cannot charge higher premiums to those with pre-existing conditions, prohibiting insurance companies from charging older Americans up to five times more than younger Americans, and prohibiting insurance companies from putting a lifetime cap on benefits. Not only do voters support these proposals overall, more than 70% strongly support them. President Trump is out of step even with his own party — three-quarters or more of Republicans in all three states support these proposals.
• Voters trust the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate over their Republican opponents on health care policies most important to voters. Voters trust Democrats the most on protecting Medicare, protecting those with pre-existing conditions, and making health care more affordable and accessible. Voters also place their faith in Mark Kelly, John Hickenlooper, and Theresa Greenfield more than Martha McSally, Cory Gardner, and Joni Ernst to safely reopen schools and the economy, underscoring how poorly these sitting Republican senators have responded to the challenges of our time.

Read the Report Here

Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report detailing the impact that overturning the Affordable Care Act would have on people with pre-existing conditions. The report comes as Senate Republicans work to obscure their records on pre-existing conditions protections by voting for meaningless bills in an effort to falsely reassure voters. At the same time, Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm President Trump’s anti-ACA nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, so she will be on the court to rule on California v. Texas, the lawsuit to dismantle the ACA. The court will hear oral arguments in the case one week after the election, and if successful, the Trump-Republican lawsuit would remove protections for more than 135 million Americans with a pre-existing condition.

Report: Why the ACA Is the Gold Standard for Protecting People with Pre-Existing Conditions

“This report shows the Affordable Care Act is the gold standard for making sure people with pre-existing conditions can get the health care coverage they need,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Republicans can’t credibly claim to want to protect people with pre-existing conditions and simultaneously work to repeal the ACA. The ACA protects more than 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, and Republicans are desperate to hide that they want to overturn the law in the middle with a pandemic with no plan to keep our entire health care system from falling into chaos.”

Ads Target Senators Cory Gardner, Martha McSally, Joni Ernst, Thom Tillis and Lindsey Graham on Their Rush to Confirm Anti-ACA Supreme Court Justice 

Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care is expanding its ad campaign targeting Senate Republicans calling on them to let the next President pick the next Supreme Court Justice and stop their rush to confirm President Trump’s anti-ACA Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Judge Barrett has a history of opposing the Affordable Care Act, and it’s clear that Trump is trying to tilt the balance of the court in his favor ahead of oral arguments in his lawsuit to dismantle the ACA, one week after election day. If Trump’s lawsuit is successful, it will end protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and rip coverage from more than 23 million people. Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are rushing through the confirmations of Judge Amy Coney Barrett in an effort to throw the entire American health care system into chaos by overturning the ACA in the middle of a pandemic. 

Watch Your Health Care Is On The Line: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina and South Carolina

“One week after the election, the Supreme Court will hear the Trump-Republican lawsuit that would end protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and rip coverage from more than 23 million people in the middle of a raging pandemic. These Republicans’ vote for Trump’s justice is a vote to take away peoples’ health care and they know it,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. 

Script for Your Health Care Is On The Line

The next Supreme Court justice will decide whether 135 million Americans lose protections for pre-existing conditions and over 20 million people lose their health care. 

The winner of the presidential election should pick the next justice — but Martha McSally disagrees.

She wants to rush a justice onto the court who will repeal our health care.

Call Senator Martha McSally and tell her that the next president should pick the next Supreme Court justice. 

Virtual Tour “Hit the Road” for Events with Members of Congress and Elected Officials in Iowa and Maine

On the third week of Protect Our Care’s 16-state “Your Health, Your Vote” virtual bus tour Protect Our Care held events in Iowa and Maine. During each stop, elected leaders, health care advocates and storytellers from each state met in a virtual format to discuss President Trump’s complete mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic and highlight the danger of allowing President Trump to pick the next Supreme Court justice. California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, will be heard one week after the election. If successful, the lawsuit would take away protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and rip coverage away from over 20 million Americans in the middle of a pandemic.

IOWA

Thursday, October 1, 2020: Protect Our Care’s nationwide virtual “Your Health, Your Vote” tour arrived in Iowa to highlight Republicans’ ongoing war on health care and failed coronavirus response. Headlined by former Sen. Tom Harkin along with U.S. Representatives Cindy Axne (IA-03) and Abby Finkenauer (IA-01), the event highlighted how Trump’s health care sabotage, including a lawsuit to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act during a pandemic, would impact Iowans’ care. They also called on Sen. Joni Ernst to denounce Trump’s war on health care and discussed Democrats’ agenda to improve health care and lower costs for Americans.

Watch the Event Here

MAINE

Friday, October 2, 2020: This morning, Protect Our Care’s nationwide virtual “Your Health, Your Vote” tour arrived in Maine to highlight Republicans’ ongoing war on health care and failed coronavirus response. Headlined by Maine Speaker of the House Sara Gideon and Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, the event highlighted how Trump’s health care sabotage, including a lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act during a pandemic, would impact Mainers’ care. They also called on Sen. Susan Collins to denounce Trump’s war on health care and discussed Democrats’ agenda to improve health care and lower costs for Americans.

Watch the Event Here

Washington, DC — Today, Senate Republicans voted to support President Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in California v. Texas one week after the election. If Trump and the Republicans get their way, the court will include nominee Amy Coney Barrett who has already publicly expressed her opposition to the ACA. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement: 

“Make no mistake, Senate Republicans voted today to take away your health care and rip away protections for people with pre-existing conditions. By blocking this bill by Senate Democrats, the Republicans voted in support of President Trump’s lawsuit to dismantle the ACA and rip health care from more than 20 million Americans and end protections for 135 million people with pre-existing conditions. Senate Republicans can no longer hide from voters where they stand on health care. They have voted time and again to repeal the ACA. They are rushing to confirm an anti-ACA Supreme Court nominee to tilt the balance of the court in favor of overturning the law. And now, they have voted to support Trump’s lawsuit to get rid of the ACA in the middle of a pandemic. This vote proves they are on board with President Trump’s disastrous health care sabotage record. A Republican vote against this bill serves as a clear endorsement of DOJ’s effort to strike down the ACA.”