January 2023

This week, we spotlight the recent 7th Annual Day of Racial Healing, new academic initiatives to build the workforce of the future, state and local-level action to promote equity, academic-industry partnerships to generate better information to guide ongoing health promotion efforts, and new national research that underscores the urgency of these issues. 

Addressing systemic racial, ethnic, and other inequities in health is among the most pressing issues in America. The causes of these inequities, and the corresponding actions needed to tackle them head on, are multi-faceted. As it stands, marginalized communities, including people of color, rural Americans, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities, face worse access to quality, affordable health coverage, which contributes to dangerous health outcomes.

Protect Our Care is dedicated to making high-quality, affordable and equitable health care a right, and not a privilege, for everyone in America. 

7TH ANNUAL NATIONAL DAY OF RACIAL HEALING 

EIN Newswire: The National Collaborative for Health Equity Launches New Scholarly Papers on Racial Health Equity to Mark the 7th Annual National Day of Racial Healing. “Celebrating the 7th annual National Day of Racial Healing, the National Collaborative for Health Equity (NCHE) today released an inspiring roundtable discussion with NCHE Senior Scholars on striving for racial equity and announced the launch of their new podcast series, NCHE PRESENTS: Leaders Pursuing Health Equity In America. It was seven years ago today that the National Day of Racial Healing was launched by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation as part of a comprehensive framework that calls for acknowledgement of the pain caused by racism and provides concrete methods of healing the wounds of the past and moving forward towards racial equity in our communities. The next issue of Health Equity, which will be published on January 20, 2023, will include articles by the NCHE Senior Scholars. Their work aligns with the pillars of a framework that engages communities, organizations, and individuals from multiple sectors across the United States in racial healing and addressing present-day inequities linked to historic and contemporary beliefs in a hierarchy of human value.” [EIN Newswire, 1/17/23]

Every Child Thrives: Calls for Solidarity After the National Day of Racial Healing. “We celebrated the 7th National Day of Racial Healing this week with millions of others across the country. While a major milestone moment, racial healing is not limited to a single moment in time. Each of us – with our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers and communities – can show up 365 days a year to act on a commitment to racial healing. Perhaps you participated in an event, watched the town hall on MSNBC or Telemundo or discovered new resources. But what’s next? What are some ways you can take action to advance racial healing throughout the year? Engaging with the Solidarity Council on Racial Equity (SCoRE) is a great way to start! Through SCoRE, the Kellogg Foundation works in partnership with global change leaders in advocacy, the arts, business, education, faith and media. Each of these changemakers stands at the forefront of equity in the public arena, and each is celebrated in their professional sphere. SCoRE members draw people toward collaboration in pursuit of healing, racial progress and transformation. They work individually and collaboratively, and stand collectively – inspiring others to dismantle systemic injustice. They demonstrate throughout the year ways each one of us has a role in this effort.” [Every Child Thrives, 1/19/23]

WORKFORCE AND EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES

Nashville Post: Meharry Set to Establish a New School of Public Health. “Meharry Medical College announced Wednesday that it has launched a Global Health Equity Institute. The institute serves as the first step in creating a school for global public health. Meharry is touted as the first historically black college or university to establish such a school, according to a press release. The goal is to open the school by 2026. National Health Equity figure Daniel Dawes will lead the institute and plans to establish the future school. He will also work to earn accreditation and hire 21 faculty members. Dawes was formerly executive director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute, the health equity and advocacy branch of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. He announced his move to Meharry in December. [Nashville Post, 1/19/23]

PR Newswire: Xavier University and Ochsner Health Partner to Create a New HBCU College of Medicine. “The two institutions will create a strong physician pipeline that addresses longstanding inequities within the nation’s health care system and builds the health care workforce of the future. This initiative builds on a long-standing partnership between Ochsner and Xavier that dates to the early 1980s, when Ochsner and Xavier’s College of Pharmacy came together to offer more clinical training sites for pharmacy students. Xavier’s College of Pharmacy is the oldest in Louisiana and has for years been among the top in the nation in producing African American graduates with Doctor of Pharmacy degrees. To launch the College of Medicine, Ochsner and Xavier will form a nonprofit corporation, create a new curriculum and use facilities, personnel, and administrative processes of both institutions. The new College of Medicine will be governed by a board of directors nominated by Ochsner and Xavier, with each institution appointing an equal number of directors.” [PR Newswire, 1/17/23]

Patient Engagement HIT: The Potential of Value-Based Care Models to Create More Equitable Patient Care. “Medical Home Network (MHN) isn’t new to care coordination. For 20 years, the Chicago-based accountable care organization (ACO) has focused on bringing care coordination into the primary care office, using community health workers to provide whole-person care. But now, as a part of the ACO REACH Model, MHN looks forward to a future free from the constraints of fee-for-service and focused on health equity and social determinants of health. CMS launched the ACO REACH (Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health) model in February 2022 as a replacement for the Global and Professional Direct Contracting model. The agency said ACO REACH will promote health equity and address health disparities while centering provider-led organizations. When an organization participates in a capitated value-based care model, it enjoys more freedom to innovate in community-based care. An organization like MHN participating in ACO REACH will be totally focused on outcomes, [Abigail] DeVries said, and less on fee-for-service. DeVries indicated that something like the ACO REACH model is a key solution to ensure traditionally marginalized patients—who mostly visit FQHCs or else get their care from high-acuity settings like the emergency department—would be left behind. But that emphasis on traditionally underserved groups is made evident through certain parameters that participants must hit as part of ACO REACH. For one thing, MHN must report on its health equity data as part of its participation in the model. A separate $250,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will help MHN train unlicensed folks as community health workers to support maternal health coaching efforts. These community health workers will be part of the care team, helping to coach during pregnancy and offering support post-partum.” [Patient Engagement HIT, 1/9/23]

Health Leaders: Duke and Evidation Partner to Combat Inequities in the Digital Health Studies. “Duke University is joining forces with a California-based digital health firm to develop technology to measure health equity in clinical studies. Studies indicate that racial and ethnic minorities only comprise 6% of clinical trial populations, yet account for 28% of the US population. Duke’s BIG IDEAs Lab uses biomedical and health data to create programs for the early detection, intervention, and prevention of disease. This includes projects that highlight ‘improved health monitoring through personalized, real-time risk classification and tailored, remote intervention strategies.’ ‘Inclusion of underserved and underrepresented populations in research and study adherence among all groups are key challenges for enabling patient-centered healthcare,’ added Iredia M. Olaye, PhD, MSc, MHA, a member of Evidation and the Covered By Group investment and advisory firm.” [Health Leaders, 1/17/23]

Healthcare Innovation: Notre Dame and Accenture Launch New Health Equity Data Lab. “On Jan. 4, South Bend, Ind.-based University of Notre Dame announced via a press release it is partnering with Accenture to launch a health equity data lab. ‘With the support of a gift from Accenture, the first undertaking for the lab is the Accenture Health Equity Data project, led by Nitesh Chawla, the institute’s founding director and the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. Accenture has also committed to a fundraising campaign with its employees and alumni, including those who have ties to Notre Dame, over a three-year period.’ The Accenture Health Equity Data project will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to address healthcare challenges. The project will convene a business forum of leaders that include academics, government, corporations, and non-governmental organizations to talk about specific community healthcare inequities and solutions.” [Healthcare Innovation, 1/9/23]

CHALLENGES

Health Affairs: New Study Shows Inequities of Care Along Racial Lines for Medicare Recipients Struggling with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders. “Medicare introduced cost-sharing parity for outpatient MHSUD care during the period 2010–14, reducing beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket share of MHSUD spending from 50 percent to 20 percent. Among traditional Medicare beneficiaries ages sixty-five and older, we examined changes in MHSUD use and spending during the period 2008–18 for low-income beneficiaries with the cost-sharing reduction versus a control group of beneficiaries with free care throughout the study period among Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian/Alaska Native versus White beneficiaries. Among older Medicare beneficiaries, overall use of MHSUD services increased during this period. For White beneficiaries, MHSUD cost-sharing parity was associated with an increased likelihood of having specialty MHSUD visits and medication use and a reduced likelihood of having unmonitored MHSUD medication use and MHSUD emergency department visits and hospitalizations. However, cost-sharing parity was associated with smaller or no gains in MHSUD services use for racial and ethnic minority beneficiaries compared with White beneficiaries, thus widening racial and ethnic disparities in MHSUD care.” [Health Affairs, 1/9/23]

CBS News: Trans Patients Are Struggling to Find Doctors in Rural America. “Accurately counting the number of transgender people in rural America is hindered by a lack of U.S. census data and uniform state data. However, the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ issues, used 2014-17 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from selected ZIP codes in 35 states to estimate that roughly 1 in 6 transgender adults in the U.S. live in a rural area. When that report was released in 2019, there were an estimated 1.4 million transgender people 13 and older nationwide. That number is now at least 1.6 million, according to the Williams Institute, a nonprofit think tank at the UCLA School of Law. One in 3 trans people in rural areas experienced discrimination by a health care provider in the year leading up to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey Report, according to an analysis by MAP. Additionally, a third of all trans individuals report having to teach their doctor about their health care needs to receive appropriate care, and 62% worry about being negatively judged by a health care provider because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to data collected by the Williams Institute and other organizations. A lack of local rural providers knowledgeable in trans care can mean long drives to gender-affirming clinics in metropolitan areas. Rural trans people are three times as likely as all transgender adults to travel 25 to 49 miles for routine care.” [CBS News, 1/20/23]

Axios: Mothers in States Which Have Banned Abortion Almost Three Times As Likely to Die. “The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, and government officials and health experts are concerned that conditions will worsen now that a federal right to abortion has been struck down. The Gender Equity Policy Institute divided states into three groups — supportive of abortion access, restrictive and banned — and compared data on reproductive health outcomes between 2015 and 2021. 29 states were in the ‘banned’ and ‘restrictive categories’ and 21 states and the District of Columbia were in the ‘supportive’ category. The report found that maternal mortality rates in states with bans was “significantly higher” than in supportive states. In 2018, the maternal mortality rate in banned states was nearly two times higher than in supportive states, by 2021, it was 2.4 times higher. Maternal mortality weighed heaviest on women of color: Native American women’s maternal mortality rates were 4.5 times higher than those of white women and Black women’s rates were 2.6 times the rate of white women.” [Axios, 1/19/23]

Fatherly: Wealthiest Black Moms Are More Likely to Die During Childbirth Than the Poorest White Moms. “When women in America suffer, Black women suffer the most. Never is this truer than when it comes to pregnancy, where staggering racial disparities in maternal and infant health represent an ongoing public health crisis in dire need of solutions. Here, in the only industrialized country where overall maternal mortality is rising, Black women remain between three and four times more likely than their white or Hispanic counterparts to die from pregnancy-related complications. And although Black women suffer above-average rates of pregnancy-related complications such as preeclampsia, uterine fibroids, and preterm birth, they’re also less likely to have access to quality care, creating a double-edged sword with compounding factors on both sides. A new study finds that even the wealthiest Black women are unable to escape this harm. In fact, the effects caused by structural racism are so strong that even the wealthiest Black women and their newborns experience worse outcomes than those from the lowest-income white families. In other words, the maternal health gap is a trap of systemic racism with roots so deep that no amount of money can buy a Black woman a path out of it. And because the data used in the study all came from California, a state that regularly lands way above national averages for different maternal health metrics, these trends are likely to also be true elsewhere in the country — and may even be more exaggerated in other states.” [Fatherly, 1/7/23]

Healio: Social Factors Linked to Health Disparities in Black and White Prostate Cancer Patient Outcomes. “A relationship between race and social determinants of health contributed to significantly higher prostate cancer-specific morality among Black men in the United States, results of a meta-analysis in JAMA Network Open showed. Previous studies of Black men in the U.S. with prostate cancer showed consistent disparities in social determinants of health that have been associated with poorer health care outcomes, according to Randy A. Vince Jr., MD, MS, of University Hospitals Urology Institute and UH Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, and colleagues. The study population comprised 1,019,908 men (median age, 66.4 years; interquartile range [IQR], 64.8-69), including 843,880 white men and 176,028 Black men. [T]he investigators observed significant interactions between race and social determinants of health for both PCSM (regression coefficient = –0.041; 95% CI, –0.059 to 0.023) and OS (meta-regression coefficient = –0.017; 95% CI, –0.033 to –0.002).” [Healio, 1/11/23]

Washington Post: Natural Disasters Further Emphasizing Racial Health Disparities in Cities Like Buffalo. “The recent Christmas blizzard in Buffalo was one for the ages, dropping more than 50 inches of snow — and putting the city over 100 inches for the season, a bit more than its average annual total. Now many Buffalo residents are making legitimate complaints about how unevenly the weather and the snow have affected Black and White residents. Most tragically, Black people have been overrepresented among the dead. Community leaders point out that Buffalo’s whiter neighborhoods and suburbs were better prepared for the weather. And in the aftermath of the storm, their streets were cleared of snow more quickly than those in Black neighborhoods. Great Lakes cities are as familiar with segregation as they are with snow. The region is well-represented on lists of the country’s most segregated cities, especially when it comes to Black-White segregation. To be sure, the Rust Belt is not the only part of the United States with separate neighborhoods for Blacks and Whites. Crises have exposed similar disparities in the South and West — for example, Houston’s uneven recovery from Hurricane Harvey and the decades-in-the-making water crisis in Jackson, Miss. Clearly, unequal support for Black and White neighborhoods is not uniquely a Buffalo problem. Nor can it be solved simply by electing Black leaders. Buffalo has had a Black mayor, Byron Brown, since 2006. Black voters have long since learned that solving a systemic problem requires far more than changing who’s in office.” [Washington Post, 12/31/22]

Washington DC — News reports indicate President Joe Biden is expected to name Jeff Zients as his next chief of staff. Zients gained his reputation as a strong, skilled manager after running the Biden administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and serving in key positions in the Obama administration, including Acting OMB Director and Director of the National Economic Council. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“Jeff Zients is an outstanding choice for the next White House chief of staff. Ron Klain is stepping down after helping lead the Biden administration through two years of historic accomplishments, including by delivering the most important health care reform since the Affordable Care Act. Jeff is the right choice to lead the next stage of President Biden’s highly successful presidency. I’ve had the privilege of working with Jeff in both the Obama and Biden administrations and have seen firsthand Jeff’s ability to navigate the most difficult challenges, inspire teams, and deliver for the American people. 

“When President Biden took office, Jeff fearlessly led the COVID-19 task force, helping get shots in arms and steering the country through the public health crisis. His work saved hundreds of thousands of lives. In the Obama administration, he led the effort to get the ACA website to fully deliver on the promise of expanding affordable health care for all Americans. He was an integral part of the president’s economic team and brought jobs and growth across the country.  We look forward to working with Jeff to make health care better, more affordable, and more equitable, and to stop Republican efforts to gut the ACA, the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicaid, and Medicare.”

Coverage is More Affordable Than Ever Before Thanks to President Biden and Democrats in Congress

The 2023 open enrollment period came to a close on Sunday and record numbers of Americans signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, by January 7, 2023, almost 16 million people had enrolled, including 3.1 million who are new to using the marketplace. This total is expected to grow as final enrollment numbers are expected in the coming weeks. Already the nation’s uninsured rate is at the lowest it has ever been in history at 8 percent.

While Republicans have spent years trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, President Biden and Democrats delivered on their promise to protect and expand it. They have passed the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act, which made health care through the ACA marketplaces more affordable than ever before. The Biden administration also funded the Navigator program with the single-largest investment ever to help connect even more people to coverage, with a focus on outreach to racial and ethnic minorities, people in rural areas, LGBTQ+ people, and other underserved communities. The family glitch, which previously blocked millions of families from receiving affordable coverage under the ACA, was also eliminated, allowing an estimated 200,000 uninsured Americans to gain coverage and save hundreds of dollars each month on health premiums.

The expanded tax credits extended through the Inflation Reduction Act reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket premiums for millions of Americans and are also available for more households than ever before.  According to HHS, 80% of enrollees could find coverage through the Marketplace for $10 or less – putting money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans who now won’t have to make impossible choices between lifesaving coverage and putting food on the table or paying rent. Now, the results are piling in with more Americans gaining access to quality, affordable health care. 

COVERAGE

CNN: Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment Ends Sunday Amid Record Sign-Ups. “Affordable Care Act plans have grown in popularity since 2021, when the Democrats who controlled Congress at the time temporarily enhanced the program’s federal subsidies as part of the coronavirus relief package known as the American Rescue Plan. Lawmakers extended that generous help through 2025 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act – the climate, health care and tax package that became law last summer.” [CNN, 1/13/23]

NPR: More People Than Ever Buy Insurance on Healthcare.gov. “What’s driving the upward trend? The big reason is that the plans are cheaper for people than they used to be. The federal government has pumped billions of dollars in recent years into subsidies to keep costs down for consumers. Health officials say 4 out of 5 enrollees qualify for plans that cost $10 or less per month. And 5 million people who are uninsured qualify for zero dollar premium plans, according to a recent analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.” [NPR, 1/13/23]

Fox News: Almost 16 Million Americans Have Signed Up for Obamacare Plans in 2023. “Nearly 16 million Americans have so far signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, a 13% jump from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday. Enrollment for 2023 healthcare plans under the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, is open between Nov. 1 and Jan. 15. About 3.1 million people who have signed up for the plans are new enrollees, HHS said.” [Fox News, 1/11/23]

Money: Obamacare Enrollment Reaches Record High With Cheaper Plans and ‘Family Glitch’ Fix. “About 5 million uninsured people can enroll in ACA coverage nationwide as a result of these policies, according to a Kaiser analysis. Single young adults, low- and middle-income families, single parents and elderly people are saving thousands of dollars on health insurance.” [Money, 1/17/23]

NPR: 2022 Was a Record High Year for Obamacare Enrollment. “Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News: ‘We’re seeing, you know, close to 16 million people, as you said, and that’s up from, you know, 14 1/2 in 2022, which itself was a record. So this trend appears to be going up. And people who study this say there’s several factors, but probably the biggest one is there are these enhanced subsidies that were first put into effect with the stimulus bill, and then they were extended in the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed in August. And basically, these subsidies help people pay part or even, in some cases, all of their monthly premium.’” [NPR, 1/15/23]

Fierce Healthcare: HHS: Uninsured rates decline for younger Americans from 2019 through 2021. “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report Friday detailing gains in coverage from 2019 through 2021. Officials attributed a decline in the uninsured rate from 11.1% in 2019 to 10.5% in 2021 due to expansions in Medicaid and other gains via the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) marketplace. ” [Fierce Healthcare, 1/11/23]

(GA) Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Decade In, Georgia Aca Signups Reach Record High. “The numbers enrolled for 2023 are still being counted, but could reach 1 million insured Georgians by the time open enrolment closes Sunday at midnight. If it does, approximately 1/10th of the state’s population would be obtaining insurance through the marketplace.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/13/23](NV) Nevada Current (Opinion): Affordable Health Insurance Empowers Us All. “This is just one reason I’m thankful for access to an affordable and accessible health plan through Nevada Health Link, the state’s health insurance marketplace for qualified health and dental plans. Access to affordable, comprehensive health coverage eliminates that fear and allows thousands of Nevadans like me to have the flexibility and freedom to chart our own path while still having the peace of mind to see a doctor as needed.” [Nevada Current, 1/10/23]

Washington DC — This week, Moderna’s CEO announced that the company was considering quadrupling the cost of its COVID-19 vaccine, from $26 per dose to as much as $130 per dose. This egregious price increase will dramatically reduce the number of Americans getting vaccinated, increase hospitalizations and deaths, and raise the cost of health care for millions.

The news comes as Moderna and Pfizer have seen some of their most profitable years ever. Research shows these billions in profits were diverted into executive salaries, legal funds to protect their patents, and stock buybacks — despite the role taxpayer dollars played in the development and roll out of the vaccines. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“Quadrupling the cost of COVID-19 vaccines is the epitome of corporate greed. Higher costs means fewer people will be vaccinated, which will worsen the spread of the virus and increase deaths and hospitalizations. American taxpayers paid for the development of COVID-19 vaccines and now Big Pharma wants hard-working Americans to pay for their profits and executive bonuses. This type of price hike is exactly why legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act is so important, and why we need to build on these policies to rein in Big Pharma’s greed and deliver savings to patients.” 

Billions in Taxpayer Dollars Was Spent on Research and Development

• In all, over $2.5 billion was given to Moderna to research and develop the mRNA vaccine.
• During Operation Warp Speed, the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca-Oxford received nearly $1.2 billion in development funding.
• Although Pfizer claims their vaccine research was all privately funded, around 25 percent of its R&D for their vaccine came from the German government.
• Pfizer as well received $5.7 billion in advanced purchase contracts from the U.S. government that paid for the R&D nearly threefold before the vaccine had even finished development.

The U.S. Government Bought Vaccines at Full Price

• The United States is paying 25 percent more than European countries for Pfizer vaccines and 45 percent more for AstraZeneca.
• Studies suggest that the per-dose cost of COVID-19 vaccines are between two and three dollars, but the U.S. government has had to buy them for $39 per dose from Pfizer and $30 per dose from Moderna.
• In just the first order from the U.S. government, Moderna made over $1.5 billion on vaccine sales.

Profits and Stock Prices Have Increased by Billions

• In 2022 alone, Moderna made nearly $20 billion and Pfizer over $54 billion on vaccine sales alone, with no kind of reinvestment into communities most affected by the virus in the company’s financial plans.
• As vaccines plan to be moved to the private market both Moderna and Pfizer have announced plans to increase prices of the vaccine to over $110 per dose.
• On March 6, 2020 Moderna stocks were priced at $22.61 but as of January 12, 2023 they are priced at over $188, a 732 percent increase.
• Although not as dramatic, the 110 year-old company of Pfizer also saw record breaking stock prices throughout waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executive Salaries Increased to Their Highest Levels

• The CEO of Pfizer has seen a dramatic increase in his own compensation, making nearly $25 million in 2022, over 16 percent more than his compensation at the beginning of the pandemic.
• In 2022, Moderna’s CEO saw a pay jump of over 41 percent from just his compensation the year before with board members citing “unprecedented growth.”
• Both Pfizer and Moderna’s CEOs have made it onto the list tracking the 15 most paid executives in biopharma

New Navigator polling reveals overwhelming bipartisan support for the Inflation Reduction Act’s cap on the price of insulin for seniors. Across political parties, race, and age groups, the support for lowering insulin costs is astoundingly clear. The price cap began on January 1, 2023 and will cap prices for 3.2 million insulin users on Medicare Part D.

As the final negotiations were being made on the Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans in the Senate unified together to make sure that the $35 insulin cap did not apply to every American with diabetes. In a country where 80 percent of diabetics have had to go into debt in order to pay for insulin, this type of action by Republicans reeks of the influence of Big Pharma. This new polling confirms that lawmakers should build on the momentum behind this provision and extend the cap so everyone is guaranteed life-saving insulin at an affordable cost.

Republicans Are Already Working to Dismantle Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security

Today, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy promised Republicans would not defund Medicare and Social Security. 

But check the tape – McCarthy and other Republicans have already made it clear his MAGA House of Representatives will require slashing the Medicare and Social Security that people have earned or they will shut down the government. 

SHOT: “We will always protect Medicare and Social Security” – Kevin McCarthy [@atrupar, 1/12/23]

CHASER: NOVEMBER 2022: Kevin McCarthy Said Medicare And Social Security Cuts Could Be Part Of Debt Limit Negotiations. “Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, who is in line to be House speaker if his party wins control, told Punchbowl News last month he would not ‘predetermine’ whether Social Security and Medicare cuts would be part of debt-limit negotiations. Those comments suggested that, unlike in past negotiations, Republicans could demand future cuts to the programs in order to raise America’s borrowing limit and avoid a default on government debt. Mr. McCarthy later told CNBC that he had not brought up the programs and was committed to ‘strengthening’ them, though he did not provide details.” [New York Times, 11/2/22]

***MEDIA ADVISORY THURSDAY JAN 12TH @ 3:30 PM CST // 4:30 PM EST***

Inflation Reduction Act saving seniors on health care costs as of January 1st

GREEN BAY, WI – On Thursday, January 12th at 3:30pm, Senator Tammy Baldwin will join Protect Our Care Wisconsin for an event in Green Bay to highlight how seniors in Wisconsin are already saving on insulin costs and life-saving vaccines thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law last year, has numerous provisions that will lower costs and improve health care for millions of Americans, with initial provisions taking effect this month.

• Effective January 1, 2023, insulin copays are capped at $35 per month for more than three million diabetics covered by Medicare.
• Additionally, all adults on Medicare Part D have access to covered vaccines, such as shingles and Tdap, at no cost.

These policies are expected to save seniors in Wisconsin hundreds of dollars on their health care costs, keep millions of people healthy, and prevent dangerous complications associated with diabetes, shingles, and other serious diseases.

Seniors currently enrolled in Medicare from Green Bay and Appleton will discuss how these provisions are impacting them in a roundtable discussion with the Senator, moderated by Protect Our Care. There will be time for Q & A for journalists in attendance following the discussion.

WHO:
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin
Martha R., Green Bay senior on Medicare
David H., Appleton senior on Medicare

WHAT: Open Press Roundtable Discussion with Q & A

WHEN: Thursday, January 12th at 3:30 PM CST // 4:30 PM EST

WHERE: Aging & Disability Resource Center of Brown County (Room 143), 300 S Adams St, Green Bay

RSVP: Watch the event here.

Coverage Rates Continue to Climb as the 2023 Open Enrollment Period Continues Through January 15

Washington, DC — Today, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that 15.9 million Americans have so far signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, including 3.1 million new enrollees. This represents a 13 percent increase from the same time last year. The 2023 open enrollment period is set to end on January 15, so families still have time to find an affordable plan. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“Today’s record numbers show that Americans want and need the affordable, quality health care made possible through the ACA. After two years of work by the Democratic Congress and the Biden administration to make health care better and more affordable, the results are piling in. The Inflation Reduction Act extended the enhanced tax credits that made ACA coverage more affordable than ever before, with the average family saving thousands of dollars a year on health care. Between boosting funding for open enrollment and reversing GOP sabotage, the Biden administration has done everything in its power to get the word out about affordable coverage, with historic investments in outreach to rural Americans, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities. More Americans covered means families can sleep easier at night knowing they can get the medical care they need without worrying about how they’re going to make ends meet. This is a big deal, and we look forward to continuing this important work to ensure every American has access to the health care they need to thrive. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have promised to continue their unconscionable efforts to weaken and repeal the ACA.”

For months Republicans have openly stated their goal for their House majority – cutting Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. GOP lawmakers are committed to ripping away basic benefits seniors have worked their whole lives to earn. Republicans in the MAGA-controlled House have promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act and increase prescription drug and health insurance costs. Once again, we see how a Republican majority means playing politics with people’s lives in order to support tax breaks for the wealthy and other special interests. 

JANUARY 2023: Rep. Michael Waltz: “If We Really Want To Talk About The Debt And Spending, It’s The Entitlements Program.” “Michael Waltz: ‘We can work on reprioritizing defense spending, but that’s really nibbling around the margins. If we really want to talk about the debt and spending, it’s the entitlements program that’s 70 percent of our entire budget. That $1.7 trillion, and defense within that, is only 30 percent. So if we want to talk about big reforms, I look forward to hearing that from those folks who are pushing toward a balanced budget.’” [“Varney & Co,” Fox Business, 1/9/23] 

JANUARY 2023: Rep. Chip Roy Said Cuts For Future Beneficiaries Of Medicare And Social Security Were Possible. “‘What we have been very clear about is, we’re not going to touch the benefits that are going to people relying on the benefits under Social Security and Medicare,’ Roy said Sunday on CNN’s ‘State of the Union.’ ‘But we all have to be honest about sitting at the table and figuring out how we’re going to make those work, how we’re going to deal with defense spending and how we’re going to deal with nondefense discretionary spending.’” [HuffPost, 1/9/23] 

JANUARY 2023: Rep. Ralph Norman: “You Can’t Have A Balanced Budget Unless You Start Cutting.” “‘Everything will be looked at… You can’t have a balanced budget unless you start cutting,’ Norman said. ‘The dollars that go to defense — we’ve got to look at every dollar there as well as every other agency.’” [Jewish Insider, 1/9/23] 

JANUARY 2023: Majority Whip Tom Emmer: “It’s The Domestic Spending That We’re Going To Go After.” “Tom Emmer: Republicans will not impact defense spending aside from efficiencies and waste. It’s the domestic spending that we’re going to go after.” [“Fox and Friends,” Fox News, 1/9/23] 

JANUARY 2023: House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan: “Everything Has To Be On The Table.” “Jim Jordan: We’ve got a $32 trillion debt. Everything has to be on the table. We’re on pace to spend $500, $600 billion in debt payments in just to do interest payments servicing that debt. Everything has to be on the table.” [“Fox News Sunday,” Fox, 1/8/23] 

NOVEMBER 2022: House GOP Health Care Task Force Member Rep. Bruce Westerman: Medicare Should Be Made “Sustainable Over Time.” “‘If we’re going raise the debt ceiling, we can’t just raise it without focusing on some way to address the debt and the deficit,’ Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), a member of the House GOP’s health care task force, told Axios, adding Medicare should be made ‘sustainable over time.’” [Axios, 11/3/22] 

NOVEMBER 2022: House Ways And Means Chairman Jason Smith: “We’re Going To Have A Lot Of Hearings On” Medicare Cuts. “‘We’re going to have a lot of hearings on this,’ Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), the current top Republican on the Budget Committee who wants to move up to chairman of Ways and Means, told Axios. ‘I’m not going to get into the inner details.’” [Axios, 11/3/22] 

NOVEMBER 2022: Rep. Buddy Carter: “Everything Is On The Table.” “‘Everything is on the table, we haven’t really nailed down any specific policies one way or the other,’ Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), who is running to chair the House Budget panel. ‘I think it could be wrapped up with that [debt ceiling talks], that’s shaping up to be pretty dynamic.’” [Axios, 11/3/22] 

NOVEMBER 2022: The Influential Republican Study Committee Released A Budget Privatizing Medicare And Raising The Eligibility Age. “The proposed budget of the Republican Study Committee, an influential group of House Republicans, includes proposals like raising the Medicare eligibility age to 67 to align with Social Security, and converting Medicare to a ‘premium support’ system where seniors received a subsidy they could use on private plans competing against traditional Medicare.” [Axios, 11/3/22] 

NOVEMBER 2022: Speaker Of The House Kevin McCarthy Said Medicare And Social Security Cuts Could Be Part Of Debt Limit Negotiations.  “Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, who is in line to be House speaker if his party wins control, told Punchbowl News last month he would not ‘predetermine’ whether Social Security and Medicare cuts would be part of debt-limit negotiations. Those comments suggested that, unlike in past negotiations, Republicans could demand future cuts to the programs in order to raise America’s borrowing limit and avoid a default on government debt. Mr. McCarthy later told CNBC that he had not brought up the programs and was committed to ‘strengthening’ them, though he did not provide details.” [New York Times, 11/2/22] 

OCTOBER 2022: Rep. Lloyd Smucker Supported Reducing Medicare Benefits For Some Americans. “Reducing benefits for wealthier Americans could also cut costs, Smucker said. ‘We should ensure that we keep the promises that were made to the people who really need it, the people who are relying on it,’ Smucker said. ‘So some sort of means-testing potentially would help to ensure that we can do that.’” [Bloomberg, 10/11/22] 

OCTOBER 2022: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise Claimed Republicans Only Proposed “Strengthening And Shoring Up Medicare And Social Security.” “Representative Steve Scalise, the number two House Republican, defended his party’s approach to Medicare and Social Security, which has become a campaign issue ahead of US midterm elections in November.  It’s a mis-characterization to say the GOP plans to ‘cut’ the programs, Scalise said on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ ‘That is not something we have proposed,’ he said. ‘We have proposed strengthening and shoring up Medicare and Social Security.’” [Bloomberg, 10/11/22] 

OCTOBER 2022: House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington Called For “Eligibility Reforms” For Social Security And Medicare. “A bipartisan negotiation on Social Security and Medicare would likely start with Democrats pushing for more revenue, while ‘Republicans have a list of eligibility reforms, and we don’t like the tax increases,’ Arrington said. He said an increase in the eligibility age for both programs would be a commonsense change.” [Bloomberg, 10/11/22]

OCTOBER 2022: Rep. Buddy Carter: “Our Main Focus Has Got To Be On Nondiscretionary – It’s Got To Be On Entitlements.” “Social Security and Medicare need to be addressed in the near future, some of the lawmakers said. ‘Our main focus has got to be on nondiscretionary — it’s got to be on entitlements,’ Carter said.” [Bloomberg, 10/11/22]