News

Over the last two weeks, Protect Our Care hosted events and published opinion pieces across the nation with national lawmakers and health care advocates to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, historic legislation that will lower prescription drug costs and health insurance premiums for millions of Americans. These measures will deliver long-overdue relief to working families and seniors, and it will address the deep racial inequities in our health care system. Last month, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, overcoming unified Republican opposition and record lobbying from Big Pharma and other special interests to finally put people over profits. More information on The Inflation Reduction Act can be found here. 

HEADLINES

(GA) Georgia Public Broadcasting: Georgia’s Budget Is a ‘Snapshot of Our Morals and Values,’ Advocates of Medicaid Expansion Say. August 28, 2022 marks a full decade since Georgia’s first refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. “We can and we must use the unprecedented resources at our disposal to fully expand Medicaid and get access to life-saving care for hundreds of thousands of veterans, working parents, frontline workers, and other fellow Georgians,” said Leah Chan, Senior Health Policy Analyst with Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. [GPB News, 8/28/22]

(MI) WNEM: Genesee Health Plan Highlights Savings From Inflation Reduction Act. A Michigan retiree who cares for her disabled daughter and a health care advocate today joined Congressman Dan Kildee of Flint to raise awareness about the health care benefits and savings for ordinary Michiganders from the Inflation Reduction Act. ‘Access to lifesaving care should not cost Michigan families and seniors their life savings. For decades, Big Pharma stood in the way of any progress to lower prescription drug prices. But with the Inflation Reduction Act, we took on the drug companies and won. Medicare will be able to negotiate lower drug prices, we cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors at $2,000 a year, and the price of insulin for seniors is capped at $35 a month. This legislation will have a real impact to lower costs for Michigan families and seniors,’” said Congressman Kildee. [WNEM, 8/23/22] 

(WV) WKKX Radio Interview with Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach sat for a live interview with Rocky Fitzsimmons from the Legislative Watchdogs program on WKKX Radio to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, historic legislation that will lower prescription drug costs and health insurance premiums for millions of Americans.” [WKKX, 8/24/22]

(WI) Wisconsin Examiner: Advocates Unpack the Details in New Climate, Health and Tax Law. “This legislation extends for another three years higher subsidies for people who buy health insurance through the federal exchange created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). More than 187,000 Wisconsin residents will save money as a result, according to Protect Our Care, an ACA advocacy group.” [Wisconsin Examiner, 8/31/22]

(WI) Channel 3000: Local Leaders Tout Impact of Inflation Reduction Act on Drug Prices “State Sen. Melissa Agard and Fitchburg Mayor Aaron Richardson on Tuesday touted the impacts the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to have on health care. Representatives from a number of groups, including Opportunity Wisconsin, Family Friendly Wisconsin, For Our Future Wisconsin and Protect Our Care Wisconsin, took part in Tuesday’s news conference.” [Channel 3000, 8/30/22]

OPINION PIECES

(CO) Colorado Politics Op-Ed on the Inflation Reduction Act by Gail Devore, Colorado Resident With 1 Diabetes for More Than 50 Years. “Thanks to this legislation, families will save thousands on their health care premiums. Last year, many of us who buy insurance on our own noticed our health care premiums went down after Democrats in Congress passed legislation guaranteeing coverage that costs less than 8.5% of income. These tax credits in the American Rescue Plan allowed millions of enrollees to find a quality plan for $10 or less per month and saved families an average of $2,400 a year on our insurance premiums.” [Colorado Politics, 8/26/22]

(MN) MinnPost Op-Ed on the Inflation Reduction Act by Congresswoman Craig and Congressman Phillips. “We promised to help because our constituents urgently needed change, and this summer, when we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, we delivered on that promise. At the end of the day, this isn’t a partisan issue – it’s just common sense: every American should be able to access and afford the medication they need to live.” [MinnPost, 9/1/22]

(NH) Concord Monitor Letter to the Editor on the Inflation Reduction Act by POC NH State Director Jayme Simoes. “The legislation also includes measures that will lower health care premiums for millions by extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) financial assistance for three years. Sadly, Republicans in Congress blocked a critical provision that would cap insulin costs at $35 per month for millions of diabetics with insurance. As many as one in four of the 7.5 million Americans dependent on insulin are skipping or skimping on doses, which can lead to death. The contrast is clear. Between fighting to lower health care costs and expanding affordable coverage to working families, our congressional delegation is working tirelessly to lower everyday costs for all Americans,” writes Simoes. [Concord Monitor, 8/21/22]

(NH) New Hampshire Union Leader Op-Ed on the Inflation Reduction Act by Granite Stater Gene Faltus: “Protect Our Care New Hampshire placed an opinion piece written by Granite Stater Gene Faltus in the New Hampshire Union Leader highlighting how the prescription drug provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act will benefit seniors in New Hampshire. ‘I can’t overstate how much this legislation will help me. With more than two dozen prescriptions to treat the cancer, multiple cardiac conditions, non-insulin dependent diabetes, and temporal arteritis, I end up paying around $5,000 out of pocket halfway through the year. After I leave the doughnut hole, I enter catastrophic coverage and pay 5% of my prescription costs until the end of the year. Prescription costs rise every year, but this year I expect my out-of-pocket costs to exceed $7,000. The Inflation Reduction Act will change my life, and the lives of millions of Americans like me, who rely on expensive medications to stay alive.’” [New Hampshire Union Leader, 8/21/22]

As part of week two of the Inflation Reduction Act themed weeks, Protect Our Care is highlighting provisions in the bill that will directly benefit America’s seniors. Democrats in Congress have been working tirelessly to put money back in the pockets of American seniors by capping the price of insulin. The $35 cap will change the lives of the millions of insulin users on Medicare that no longer will have to decide between affording their medication or putting food on the table. Taking insulin, as prescribed, also reduces the likelihood of costly complications such as vision loss, heart disease, and kidney disease.

Fast Facts:

• No Medicare beneficiary will pay more than $35 a month for insulin beginning  in 2023.
• 3.2 million insulin users on Medicare Part D will benefit from the $35 cap in 2023.
• Republicans in Congress blocked a universal insulin cap to help millions of Americans.

Makes Insulin Accessible And Affordable For Seniors. In 2020, there were more than 3.2 million insulin users on Medicare Part D, with nearly 1.7 million purchasing their insulin without low-income subsidies. On average, seniors with Medicare Part D who are not receiving subsidies pay an average of $572 every year for this life saving medication — an unthinkable sum for many on fixed incomes. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, insulin copays for seniors on Medicare will be capped at $35 each month starting in 2023. 

Affordable Insulin Directly Helps Minority And Rural Seniors. Minority Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes when compared to their white counterparts with over 12 percent of Black adults and 11.8 percent of Hispanics being diagnosed with the disease. Black Americans also continue to be the hardest hit when it comes to affording their prescription drugs and paying medical bills. 

According to a 2018 study, rural Americans are 17 percent more likely to suffer from diabetes than urban Americans. Diabetes risk factors are higher in rural areas than their urban and suburban counterparts as they have less access to health care providers, fewer transportation options to receive care, and higher rates of being uninsured. 

These seniors are forced to stop taking their medication or cut doses in half. Diabetics suffer severe effects such as numbness in feet and nerve damage in the eyes when they stop taking doses as prescribed. Patients who suffer chronic complications can expect to pay upwards of an additional $650 per year. The insulin cap provision in the Inflation Reduction Act will vastly improve the lives of millions of older, minority, and rural insulin users.

Republicans Blocked Insulin Cap for Millions of Americans. In early August, 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 was not universal. 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. When addressing this at his rally on Thursday August 25th, President Joe Biden railed against the cowardice of elected Republicans and emphasized to the American people that the IRA would be just the beginning of his plans to reduce health care costs for all Americans. “These Republicans ripped that out of the bill, but we’re coming back.”

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31 AT 9:00 AM AZ TIME // 12:00 PM ET***

The Inflation Reduction Act Will Lower Costs, Help Arizonans Save on Premiums, and Allow Medicare to Negotiate Drug Prices

Phoenix, AZ —On Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at 9 AM AZ time, Congressman Greg Stanton will join Protect Our Care Arizona to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, historic legislation that will lower prescription drug costs and health insurance premiums for millions of Americans.

The Inflation Reduction Act will lower the cost of health insurance and drive down prescription drug prices by giving Medicare the power to negotiate, capping seniors’ out-of-pocket costs for drugs at $2,000 per year, capping insulin costs, and stopping Big Pharma’s egregious price hikes. This bill will help lower costs for millions of working families, address the deep racial inequities in our health care system and save lives. This historic legislation ends a 20-year era of pharmaceutical companies’ greed taking precedence over the health and well-being of the American people.

By passing this legislation, President Biden and Democrats delivered on their promise to lower health care costs and rein in high drug prices — a stark contrast from every Republican who voted no. American families have been asking and waiting for this day, and now help is on the way.

WHO: Congressman Greg Stanton, [AZ-09] Dana Kennedy, AARP Arizona
Dora Vasquez, Executive Director, Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans
Carmen Heredia, CEO Valle Del Sol
Dr. Karuppana, Chief Medical Officer, Valle Del Sol
Morgan Finkelstein, Arizona Protect Our Care

WHAT: Press Conference

WHEN: Wednesday, August 31 at 9:00 AM AZ Time

WHERE: Valle del Sol Community Health Center Corporate Office
3877 N 7th St
Phoenix, AZ 85014

The press conference will be livestreamed here.

As part of week two of the Inflation Reduction Act themed weeks, Protect Our Care is highlighting provisions in the bill that will directly benefit America’s seniors. Democrats in Congress have been working tirelessly to put money back in the pockets of American seniors by capping out-of-pocket costs on prescription medicine. This spending cap will change the lives of the millions of seniors that no longer will have to decide between affording their medication or putting food on the table. 

Fast Facts:

• 49 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs capped at $2,000 per year beginning in 2025. 
• All Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have access to covered vaccines, such as Shingles and pneumonia, at no cost starting in 2023.
• No Medicare beneficiary will pay more than $35 a month for insulin beginning  in 2023.
• 49 million Medicare beneficiaries will no longer face Big Pharma’s outrageous price hikes that exceed inflation beginning in 2023 and will pay less for prescription drugs thanks to Medicare’s ability to negotiate prices.

Caps Out-Of-Pocket Spending For Seniors. Seniors with serious conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis will save thousands of dollars on prescriptions under the Inflation Reduction Act, which will help the more than 1.4 million Medicare enrollees who paid more than $2,000 in out-of-pocket costs in 2020. Medicare Part D out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs will be capped at $2,000 per year beginning in 2025. The Inflation Reduction Act also allows out-of-pocket spending to be smoothed over the course of the year beginning in 2025, so patients are not forced to pay the entirety of their out-of-pocket cost all at one time.  

Helps Millions Of Seniors Who Can’t Afford Their Prescriptions. The Inflation Reduction Act will help 3.5 million older Americans who have trouble affording their medication forcing them to skip doses or cut pills in half. Over the decade from 2009 to 2019, out-of-pocket spending for older Amerians rose by 41 percent. Seniors often have to sacrifice basic needs such as food or clothing to be able to afford their prescriptions due to rising costs. The Inflation Reduction Act will help older Americans who are Medicare beneficiaries by capping their out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 per year starting in 2025. These seniors will no longer have to choose between life saving prescription drugs and other basic necessities.

Care Force One to Travel Across 21+ States, Make Over 40 Stops and Cover Nearly 12,000 Miles in Five Weeks Starting in October

Washington, D.C. — Protect Our Care will be hitting the road for its fourth nationwide bus tour, Lower Costs, Better Care: Help is on the Way, to celebrate The Inflation Reduction Act’s measures to drive down health care costs and to let Americans know how and when they can access these new benefits. Kicking off in Bangor, Maine, on October 3, Care Force One will roll into districts and states for events with elected officials, health care advocates, and storytellers to educate Americans about how the bill could save them thousands of dollars a year on health care. Over five weeks, Care Force One will travel to more than 20 states, make more than 40 stops and travel nearly 12,000 miles — the equivalent of driving across the country the entire length of I-40 between Wilmington, NC and Barstow, CA roughly five times.

“Care Force One will crisscross the nation this fall with one message: Thanks to President Biden and Democrats in Congress, help is on the way,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “President Biden and Democratic lawmakers took on unified Republican opposition and Big Pharma’s lobbying power to deliver lower premiums and prescription drug costs for millions of Americans. Throughout the tour, people from all walks of life will share what this bill means to them and their families. Between saving seniors thousands on their prescriptions and lowering monthly premium costs for working families, this bill stands to help millions afford lifesaving health care.” 

The “Lower Costs, Better Care” five-week tour will promote the work of lawmakers who worked tirelessly to pass this historic bill and hold Republicans accountable for rejecting measures to lower costs for the American people. Lawmakers have long promised to lower health costs and rein in high drug prices — but President Biden and Democrats actually got the job done. 

The Inflation Reduction Act will lower costs and improve health care for millions of Americans, with help on the way in just a matter of months. The legislation will lower premiums for 13 million Americans and drive down prescription drug prices by giving Medicare the power to negotiate, capping seniors’ out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 per year, limiting insulin copays, and stopping many of Big Pharma’s egregious price hikes. Decades in the making, this bill will help lower costs for millions of working families and seniors, and it will address the deep racial inequities in our health care system. Read more about The Inflation Reduction Act’s health care provisions here. 

Help Is On The Way – The Inflation Reduction Act By the Numbers

• 13 million Americans will save on their health insurance premiums starting in 2023, saving an average of $2,400 per family.
• 49 million Medicare beneficiaries will no longer face Big Pharma’s outrageous price hikes that outpace inflation beginning in 2023.
• $35 insulin copays for Medicare beneficiaries beginning in 2023.
• 49 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs capped at $2,000 per year beginning in 2025. 
• 80 of the most expensive prescription drugs will have lower prices because of Medicare negotiations by 2030.

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One will make stops in: 

Bangor, Maine on Monday, October 3, 2022
Dover/Manchester, New Hampshire on Monday, October 3, 2022
Concord, New Hampshire on Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Hartford, Connecticut on Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Allentown, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Scranton, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Burlington County, New Jersey on Thursday, October 6, 2022
New Brunswick, New Jersey on Thursday, October 6, 2022
Harrisburg/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday, October 7, 2022
Morgantown, West Virginia on Friday, October 7, 2022
Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday, October 10, 2022
Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, October 10, 2022
Flint, Michigan on Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Lansing, Michigan on Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Green Bay, Wisconsin on Wednesday, October 12, 2022
La Crosse/Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Thursday, October 13, 2022
St. Paul, Minnesota on Thursday, October 13, 2022
Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, October 14, 2022
Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, October 14, 2022
Reno, Nevada on Monday, October 17, 2022
Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Flagstaff, Arizona on Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Albuquerque, New Mexico on Thursday, October 20, 2022
Pueblo / Colorado Springs, Colorado on Thursday, October 20, 2022
Denver, Colorado on Friday, October 21, 2022
Richmond, Virginia on Monday, October 24, 2022
Raleigh, North Carolina on Monday, October 24, 2022
Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Augusta, Georgia on Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Savannah, Georgia on Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Orlando, Florida on Thursday, October 27, 2022
Tampa, Florida on Thursday, October 27, 2022
Miami, Florida on Friday, October 28, 2022
TBA: October 31-November 4, 2022

###

As part of week two of the Inflation Reduction Act themed weeks, Protect Our Care is highlighting provisions in the bill that will directly benefit America’s seniors. Democrats in Congress have been working tirelessly to put money back in the pockets of American seniors by giving Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices. Thanks to this key provision, seniors will no longer have to choose between paying for the drugs they need and other essentials like food and housing.

Fast Facts:

• The cost of 80 of the most expensive prescription drugs will be reduced because Medicare has the power to negotiate.
• 49 million Medicare beneficiaries will no longer face Big Pharma’s outrageous price hikes that exceed inflation beginning in 2023.
• All Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have access to covered vaccines, such as Shingles and pneumonia, at no cost starting in 2023, insulin price capped at $35 per month, and a $2,000 out-of-pocket price cap on prescription drugs per year.

Gives Medicare The Power To Negotiate Lower Drug Prices. Seniors are disproportionately impacted by high prescription drug costs, with nearly one in four seniors struggling to access the medication they need. Half of all Medicare beneficiaries live on annual incomes below $29,650. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare will be empowered to negotiate prices for select drugs for Medicare Part D’s 49 million beneficiaries. Beginning in 2026, 10 drugs will be negotiated with that number increasing to 15 drugs in 2027, and 20 drugs in 2029 and into the future. By 2030, more than 80 drugs will be eligible for Medicare price negotiation, in addition to insulin products. 

Stops Outrageous Price Increases. The cost of prescription drugs has forced more than one in five seniors not to take medication as prescribed. This has serious health implications for seniors, with 22 percent reporting their health condition worsened as a result. Medicare drug price negotiation could create pressure to decrease commercial prescription prices for the general public as well.

Medicare Price Negotiation Is Widely Supported. A Data For Progress Poll finds an overwhelming majority of Americans from all political stripes strongly back drug price negotiation. 83 percent of likely voters support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, including support from 86 percent of Democrats, 81 percent of independents, and, perhaps most critically, 81 percent of Republican voters. Medicare drug price negotiation has repeatedly been proven to be the most popular policy in the entire bill.

Washington DC — Today, Protect Our Care is kicking off week two of the Inflation Reduction Act themed weeks, which focuses on how seniors will save thousands of dollars a year thanks to the bill’s provisions to drive down prescription drug costs. Seniors are especially vulnerable to high prescription drug costs, with nearly one in four struggling to access the medications they need to survive. The Inflation Reduction Act takes critical steps to lower costs for millions of seniors: it gives Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices, it caps annual out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000, it limits insulin copays to $35 per month, and it imposes a penalty on drug companies who raise Medicare drug prices fast than the rate of inflation. 

Along with lowering premium costs for millions of Americans, the Inflation Reduction Act will deliver long-overdue relief to working families and seniors, and it will address the deep racial inequities in our health care system. 

“The Inflation Reduction Act is a godsend for our nation’s seniors” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “It is shameful that seniors have been forced to choose between cutting pills in half and putting food on the table. Democrats’ legislation finally stands up to Big Pharma and delivers long-overdue relief to millions of seniors and their families. Despite a $100 million lobbying campaign from the pharmaceutical industry and unified opposition from Republican lawmakers, President Biden and Democrats delivered on their promises to put people over politics.” 

Over the next several weeks, Protect Our Care will release fact sheets and host nationwide events with elected officials, storytellers, and health care advocates to highlight the Inflation Reduction Act’s critical measures to drive down health care and prescription drug costs.

Inflation Reduction Act Themed Weeks:

• Week 1: GOP Accountability. Week one focuses on how every Republican lawmaker in Congress stood by Big Pharma and other special interests and voted against lower health care costs for the American people.
• Week 2: Seniors. Week two is bringing attention to the Inflation Reduction Act’s provisions to lower prescription drug costs for millions of seniors. 
• Week 3: Lower Health Care Premiums. Week three focuses on how millions of Americans will save on their health care premiums thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. 
• Week 4: Cancer. The final week highlights how patients fighting serious diseases like cancer stand to save thousands of dollars a year on their health care costs. 

FACT SHEET: The Inflation Reduction Act is a Lifeline for America’s Seniors Saving Them Thousands of Dollars a Year and Improving Their Health Care 

The Inflation Reduction Act will drastically reduce the cost of prescription drugs for 49 million Americans enrolled in Medicare’s Part D drug benefit, improve their access to health care, and reduce racial, income, and geographic disparities in health care, and save lives. Seniors will no longer have to choose between paying for the drugs they need and other essentials like food and housing.

By The Numbers:

• 49 million Medicare beneficiaries will no longer face Big Pharma’s outrageous price hikes that exceed inflation beginning in 2023.
• All Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have access to covered vaccines, such as Shingles and pneumonia, at no cost starting in 2023.
• No Medicare beneficiary will pay more than $35 a month for insulin beginning  in 2023.
• 49 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs capped at $2,000 per year beginning in 2025.
• The cost of 80 of the most expensive prescription drugs will be reduced because Medicare has the power to negotiate.

Read the full fact sheet here. 

As Protect Our Care wraps up GOP Accountability week, President Biden called out Republicans in the Senate for their disastrous vote against capping insulin costs at $35 a month for millions of diabetics with private insurance. By blocking this critical amendment, diabetics and their families will be forced to pay hundreds of dollars a month for this life saving drug. Once again, Republicans put Big Pharma’s profits over the needs of real families, and the American people will take notice. 

Republicans Blocked Insulin Cap for Millions of Americans. In early August, 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 was not universal. 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. When addressing this at his rally on Thursday, President Joe Biden railed against the cowardice of elected Republicans and emphasized to the American people that the IRA would be just the beginning of his plans to reduce health care costs for all Americans. “These Republicans ripped that out of the bill, but we’re coming back.”

Makes Insulin Accessible And Affordable For Seniors. In 2020, there were more than 3.2 million insulin users on Medicare Part D, with nearly 1.7 million purchasing their insulin without low-income subsidies. On average, seniors with Medicare Part D who are not receiving subsidies pay an average of $572 every year for this life saving medication — an unthinkable sum for many on fixed incomes. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, insulin copays for seniors on Medicare will be capped at $35 each month starting in 2023.

…Again

During the first week of the Inflation Reduction Act theme weeks, Protect Our Care has highlighted Republican lawmakers for their vote against lowering health care and prescription drug costs in the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Republican strategists, dark money groups and serial ACA opponents are now backing a lawsuit seeking to destroy critical health care protections for millions through Kelley v. Becerra, a lawsuit to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 

The ongoing litigation in Kelley v Becerra has the potential to singlehandedly strip one of the ACA of its most influential and important aspects, its guaranteed no-cost benefits. The over 63 million women alone who have free birth control due to the ACA’s guaranteed free contraception, over a dozen vaccinations which are provided to the public free of charge (including the flu, whooping cough, and measles which has recently had a resurgence in the American populace), and the numerous free screenings from cancer to infant child care are all now at risk. Republicans know that trying to legislate away these policies led to a popular backlash costing them vital seats in Congress, so they’ve moved back to their strategy of throwing lawsuit after lawsuit to strip the ACA of its teeth. Read more about Kelley v. Becerra here. 

Republican Mega Donors Lead the Charge Against the ACA. John Kelley, one of the plaintiffs in Kelley v Becerra isn’t a newcomer to the Republican war on affordable health care. His first foray into this fight was the 2019 lawsuit against the ACA’s contraceptive mandate DeOtte v. Azar. Long-time GOP mega donor, 2020 election denier, and wannabe musician, Steven Hotze, is another plaintiff in this case who not only was also a part of DeOtte v. Azar, but has brought and lost multiple other parts of the ACA.  

Republican Policymakers and Dark Money Groups Are Behind Kelley v. Becerra. The blatant partisanship doesn’t end with the plaintiffs. The lead attorney for the plaintiffs, John Mitchell, also just happens to be one of the main authors of the far-right Texas vigilante law essentially banning abortion through the state. He has also filed a brief explicitly advocating for the Supreme Court to overrule its Obergefell v. Hodges, which enshrined marriage equality as a right. Meanwhile in the background, the entire plaintiffs’ case is being funded and represented by the America First Legal Foundation, a Trump-aligned group with its advisory board consisting of Trump cabinet members like white nationalist Stephen Miller, the architect of the Trump administration’s harshest immigration policies and a supporter of the forced sterilizations committed by ICE in Georgia. 

The Core of the ACA is at Stake. The ACA secures access to and provides a wide range of services to everyday Americans. Over 63 million people currently do not pay for contraception, which is a project of the ACA, saving them nearly $1.4 billion in just the first year the ACA was implemented alone. Another ACA requirement gives pregnant people access to recommended prenatal care, including no-cost preeclampsia screenings and folic acid, to help assist in a healthy pregnancy. Health insurance companies are also required to cover screenings for breast, lung, cervical, and colorectal cancers, hepatitis B and C, heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, in addition to others. Over a dozen vaccinations for both adults and children that Americans have gotten used to being free, through coverage without cost-sharing, is also due to critical ACA requirements, providing a vital public health measure in the fight against everything from COVID to polio. Fighting the HIV epidemic is a main priority of the ACA and as such it guarantees access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a drug that is proven to reduce the risk of contracting HIV by 99 percent. If this lawsuit succeeds, all of these benefits would disappear in an instant and the Republican project aiming to force Americans into undue debt, stress, and death due to exorbitant medical costs will be one step closer to being realized.

Republicans Will Throw Out Everything Including the Kitchen Sink to Make Sure Americans Can’t Get Affordable Health Care

As part of the first week of the Inflation Reduction Act theme weeks, Protect Our Care has dug into the records of GOP members in the House and Senate who are continuing to fight tooth and nail to take away Americans’ access to quality and affordable health care. Every single Republican in the House of Representatives voted against the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and every single Republican in the House of Representatives is also up for reelection in November.

Republicans Seek to Repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. House Republicans led by Texas Representative Chip Roy are falling in line to support the full repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act the moment they retake control of the House. All of this while Republican leadership knows that this same type of messaging is what led to disastrous Republican defeats after they failed to repeal the ACA. It doesn’t matter that the Inflation Reduction Act has a vast supermajority of popular support and will lower health care costs for millions of Americans. All that matters to Republicans is that they get one over on Democrats, even if it is in spite of the people they are supposed to represent.

Republicans Threaten to Shut Down the Government to Keep Drug Prices High. Over 80 percent of Americans support capping out of pocket drug costs for seniors. Over 75 percent of Americans support Medicare having negotiating powers to lower prescription drug costs. Yet the Republican Party led by House member Scott Perry would rather shut down the federal government and cost taxpayers billions than allow for Americans to have access to affordable medications. So much for being fiscally conservative.

Republicans Support Ending the ACA, Medicare, and Medicaid. House Republicans are lining up behind a plan by Senator Rick Scott to sunset all federal legislation within five years. Already vocal members of the House like Matt Gaetz have publicly backed this plan which would put in jeopardy not just the Inflation Reduction Act, but the ACA, Medicare, and Medicaid. This ambitious project to rip away from Americans the vital quality and affordable health care they need is just another example of the tantrum being thrown by elected Republicans.

Republicans Continue to Complain but Do Nothing. It doesn’t matter if you are a part of Republican House leadership or if you’re a freshman congressperson, the game plan is all the same: fight everything kicking and screaming but then complain when things aren’t getting done. Republicans have made inflation one of their top talking points going into this election, yet every single one voted against legislation experts say will significantly reduce inflation. House Republicans don’t support reducing inflation. House Republicans don’t support lowering prescription drug costs (even when they vocally supported it before). House Republicans don’t support tax credits to lower health care costs. What is it House Republicans even do support?