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In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: UnidosUS Action Fund and Protect Our Care Release Report on the Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on Latino Families

Rep. Joaquin Castro and Rep. Ruben Gallego will lead discussion on the importance of participating in Medicare open enrollment and leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act to bridge healthcare inequities.

Washington, D.C. — UnidosUS Action Fund and Protect Our Care will host a virtual press conference on Nov. 15 at 3 P.M. ET / Noon PT to discuss the open-enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act and Medicare and how the Inflation Reduction Act is benefiting Latinos nationwide. The conversation will feature Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX 20th District) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ 3rd District). 

The Inflation Reduction Act works to bridge the healthcare gap and improve access to medication by improving prescription drug coverage and lowering drug prices in Medicare. Americans pay 2 to 3 times more for their prescription drugs than people in other wealthy countries leading to racial and ethnic health inequities. States with the highest Latino populations like California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida and Texas benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act as half of the drugs selected for negotiation treat conditions that disproportionately impact Latinos.

DOWNLOAD: Lowering Health Care Costs for Latinos: How the Inflation Reduction Act Makes Coverage and Prescription Drugs More Affordable

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX 20th District)
Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ 3rd District)
Rafael Collazo, Executive Director, UnidosUS Action Fund
Yamelisa Taveras, founder, The Unidos Foundation
Ana Valenzuela, Deputy Director, Arizona LULAC
Leslie Dach, Chair, Protect Our Care

WHAT: UnidosUS Action Fund and Protect Our Care Press Conference to discuss ACA and Medicare open enrollment and Inflation Reduction Act benefits to recipients.

WHERE: Virtual Conference via Zoom registration

WHEN: Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 3 P.M. ET // 12:00 P.M. PT

WHY: The Inflation Reduction Act has made health care and prescription drugs more affordable for more people in the United States and for Latinos in particular. Latino seniors are most likely to experience affordability challenges with the Inflation Reduction Act than any racial/ethnic group in America.

  • Latinos are among the most vulnerable to needing high-cost prescriptions. 
  • Latino seniors are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to report difficulty affording prescription medications than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. 
  • Latino seniors are among the least likely of any racial/ethnic group to have ever received a shingles vaccine compared to their non-Hispanic White, Black, and Asian counterparts.
  • Latinos are 1.7 times more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to have been diagnosed with diabetes.
  • Latinos are twice as likely to be hospitalized for treatment of end-stage renal disease related to diabetes compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts.
  • Latinos are more likely to have higher levels of disability-related diabetes (3.2%) and hypertension (2.7%) compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts.
  • Latinos are among the most likely to have activity limitations due to arthritis of any racial/ethnic group.
ashoup
In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: Representative Pallone and Protect Our Care Call Out Republicans for Reigniting Their War on Health Care

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 10:30 AM ET***

Under Speaker Johnson’s Leadership, Republicans Will Continue Their Agenda of Hiking Drug and Health Insurance Costs, and Eliminating Crucial Protections for the American People

Washington, DC — On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 10:30 AM ET, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06) will join Protect Our Care to discuss how the Republican party is working to rip away Americans’ access to affordable health care. From pushing health care plans that hike costs to trying to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s measures to lower prescription drug costs, Republicans have returned to some of their oldest schemes to put drug and insurance companies back in charge at the expense of American families. Recently, Republicans in the House of Representatives elected Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. Johnson has a long history of fighting to raise health care costs and rip away critical protections from the American people. During the call, Protect Our Care will unveil a new report outlining Republicans’ mission to raise costs and undermine critical protections through legislation and the courts. Hart Research President Geoff Garin will also present recent polling showing how unpopular the Republican war on health care is with the American people. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06)
Geoff Garin, President of Hart Research
Brad Woodhouse, Executive Director of Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 10:30 AM ET

ashoup
In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: U.S. Rep. Horsford and Tokuda, Civil Rights Leaders Call on State Leaders to Address History’s Deepest Medicaid Losses by Halting Medicaid Terminations for People Who May Still be Eligible

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 AT 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT***

New Report Finds That If All States Did as Well as the 10 Best States, Millions of People Would Not Have Been Terminated from Medicaid Because of Missing Paperwork

Washington, DC – On Monday, November 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT, U.S. Representatives Steven Horsford (D-NV-04) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), will join civil rights leaders and Protect Our Care for a press conference to call on state leaders to halt procedural disenrollments from Medicaid until they have reduced such terminations to the lowest achievable level. Over 70% of those disenrolled were terminated because of nothing more than missing paperwork. The groups will release a new report detailing how, only six months into the unwinding of the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous eligibility requirements, more people have lost Medicaid than during any two-year period in history, more than have of whom are from communities of color. The report will provide the country’s first documentation of several things: (1) the size of current coverage losses, compared to past losses; (2) the racial and ethnic composition of people terminated from Medicaid; and (3) the central importance of state variation in driving Medicaid terminations. 

Congress passed legislation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect access to Medicaid by ensuring no one could be disenrolled during the public health emergency. This provision, which has helped secure the lowest level of uninsured Americans ever, expired on April 1. 

The report is co-authored by 10 leading civil rights and health equity organizations: the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Urban League, the National Council of Urban Indian Health, the Southern Poverty Law Center, UnidosUS, the Coalition on Human Needs, and Protect Our Care. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
U.S. Representative Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), Member, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and CEO, National Council of Negro Women
Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
Eric Rodriguez, Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS
Leslie Dach, Chair, Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Nov 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT

ashoup
In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: Leading Civil Rights Organizations Call on State Leaders to Address History’s Deepest Medicaid Losses by Halting Medicaid Terminations for People Who May Still be Eligible

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 AT 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT***

New Report Finds That If All States Did as Well as the 10 Best States, Millions of People Would Not Have Been Terminated from Medicaid Because of Missing Paperwork

Washington, DC – On Monday, November 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT, civil rights leaders will join Protect Our Care for a press conference to call on state leaders to halt procedural disenrollments from Medicaid until they have reduced such terminations to the lowest achievable level. Over 70% of those disenrolled were terminated because of nothing more than missing paperwork. The groups will release a new report detailing how, only six months into the unwinding of the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous eligibility requirements, more people have lost Medicaid than during any two-year period in history, more than have of whom are from communities of color. The report will provide the country’s first documentation of several things: (1) the size of current coverage losses, compared to past losses; (2) the racial and ethnic composition of people terminated from Medicaid; and (3) the central importance of state variation in driving Medicaid terminations. 

Congress passed legislation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect access to Medicaid by ensuring no one could be disenrolled during the public health emergency. This provision, which has helped secure the lowest level of uninsured Americans ever, expired on April 1. 

The report is co-authored by 10 leading civil rights and health equity organizations: the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Urban League, the National Council of Urban Indian Health, the Southern Poverty Law Center, UnidosUS, the Coalition on Human Needs, and Protect Our Care. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:

Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and CEO, National Council of Negro Women
Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
Eric Rodriguez, Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS
Leslie Dach, Chair, Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Nov 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT

ashoup
In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: Senator Stabenow and Rep. Schakowsky Join Protect Our Care to Discuss New Benefits at the Start of Medicare Open Enrollment

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17 AT 3:30 PM ET***

Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, October 17, at 3:30 PM ET, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) will join Protect Our Care to discuss how the 2024 open enrollment period will bring new benefits to 65 million people on Medicare. Over the next several weeks, 65 million people will go to select their Medicare plans, and they will see new benefits that could save them thousands of dollars on their prescription drug costs. Signed into law by President Biden last year, the Inflation Reduction Act introduced $35 caps on monthly insulin copays, free shingles and other recommended vaccinations, protections from drug company price hikes, and $2,000 out-of-pocket caps on prescription drugs beginning in 2025. 

Critically, the law also gives Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. Right now, the Biden administration is in the process of lowering prices for the first round of prescription drugs under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, and those prices will take effect in 2026. This new program will lower prices for some of the highest-priced prescription drugs on the market used to treat conditions like diabetes, heart failure, blood clots, and autoimmune disorders.

PRESS CALL

WHO:
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09)
Linda Hamacher, patient storyteller (MI)
Dawn LaGuerre, patient storyteller (NY)
Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 3:30 PM

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In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: Legal, Policy, and Polling Experts on What You Need to Know Ahead of Medicare Negotiation Announcement

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 28 AT 11:00 AM ET***

Speakers to Discuss Drug Companies’ Ongoing Efforts to Protect Their Profits, the Popularity of Negotiation, and Legal Threats to the Law

Washington, DC — On Monday, August 28, 2023, at 11:00 AM ET, legal expert William Schultz, Director of Brookings Schaeffer Initiative on Health Policy Dr. Richard Frank, and Hart Research’s Geoff Garin will join a press call with Protect Our Care to discuss the current state of play as the Biden administration is posed to announce the first 10 drugs selected for Medicare negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act. During the event, speakers will discuss what this important step means for the American people, ongoing threats to the program, and how Medicare negotiation remains central to the Inflation Reduction Act’s popularity. 

This week, CMS is expected to announce the first round of drugs eligible for lower prices under the Medicare Drug Negotiation Program, which will lower prices for millions of seniors. As the Biden administration is working to implement this core provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, big drug companies are going to court to protect their profits. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Chambers of Commerce, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Astellas Pharma, and Johnson & Johnson-owned Janssen Pharmaceuticals have all filed lawsuits against the federal government challenging the constitutionality of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation Program. 

PRESS CALL

WHO:
William Schultz, Partner, Zuckerman Spaeder, former General Counsel, Department of Health and Human Services
Dr. Richard Frank, Director, Brookings Schaeffer Initiative on Health Policy
Geoff Garin, President of Hart Research
Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Monday, August 28, 2023 at 11:00 AM ET

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In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: Congresswoman Gwen Moore Joins Protect Our Care Wisconsin to Discuss Biden Administration’s Efforts to Lower Rx Drug Costs Ahead of Upcoming Medicare Drug Negotiations

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY, JULY 7 @ 11:00 AM CT // 12:00 PM ET***

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, Wisconsinites Are Saving on Health Care Costs

Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, July 7th at 11:00 AM CT, 12:00 PM ET, U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-4) will join Protect Our Care Wisconsin to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s next steps in implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. The administration released the final guidance outlining the process for negotiation, and by September 1, the ten drugs that are selected for the first round of price negotiations will be announced. 

A new report from Protect Our Care highlights the five drugs that are most likely to be up for negotiation. The report also details Pharma’s efforts to derail the implementation of this critical part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Prescription drug affordability measures are particularly important for seniors of color and people with disabilities, who experience health disparities in part because they are more likely to have limited access to affordable drugs. 

This event comes as Republicans and big drug companies are attacking the Inflation Reduction Act in Congress and the courts. Pharmaceutical giants Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, as well as the industry’s trade association PhRMA, are laser-focused on undermining the Inflation Reduction Act by filing lawsuits to protect their profits and stop the administration from negotiating lower drug prices. Big Pharma’s GOP allies in Congress have already introduced legislation to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s prescription drug provisions, which would increase drug costs for millions of seniors.

PRESS EVENT:

WHO: U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-4)
Wisconsin Senior Storytellers
Protect Our Care Wisconsin

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference

WHERE: Register to join the Zoom event (Registration required)

WHEN: Friday, July 7th at 11:00 AM CT // 12:00 PM ET

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In Report, Research, Press Call, News

Protect Our Care Unveils New Report During Press Call with Senator Welch Ahead of New Medicare Negotiation Guidance By Biden Administration

Watch the Event Here. 

Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care announced the release of a new report on five drugs that may be selected for the initial round of negotiations through the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program during a press call headlined by U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). Tahir Amin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge, Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance for Retired Americans, and Andrea Harris, Director of Policy Programs of Protect Our Care also joined the call to discuss the importance of giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. 

Big drug companies are now turning to the courts to try to dismantle the Negotiation Program because they didn’t get their way after spending a record $372 million lobbying Congress in 2022. Drug company giants Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, as well as mega lobbying groups, PhRMA, and the US Chamber of Commerce, have sued the federal government in an effort to stop Medicare from negotiating lower prescription drug prices and giving seniors the breathing room they need. Republican lawmakers have also introduced legislation to repeal the prescription drug provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act in order to line the pockets of drug company executives and raise costs on patients.

“The pricing power of Pharma has been abused, absolutely, from beginning to end,” said U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). “This question about prescription drugs is really about affordability: things that people need every day, they can’t afford. The price negotiation legislation that President Biden signed is finally going to give a tool to Medicare to do what every other government agency does – stand up for fair prices for prescription drugs. Folks need to be able to afford prescription medications. And we’re not going to let Pharma sue their way out of this achievement that has been long overdue.”

“Prescription drug spending has tripled since 2000 to nearly $400 billion today, and is poised to expand further 50 percent within the next 10 years,” said Tahir Amin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the Initiative for Medicines. “This increase is fueled mostly by branded drugs which make up just eight percent of prescriptions but account for 84 percent of all drug spending in the United States. We cannot continue to pay these prices, and that’s why the Inflation Reduction Act and the provisions that will curb some of these excesses that the drug companies have been able to develop through patenting games is so important.”

“Our members know when a law truly changes people’s lives,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance for Retired Americans. “And President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act does that in a number of ways. Because the law penalizes corporations that increase the price of a drug faster than inflation, Americans who take 43 prescription drugs will save between $1 and $499 per average dose. That’s real results.”

“For far too long, big drug companies have exploited their market power, making drugs unaffordable for seniors and costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars,” said Andrea Harris, Director of Policy Programs of Protect Our Care. “Protect Our Care’s new report shines a light on why the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program is so desperately needed to fix this broken system.”

“While the Biden administration is working tirelessly to implement Medicare negotiation and deliver savings to seniors, pharmaceutical companies and their Republican allies are doing everything in their power to protect their outrageous profits,” said ​​Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care. “Republicans are trying to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, and major pharmaceutical companies are in court trying to take away Medicare’s power to negotiate lower prices. Fortunately, we have a president who will ensure everyone can afford the medicines they need.”

ashoup
In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: U.S. Senator Peter Welch and Experts Join Protect Our Care to Discuss Importance of Medicare Negotiation Ahead of Final CMS Guidance

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 29 AT 12:30 PM ET***

Protect Our Care to Release New Report Outlining Key Facts on Prescription Drugs Likely to See Lower Prices Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, June 29, 2023, at 12:30 PM ET, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) will join Protect Our Care for a press conference to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s next steps in implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. The administration has stated publicly that they will release final guidance outlining the process for negotiation and selection by early July. During the call, Protect Our Care will release a new report that provides a detailed look at five drugs that will likely qualify for the first round of negotiation, underscoring the importance of finally allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.

Seniors are already saving money as a result of the law’s insulin copay cap and no-cost recommended vaccinations. Prescription drug affordability measures are particularly important for seniors of color and people with disabilities, who experience health disparities in part because they are more likely to have limited access to affordable drugs. Seniors who are more likely to live in rural areas and LGBTQI+ seniors who experience greater levels of poverty and worse health outcomes will also benefit from this law.

This call comes as Republicans and big drug companies are attacking the Inflation Reduction Act in Congress and the courts. Pharmaceutical giants Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, as well as the industry’s trade association PhRMA, are laser-focused on undermining the Inflation Reduction Act by filing lawsuits to protect their profits and stop the administration from negotiating lower drug prices. Big Pharma’s GOP allies in Congress have already introduced legislation to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s prescription drug provisions, which would increase drug costs for millions of seniors. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT)
Robert Roach, Jr., President, Alliance for Retired Americans
Tahir Amin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK)
Andrea Harris, Director of Policy Programs, Protect Our Care
Leslie Dach, Chair, Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference

WHERE: Register for the Event Here.

WHEN: Thursday, June 29 at 12:30 PM ET

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In News, Press Call

PRESS CALL: Rep. Bobby Scott to Discuss Republicans’ Latest Effort to Weaken Protections for Virginians with Pre-Existing Conditions

CONTACT: Katie Baker
katie@muckrakerbaker.com
740-485-1125

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 23 AT 12:30 PM EST***

House Republicans Pass Legislation to Promote Junk Plans and Undermine the ACA protections

Washington, D.C. — On Friday, June 23, at 12:30 PM, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, will join Protect Our Care Virginia to discuss House Republicans’ vote to weaken protections for Virginians with pre-existing conditions and undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The call is a response to a legislative package House Republicans passed on Wednesday evening that includes several measures to promote junk health insurance plans that undermine patient protections under the ACA and weaken access to affordable health coverage. The Association Health Plans Act, Self Insurance Protection Act, and CHOICE Arrangement Act all promote insurance plans that undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions and fail to require coverage of essential services like hospital visits and prescription drugs. Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), similar to health savings accounts, only reward the highest-income, and healthiest workers while worsening racial and ethnic inequities in health care. 

These bills are just the latest in the Republican war on affordable, quality health care and gut protections for pre-existing conditions and are more about giving tax breaks to the wealthy. If signed into law, this legislation would only force more families to gamble with their health care, putting them at serious risk of medical debt if they get sick. Ranking Member Scott will highlight how President Biden and Democrats in Congress are working to lower costs and expand access to health care, despite ongoing Republican attacks.

PRESS CALL:

WHO: Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03),
Protect Our Care, and healthcare storytellers

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference on Zoom

WHERE: Register to join the Zoom event (Registration required)

WHEN: Friday, June 23 at 12:30 PM EST

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