Washington, D.C. — One week from today, Protect Our Care’s “Sick of It! Fix Health Care Now” campaign will hit the road with Care Force One, kicking off in Bangor, Maine, where residents are already feeling the fallout of Republicans’ devastating cuts to health care. In Maine, maternity wards are closing faster than in other states, forcing mothers in some communities to travel increasingly long distances to give birth. Eleven health care providers have closed or are closing, two have announced cuts, and six more are at risk of closure or cuts, leaving families with fewer places to turn for care.
From hospitals and health care providers struggling to keep their doors open to families facing higher premiums and people at risk of losing coverage, the stakes look different in every community, but the underlying problem is the same: Republicans slashed $1 trillion from Medicaid and ripped away the health care tax credits to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Now, families are being left to pick up the pieces.
“In just one week, we’re kicking off in Maine, where Senator Susan Collins has stood by as patients, hospitals, and communities deal with the consequences of Republicans’ cuts,” said Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse. “But Maine is just the beginning. We’re taking this fight across the country to hear directly from patients, families, doctors, and nurses who are sick of watching health care get more expensive and harder to access while Republicans make the crisis worse. We’re bringing their stories and their voices straight to the lawmakers who keep making it worse.”
The first week will take the bus through Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to communities where families are hit hardest by rising health care costs and coverage losses. From Maine, Care Force One will travel nearly 8,000 miles and make 36 stops in four weeks, featuring stories of people impacted by Republican health care cuts. Speakers will call on lawmakers to enact commonsense health care solutions, including restoring tax credits to lower insurance premiums, reversing devastating Medicaid cuts, expanding Medicare drug price negotiations, and extending out-of-pocket spending caps for prescription drugs. Read more about Protect Our Care’s largest grassroots campaign to date here.
Protect Our Care’s Care Force One will make stops in:
Bangor, Maine on Monday, October 5, 2026
Rochester, New Hampshire on Monday, October 5, 2026
Concord, New Hampshire on Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Hudson Valley, New York on Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Long Island, New York on Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Scranton, Pennsylvania on Thursday, October 8, 2026
Allentown, Pennsylvania on Thursday, October 8, 2026
Westfield, New Jersey on Friday, October 9, 2026
Arlington, Virginia on Monday, October 12, 2026
Williamsburg, Virginia on Monday, October 12, 2026
Virginia Beach, Virginia on Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Rocky Mount, North Carolina on Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Savannah, Georgia on Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Macon, Georgia on Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday, October 15, 2026
Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday, October 16, 2026
Toledo, Ohio on Friday, October 16, 2026
Warren, Michigan on Monday, October 19, 2026
Flint, Michigan on Monday, October 19, 2026
Lansing, Michigan on Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Kalamazoo, Michigan on Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin on Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Green Bay, Wisconsin on Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Thursday, October 22, 2026
Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday, October 22, 2026
Davenport, Iowa on Friday, October 23, 2026
Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, October 23, 2026
Adams County, Colorado on Monday, October 26, 2026
Colorado Springs, Colorado on Monday, October 26, 2026
Grand Junction, Colorado on Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Bakersfield, California on Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Vista, California on Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Tucson, Arizona on Thursday, October 29, 2026
Scottsdale, Arizona on Thursday, October 29, 2026
Flagstaff, Arizona on Friday, October 30, 2026