Protect Our Care Hosted Activities in Arizona, California, Delaware, New Jersey, and West Virginia
Protect Our Care continued its events and activities calling on members of Congress to pass all of President Biden’s health care priorities in the Build Back Better Act. Democrats are continuing to negotiate a final budget agreement that will give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices, extend coverage to millions by closing the Medicaid coverage gap, expand Medicare benefits to include vision, dental and hearing, and reduce health care costs for millions of people purchasing coverage on their own. New polling released this week from Public Policy Polling on behalf of Protect Our Care confirms these proposals are overwhelmingly popular among voters in key states.
Through press events, radio ads, and polling, Protect Our Care continued to convey that President Biden’s health care priorities are among the most consequential policies to Americans’ health and well-being and remain central to the popularity of the Build Back Better package. Protect Our Care will continue to ensure that lawmakers understand the importance of lowering drug prices and expanding care leading up to the final passage of the Build Back Better Act.
ARIZONA
PRESS EVENT: U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-07) and local advocates joined Protect Our Care Arizona for a virtual press conference to highlight how the efforts of President Biden and Democrats in Congress will lower costs and expand access to health care in Arizona and across the country. Advocates also discussed new polling on behalf of Protect Our Care that shows 73% of Arizonans across party lines support giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices.
NEW POLL: Public Policy Polling released a new poll on behalf of Protect Our Care showing 73% of Arizona voters say they support giving Medicare the power to lower prescription drug prices for all Americans, with 61% saying they strongly support it. A majority (59%) of Arizonans also say they support the overall Build Back Better plan, which would provide paid family and medical leave, expand Medicare coverage for seniors including dental, vision, and hearing coverage, and lower health care costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.
Full Poll Results and Memo Here.
RADIO AD: Protect Our Care extended its radio ad calling for Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) to meet the demands of her constituents and support giving Medicare the power to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. The ad features Will Humble, the Executive Director for the Arizona Public Health Association, who explains that Arizonans pay three times more for drugs than people in other countries while Big Pharma continues to rake in record profits and hike prices on Americans.
CALIFORNIA
PRESS EVENT: Dr. Arnold Gass, VA physician and professor at UCSD, Rachelle Compton, nurse and constituent of Rep. Scott Peters, Dr. Seth Fischer, resident at UC San Diego Health, and Bryant Miramontes, Senior Campaign Organizer at Health Access California, joined Protect Our Care California for an event to call on Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) to stand up to Big Pharma and bring relief to San Diegans struggling to afford their medications by giving Medicare the power to negotiate directly with drug companies for lower prices.
PLANE: Protect Our Care flew a plane banner over San Diego urging Rep. Scott Peters to support lowering drug prices by giving Medicare the power to negotiate. The event came as constituents and activists held multiple events in his district on Thursday urging the Congressman to do the right thing and pass the Build Back Better Act.
DELAWARE
RADIO AD: On Wednesday, Protect Our Care announced a new radio ad calling on Delawareans to tell U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Chris Coons (D-DE) that they expect their support for giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices. As Congress is closing in on legislation that will transform the lives of American families nationwide, the radio ad makes clear that Delawareans won’t settle for half-measures and that Senators Carper’s and Coon’s votes are key to passing prescription drug pricing reform.
NEW POLL: Protect Our Care released a new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling showing that 78% of Delaware voters say they support giving Medicare the power to lower prescription drug prices for all Americans, with more than 6 in 10 saying they strongly support it. The poll also shows that a large majority (70%) of Delaware voters also say they support the overall Build Back Better plan.
Full Poll Results and Memo Here.
NEW JERSEY
NEW POLL: New polling from Public Policy Polling on behalf of Protect Our Care showed 77% of New Jersey voters say they support giving Medicare the power to lower prescription drug prices for all Americans, with 61% saying they strongly support it. A majority (68%) of New Jersey voters also say they support the overall Build Back Better plan.
Full Poll Results and Memo Here.
Coverage:
- NJ Spotlight News: NJ voters who support giving Medicare the power to lower prescription drug prices
WEST VIRGINIA
PRESS EVENT: Morgantown resident and Type 1 diabetic Mindy Salango, Executive Director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care Dr. Jessica Ice, Protect Our Care Executive Director Leslie Dach and local advocates joined Protect Our Care West Virginia for a virtual event to call on Congress to stand up to Big Pharma and bring relief to West Virginians struggling to afford their medications by giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices. New polling on behalf of Protect Our Care shows that 74% of West Virginians across party lines support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices.
NEW POLL: Public Policy Polling released a new poll on behalf of Protect Our Care showing 74% of West Virginia voters say they support giving Medicare the power to lower prescription drug prices for all Americans, with 56% saying they strongly support it. A majority (57%) of West Virginians also say they support the overall Build Back Better plan.
Full Poll Results and Memo Here.
RADIO AD: Protect Our Care extended its radio ad calling for U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) to meet the demands of his constituents and fight for giving Medicare the power to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. The ad features Mindy Salango, a Morgantown resident who suffers from Type I diabetes, explaining that giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices is the solution to the broken drug pricing system.