Skip to main content
Tag

Bus tour

New Poll: Health Care Is A Top Issue For North Dakotans

New poll released ahead of Protect Our Care’s “Care Force One” Bus Tour Rolling Into Fargo and Bismarck

Six in 10 Voters Disapprove Of Cramer’s Vote to Repeal Health Care and Revive Age Tax

Sixty Percent of Voters Oppose Trump Administration’s Lawsuit To Gut Pre-existing Conditions Protections and Cramer’s Support for Health Repeal

 

Washington DC — Ahead of the ‘Care Force One’ bus tour stops on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 in Fargo and Bismarck, a new poll by Change Research for Protect Our Care shows sixty percent of voters strongly oppose the Trump-GOP lawsuit to eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions and fifty-two percent say health care is very important to them in the midterms. This poll shows danger ahead for Kevin Cramer, who has voted repeatedly to repeal health care for North Dakotans and served as one of the biggest cheerleaders of the Trump Administration’s lawsuit to end protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care issued the following statement upon the poll’s findings:

 

“Kevin Cramer thinks he can hide his shameful record on health care from the public, but he can’t: From his support of the Trump-GOP lawsuit that would eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions to ads that flat-out lie about his record, Cramer has done absolutely nothing to help North Dakotans have quality and affordable health care — and worse, he’s taken many steps to harm them. For years, Cramer has voted to repeal our care and give insurance companies the power to deny or drop coverage, or charge more because of a pre-existing condition or a person’s age. By putting big insurance companies ahead of working North Dakota families, Kevin Cramer has not earned a promotion to the Senate.”

 

Key Findings from the Protect Our Care-Change Research survey of North Dakota Voters:

  • Sixty percent of voters oppose the Trump Administration’s lawsuit to eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions, while only twenty-nine percent support
  • Fifty-two percent of voters say health care is very important when deciding their vote for the U.S. Senate
  • Sixty-one percent of voters have a major concern with Cramer’s vote to repeal the ACA and allow insurance companies to charge an age tax for people 50 and older.
  • Fifty-three percent of voters have a major concern with Cramer’s vote to repeal the ACA and undermine protections for people with pre-existing condition

This poll surveyed 967 registered voters online in North Dakota on October 3, 2018 using Change Research’s bias correct engine. The margin of error is +/- 3.15% and the post-stratification was done on age, gender, ethnicity, and 2016 presidential vote.

Health Care Repeal in North Dakota would mean the elimination of:

    • Protections for 316,000 North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions
    • Improvements to Medicare, including reduced costs for prescription drugs
    • Allowing kids to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26
    • Ban on annual and lifetime limits
    • Ban on insurance discrimination against women
    • Medicaid expansion currently covering 21,400 North Dakotans
    • Marketplace tax credits and coverage for up to 20,000 North Dakotans.

 

Kevin Cramer Repeatedly Voted to Eliminate Repeal Health Care Protections for People Over Age 50 and People with Pre-existing Conditions

2013:  Cramer Voted For A Total Repeal Of The ACA.  Cramer voted for HR 45, an act “to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.” [HR 45, Roll Call Vote #154, 5/16/13]

2015:  Cramer Voted For A Total Repeal Of The ACA.  Cramer voted for HR 596, an act “to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.”  The bill also ordered House committees to develop a replacement that would “provide people with pre-existing conditions access to affordable health coverage,” but provided no specifics. [HR 596, Roll Call Vote #58, 2/3/15]

 

  • Cramer Said The Bill Would “Repeal The Affordable Care Act In Its Entirety.” “Today Congressman Kevin Cramer voted with the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the Affordable Care Act in its entirety.” [Cramer Website, 2/3/15]

 

2017: Cramer Voted For AHCA.  Cramer voted for passage of the American Health Care Act.  [HR 1628, Roll Call Vote #256, 5/4/17]

 

Cramer supports the Trump Administration’s lawsuit to roll back coverage for people with pre-existing conditions

Kevin Cramer vigorously supports the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back coverage for people with pre-existing conditions via a lawsuit that would eliminate the protections for pre-existing conditions that exist in the ACA.  

Cramer is now doubling down on his support for the AHCA last year, a bill which would have allowed insurance companies to go back to charging people with pre-existing conditions “prohibitively high premiums.”  

Cramer’s support for these measures puts the health of the 316,000 North Dakotans living with a pre-existing condition at risk and would take us back to the days when insurers routinely denied coverage or charged unaffordable premiums to people with pre-existing conditions, including cancer, asthma and hypertension.

 

 

Care Force One Embarks on Second Week of National Tour

As Bus Rolls into West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin This Week, Here’s a Look Back at Week 1 On the Road with Protect Our Care

Beginning last Sunday, September 23, Protect Our Care hit the road, taking the health care fight to communities across the country in its first-ever nationwide bus tour. Kicking off in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Saturday, September 23, the bus, “Care Force One,” will make 48 stops across 23 states, covering nearly 12,000 miles.

Joining Protect Our Care’s leaders Brad Woodhouse and Leslie Dach on the journey across the United States are cancer survivor and health care advocate Laura Packard Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Angus King (I-ME), Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and more.  

At a time when health care is consistently ranked as a top issue for the public, the tour is highlighting that the Republican war on health care is very much alive, with Republican officials using legislation, regulations and the courts to continue their attacks on protections for the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, for women, older Americans and Medicaid and Medicare enrollees.

 

Here’s a snapshot of the first week of the tour:

At Care Force One’s campaign kickoff, Senator Chris Murphy, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Ned Lamont were joined by nearly 100 community members outside a Bridgeport Community Health Center to call attention to Republicans’ ongoing war on health care care.

 

“Connecticut made the decision to try to make the Affordable Care Act work, not undermine it like many other states did,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “Think about the 20

 

million Americans who have been given access to health care, whose lives have been changed. Just imagine what that number would be if every other state approached the Affordable Care Act the way Connecticut did.”

On Day 2 of the tour, Senator Angus King and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) joined state representatives and Mainers with pre-existing conditions at Portland City Hall to speak out against the devastating repercussions of health care repeal.

“We’ve got to continue to fight against repeal,” said Senator Angus King. “I call it a zombie proposal because it keeps coming back, and it’s a terrible idea and we have to keep trying to push that back to try and protect Medicare as well as the Affordable Care Act.”

From there, the bus rolled onto Banger where State Representatives Steve Stanley, Anne Perry, and Ryan Tipping joined former Mayor Joe Baldacci and Mainers with pre-existing conditions at Waterfront Park to speak out against the devastating repercussions of health care repeal.

“If I didn’t get the treatment I needed when I was younger, I would not be here today. Today, I work with women on the waitlist waiting for treatment. I have 43 women on my waitlist, 36 of which do not have insurance, and I can guarantee you they’d be eligible for Medicaid if it were to expand,” said Ashley Homstead, who works in the recovery community.

After Maine, Care Force One rolled into New York. In Binghamton, Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, Jim Carr of the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans, and local residents rallied for health care and in Kingston Assemblymember Kevin Cahill and small business owner Pat Strong called out the Republican war on health care.

“I’m just a grandmother who has a granddaughter with disabilities,” said Linda Quilty. “She was born as what they call a ‘floppy baby,’ she just didn’t move… Now, she’s eight years old and she’s doing wonderfully well. My concern is – what happens to these babies who don’t get the assistance that she has had? Where do they go without all of that help?”

Then on day 4, the tour took to New Jersey, where pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Chuang, nurse Claudia Storichs, and small business owner Jim Parker were joined by Bruce Davis of the New Jersey NAACP, Seth Hahn of CWA New Jersey and Andy Kim. “I’m the father of two baby boys, and my youngest baby was someone who had significant health problems right from the very beginning,” said Kim. “I remember when the doctors told us that he was dangerously underweight and had real risk. And it reminded me of how many families in this country and this community have health care crises and are unsure of how they’ll be able to afford it.”

From there, the bus rolled on to Pennsylvania, where day 5 was spent with Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, state Senator Vincent Hughes and State Representative Tim Briggs, County Executive and former Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper, Robin Stelly from Pennsylvania Health Action Network and residents living with pre-existing conditions who decried efforts by Republicans to roll back progress on health care.

“Preserving the protections from the Affordable Care Act is one of my top priorities,” State Senator Vincent Hughes said. “Not only were we able to expand Medicaid in the Keystone state, but we saw a dramatic increase in insured individuals. I don’t want to give up that progress and force those in need, especially people with pre-existing conditions, to be without the critical services they must have to survive.”

“Medicaid gave my little girl the ability to swallow and eat, to walk, even to make friends. Medicaid has filled the many gaps in her private insurance, and the protections provided in the ACA for pre-existing conditions and prohibitions on lifetime caps has meant that my daughter can still be covered by insurance,” said Erin Gabriel, whose three children all have special needs, joined Shapiro and the group of advocates.  

On day 6, Care Force One was in Ohio, where American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein, Cleveland City Council Members Blaine Griffin and Phyllis Cleveland joined civil rights attorney Betsy Rader and local health care providers and patients to speak out about the devastating repercussions of health care repeal.

“What we’re seeing in the country right now is essentially a group of people that Trump basically represents, who want to keep power and control for those who are rich, raising healthcare costs for all of us,” Weingarten said.

This week, the bus rolls on to West Virginia. Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. More details about upcoming stops can be found here.

State Representatives Join Former Mayor Baldacci and Mainers to Demand that Republicans #ProtectOurCare

“Care Force One” Makes Stop in Bangor on National Bus Tour

Bangor, ME – Today, State Representatives Steve Stanley, Anne Perry, and Ryan Tipping joined former Mayor Joe Baldacci and Mainers with pre-existing conditions at Waterfront Park in Bangor to speak out against the devastating repercussions of health care repeal.

The event was part of Protect Our Care’s nationwide bus tour calling attention to Republicans’ attempts to sabotage health care, including a lawsuit signed by Governor Paul LePage that would gut protections for Mainers with pre-existing conditions and Rep. Bruce Poliquin’s (ME-02) repeated attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The 548,000 Mainers living with a pre-existing condition would be in jeopardy if a judge sides with Paul LePage, President Trump, and the GOP in their lawsuit. What’s more, 70,000 Mainers have been denied access to affordable health coverage through Governor LePage’s refusal to expand Medicaid.

“Our message today is that Senator Collins and Congressman Poliquin need to listen to the people of Maine and their needs,” said former Bangor Mayor Joe Baldacci. “There are hundreds of thousands of people who benefit from the all the protections provided under the ACA. The economy of rural Maine will take a devastating blow if it is repealed. So I stand here today to say this is what is right for the people of Maine.”

Ashley Homstead, who works in the recovery community, said, “If I didn’t get the treatment I needed when I was younger, I would not be here today. Today, I work with women on the waitlist waiting for treatment. I have 43 women on my waitlist, 36 of which do not have insurance, and I can guarantee you they’d be eligible for Medicaid if it were to expand. When you’re thinking about the ACA and expanding Medicaid, think about these women and their families.”

“I was diagnosed with a pre-existing when I was 17, before the ACA,” said Kristen Nilsen, a mental health counselor. “A few years later when I was in between jobs, the only coverage available to me – because of the pre-existing condition in my medical history – was $1,500 a month. I had to go without health insurance because I needed to put food on the table.”

State Representative Anne Perry highlighted the importance of expanding Medicaid in the state, adding, “We cannot afford to go back to the way things were. We were in trouble before the ACA.” State Representative Ryan Tipping concluded the event by saying, “we should be moving forward, making sure care is more affordable and more available. We shouldn’t be moving backwards. Call Senator Collins and Representative Poliquin and tell them to stop this attack on health care throughout the country.”

“The stakes have never been higher for Mainers’ health care,” said TJ Helmstetter of Protect Our Care. “Since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, almost 70,000 Mainers have gained health insurance. This is all in jeopardy due to Republicans’ repeal and sabotage agenda, including Governor LePage’s ludicrous lawsuit and Rep. Poliquin’s vote to repeal health care. Mainers want this Republican war on health care to end, plain and simple. That’s why we’re here today.”

You can watch the full video here. The bus now travels to New York for an event tomorrow. More details but upcoming stops can be found here.

 

Sunday: Protect Our Care Kicks off 48 Stop Nationwide Bus Tour

Headlined by Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and Cancer Survivor Laura Packard and Brad Woodhouse, Protect Our Care Kicks off 11,505 Mile Bus Tour on Sunday, September 23 in Bridgeport, Connecticut

Bus Rolls On to Portland, Maine for Appearance with Sen. Angus King, Rep. Chellie Pingree, State Representatives, and Mainers with Pre-Existing Conditions  

Washington, D.C. – This Sunday, Protect Our Care will kick off its nationwide bus tour, a 48-stop, 23-state bus tour highlighting the Republican war on health care and its impact on Americans from coast to coast. In its first week, “Care Force One” will travel from Connecticut to Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

Check out protectourcare.org/bus-tour/ for the latest information on the tour.

What: Stand Up to Protect Our Care — Bridgeport, Connecticut

Who: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

Ned Lamont

State Rep. Chris Rosario (D-Bridgeport)

State Rep. William Tong (D-Stamford)

Laura Packard, cancer survivor

Leslie Dach, founder and chair of Protect Our Care

Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care

Where: Southwest Community Health Center

46 Albion Street, Bridgeport, CT, 06605

When: Sunday, September 23

1:00 PM ET

Livestream: Link available upon request

Following the kick-off event in Connecticut, Care Force One will host its second event the next day in Portland, Maine:

What: Stand Up to Protect Our Care — Portland, Maine

Who: Sen. Angus King (I-ME)

Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01)

State Rep. Heather Sanborn (D-Portland)

State Rep. Matt Moonen (D-Portland)

Laura Packard, cancer survivor

Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care

Where: Portland City Hall
389 Congress Street, Portland, ME, 04101

When: Monday, September 24

10:00 AM ET

Livestream: Link available upon request

After Portland, Care Force One will roll into Bangor:

What: Stand Up to Protect Our Care — Bangor, Maine

Who: State Rep. Ryan Tipping (D-Orono)

State Rep. Steve Stanley (D-Medway)

Former Bangor Mayor Joe Baldacci

Laura Packard, cancer survivor

Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care

Where: Waterfront Park
81 Railroad Street, Bangor, ME, 04401

When: Monday, September 24

2:00 PM ET

Livestream: Link available upon request

The full schedule of “Care Force One” appearances is below:

Bridgeport, CT on Sunday, September 23, 2018

Portland, ME on Monday, September 24, 2018

Bangor, ME on Monday, September 24, 2018

Kingston, NY on Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Binghamton, NY on Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Burlington County, NJ on September 26, 2018

Harrisburg, PA on Thursday, September 26, 2018

Pittsburgh, PA on Thursday, September 27, 2018

Erie, PA on Thursday, September 27, 2018

Cleveland, OH on Friday, September 28, 2018

Columbus, OH on Friday, September 28, 2018

Parkersburg, WV on Monday, October 1, 2018

Morgantown, WV on October 1, 2018

Charleston, WV on Monday, October 1, 2018

Cincinnati, OH on Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Indianapolis, IN on Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Lansing, MI on Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Kalamazoo, MI on Wednesday, October 3, 2018

South Bend, IN on Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Milwaukee, WI on Thursday, October 4, 2018

Green Bay, WI on Thursday, October 4, 2018

Madison, WI on Friday, October 5, 2018

Cedar Rapids, IA on Friday, October 5, 2018

Des Moines, IA on Monday, October 8, 2018

Minneapolis, MN on Monday, October 8, 2018

Fargo, ND on Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Minot, ND on Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Billings, MT on Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Butte, MT Thursday, October 11, 2018

Missoula, MT on Friday, October 12, 2018

Reno, NV on Monday, October 15, 2018

Las Vegas, NV on Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Phoenix, AZ on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Tucson, AZ on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Denver, CO on Friday, October 19, 2018

Kansas City, MO on Monday, October 22, 2018

Springfield, MO on Monday, October 22, 2018

St. Louis, MO on Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Memphis, TN on Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Nashville, TN on Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Richmond, VA on Thursday, October 25, 2018

Raleigh, NC on Thursday, October 25, 2018

Atlanta, GA on Friday, October 26, 2018

Sarasota, FL on Monday, October 29, 2018

Orlando, FL on Monday, October 28, 2018

Miami, FL on Wednesday, October 31, 2018

St. Lucie, FL on Thursday, November 1, 2018

West Palm, FL on Friday, November 2, 2018

###

Senators, Cabinet Secretaries, Activists to Headline Protect Our Care’s Bus Tour

Kicking off With Sens. Chris Murphy and Angus King, Care Force One Will Travel to 23 States, Engaging Americans in the Fight Against the GOP War on Health Care

Washington, D.C. – Today, Protect Our Care is excited to announce that Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Angus King (I-ME), former Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Andy Slavitt and Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden will speak during Protect Our Care’s bus tour, joining health care advocate Laura Packard on the 1,303 mile journey across the United States. Sen. Chris Murphy will kick off the tour on Sunday, September 23 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, before Care Force One heads north to Portland, Maine with Sen. Angus King. Protect Our Care’s Founder and Chair Leslie Dach and its Executive Director Brad Woodhouse will join this all-star lineup at select stops.

“We’re thrilled to have such incredible health care champions joining us,” said Woodhouse. “Each of these leaders have spent years in the trenches working to expand access to quality, affordable health coverage, and resisting Republican repeal-and-sabotage at every turn.”

The tour will highlight for the public that the Republican war on health care is very much alive, with Republican officials using legislation, regulations, and the courts to continue their attacks on protections for the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, for women and older Americans, and on  Medicaid and Medicare. Thanks to the Republicans’ tax bill and junk plan regulations, a typical family of four will see their health insurance premiums increase by $3,110 next year.

Check out when “Care Force One” is slated to come to you, and visit protectourcare.org/bus-tour/ for the latest information:

Bridgeport, CT on Sunday, September 23, 2018

Portland, ME on Monday, September 24, 2018

Bangor, ME on Monday, September 24, 2018

Albany, NY on Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Binghamton, NY on Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Harrisburg, PA on Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Pittsburgh, PA on Thursday, September 27, 2018

Erie, PA on Thursday, September 27, 2018

Cleveland, OH on Friday, September 28, 2018

Columbus, OH on Friday, September 28, 2018

Parkersburg, WV on Monday, October 1, 2018

Morgantown, WV on Monday, October 1, 2018

Charleston,WV on Monday, October 1, 2018

Cincinnati, OH on Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Indianapolis, IN on Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Lansing, MI on Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Grand Rapids, MI on Wednesday, October 3, 2018

South Bend, IN on Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Milwaukee, WI on Thursday, October 4, 2018

Green Bay, WI on Thursday, October 4, 2018

Madison, WI on Friday, October 5, 2018

Cedar Rapids, IA on Friday, October 5, 2018

Des Moines, IA on Monday, October 8, 2018

Minneapolis, MN on Monday, October 8, 2018

Fargo, ND on Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Minot, ND on Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Billings, MT on Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Butte, MT Thursday, October 11, 2018

Missoula, MT on Friday, October 12, 2018

Reno, NV on Monday, October 15, 2018

Las Vegas, NV on Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Phoenix, AZ on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Tucson, AZ on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Denver, CO on Friday, October 19, 201

Kansas City, MO on Monday, October 22, 2018

Springfield, MO on Monday, October 22, 2018

St. Louis, MO on Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Memphis, TN on Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Nashville, TN on Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Richmond, VA on Thursday, October 25, 2018

Raleigh, NC on Thursday, October 25, 2018

Atlanta, GA on Friday, October 26, 201

Miami, FL on Wednesday, October 31, 2018

West Palm, FL on Thursday, November 1, 2018

West Palm, FL on Friday, November 2, 2018

###