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ashoup
In Capitol Hill, News

After PA-18 Defeat, GOP Continues to Sabotage Health Care In So-Called Stabilization Bill

Washington, D.C. – Following the major role health care played in Democratic Congressman-elect Conor Lamb’s upset victory in PA-18, studies showing that Republican sabotage and repeal could raise premiums up to 94%, and despite all that, reports of ongoing Republican efforts to sabotage health care in the upcoming Omnibus,  Protect Our Care Campaign Chair Leslie Dach released the following statement:

“Despite Tuesday’s groundbreaking election in Pennsylvania, the clearest wake-up call yet that GOP health care sabotage is an albatross around the neck of anyone who supports it, Congressional Republicans continue to sabotage Americans’ health care, pushing a stabilization package that would not even begin to undo the damage they have done, and launching new attacks on women’s health.

“Because President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress have been trying to repeal and sabotage our health care for over a year, premiums are up twenty percent and millions of Americans have lost their coverage. But instead of addressing the very real damage they have caused in order to lower premiums, Republicans would rather attacks women’s health and encourage insurance companies to offer junk plans that can deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

“Enough is enough. It’s time for the GOP to stop this war on our health care. If President Trump and Congressional Republicans think that grandstanding on a stabilization bill to fix their own wreckage will give them political cover, they are dead wrong.”

BACKGROUND

THE GOP HAS ATTEMPTED TO SABOTAGE AMERICANS’ HEALTH CARE AT EVERY TURN

From the moment that Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans took power, they’ve done everything they can to repeal and sabotage Americans’ health care. Now they’re claiming they want to stabilize the marketplaces and lower premiums. This false rhetoric is merely the latest ploy from Republicans who have seen the writing on the wall – Americans are furious about the Republican repeal-and-sabotage agenda.

For the better part of a year, President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act legislatively, striving to kick 32 million Americans off of their coverage and returning to the days when insurers had the power to choose who to deny coverage to by removing protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

When this failed, they doubled down on their administrative sabotage, carrying out a closed-door campaign to undermine the law through administrative actions. These included cancelling cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments designed to lower premiums; using funding for coverage enrollment to launch a propaganda campaign against the law; and attempting to gut open enrollment by reducing the advertising budget by 90% percent, costing an additional 1.1 million people coverage.

These repeal-and-sabotage attempts culminated in December, when the GOP voted to get rid of the individual mandate in their tax scam, ripping insurance away from ten million people and raising premiums double-digits for millions more in order to finance a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans and corporations.

In the time since, President Trump and his allies in Congress have promoted short-term health policies, which neglect key consumer protection provisions such as protections for those with pre-existing conditions and coverage mandates for essential benefits like maternity care; they have supported association health plans (AHPs), which raise costs for people with pre-existing conditions and further destabilize the insurance markets; and they have encouraged states to promote plans which violate the law, promoting and end-run around the ACA despite such procedures being labeled “wildly illegal.”

A study from the Urban Institute found that this sabotage will result in an increase in individual market premiums by an average of 18.2 percent for 2019.

THE GOP HAS REFUSED TO ACT ON MEASURES TO ACTUALLY STABILIZE THE MARKETS

What the GOP has not done through all of this, however, is undertake a genuine effort to actually stabilize the marketplaces.

Following the collapse of the legislative repeal bills in July, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) began holding hearings on stabilization, bringing in insurance commissioners, governors, and health care experts of both parties. The GOP refused to act on their recommendations, however, instead pivoting to yet another attempt to repeal the ACA through the Graham-Cassidy legislation.

After Graham-Cassidy, which would have kicked twenty million Americans’ off of their insurance and raised premiums double-digits went down in flames, the GOP went through yet another charade on stabilization, refusing to move forward on the bipartisan Alexander-Murray bill to address stabilization despite it having a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

A STABILIZATION BILL MUST ACTUALLY STABILIZE THE MARKETPLACE

Now, the GOP says it wants to support stabilization measures. Where was this in the winter, when notices of skyrocketing premiums were going out across the country? Where was this in the fall, when experts were on Capitol Hill lamenting the damage being done to the marketplace? Where was this in the summer, when advocates were begging the GOP to do something rather than push forward yet another repeal bill?

Congressional Republican efforts to undo the damage they and President Trump have caused are wholly insufficient and often turn to failed ideas like high risk pools, which will leave Americans with higher costs and worse coverage. Any bill to stabilize the insurance marketplaces and reverse Republican-caused sabotage must:

  • Expand affordability by increasing the value of premium tax credits and cost-sharing reduction protections;
  • Ensure cost sharing protections fulfill their original purpose of improving affordability and Basic Health Plans are fully funded in order to protect coverage levels;
  • Apply the consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act – such as guaranteed issue, community rating, protections for preexisting conditions – to short term duration plans and protect the essential health benefits from being undermined;
  • Provide for a national meaningful reinsurance program that reduces current premium levels and stabilizes the market;
  • Adequately fund outreach and enrollment efforts;
  • Reject bringing back high-risk pools and Association Health Plans; two failed experiments that would have a destabilizing effect on the marketplace by incentivizing healthier individuals to leave the ACA compliant market, thereby negatively affecting the risk pool and increasing premiums; and
  • Reject punitive and duplicative new anti-choice restrictions on health centers.

Many of the above provisions are included in the recent bills introduced in the Senate by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and in the House by Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Richard Neal (D-MA), and Bobby Scott (D-VA). If Republicans in Congress truly care about stabilization, they will work with Democrats to adopt these provisions and implement a bipartisan, common-sense package to lower premiums and expand coverage options. Anything else is just crocodile tears from elected officials more worried about partisan politics than about Americans’ health.

ashoup
In News, Administration, Capitol Hill

New Data: GOP Cries Crocodile Tears on Prescription Drugs as Big Pharma Reaps Rewards

Washington, DC – Axios is reporting that America’s largest pharmaceutical companies are using their windfall from the GOP tax scam to drive up their own stock prices to the tune of $50 billion, “a sum that towers over investments in employees or drug research and development.” Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse responded:

“Every day millions of Americans struggle to afford their prescription drugs, too often being forced to choose between their medication and a meal. But while they cry crocodile tears over the cost of prescription drugs, President Trump and the GOP are giving Big Pharma an even bigger windfall through their tax bill. This isn’t about patients, it’s about profits.

“Everywhere you look, you can find Republicans voting to raise prescription drug costs, from the health care repeal that would get rid of Medicare’s prescription drug benefit to confirming a Big Pharma executive who let drug prices skyrocket to lead HHS. Now, it turns out, their tax plan is enriching Big Pharma at patients’ expense.

“It’s time for President Trump and his allies in Congress to work for patients instead of profiteers. Enough is enough – it’s time for Republicans to stop making health care more expensive.”

Pharma’s $50 billion tax windfall for investors

Axios // Bob Herman // February 22, 2018

The pharmaceutical industry is using a large portion of its windfall from Republicans’ corporate tax cuts to boost its stock prices. Nine drug companies are spending a combined $50 billion on new share buyback programs, a sum that towers over investments in employees or drug research and development.

The bottom line: All of those buybacks were announced during or after the passage of the Republican tax bill. That money is enriching hedge funds, other Wall Street investors and top drug company executives, but it isn’t necessarily helping patients.

That’s not all: Some drug companies also increased quarterly dividends following the tax overhaul. For example, AbbVie increased its cash dividend by 35% while at the same time committing to a new $10 billion share repurchase program.

  • Dividends dole out cash to existing investors, and share buybacks boost a company’s stock price by making shares scarcer.
  • The new tax law, which slashed the corporate tax rate and made it easier for companies to repatriate overseas cash, has made dividends and share buybacks quick and appealing options.
  • Several drug company buybacks are a lot larger than prior share repurchase programs.
  • Stock returns help people with 401k retirement accounts, but they mostly benefit wealthy investors and executives. And half of U.S. households don’t own any stock.

The big picture: The large buyback programs are rolling out while the same pharmaceutical companies raise drug prices and while Americans struggle to afford their prescriptions.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the main drug industry trade group, referred share buyback questions to employer groups.

ashoup
In Stories, News

New Washington Post/ABC News Poll: Health Care Remains Top Concern for Voters

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll asked Americans about the policies which took precedent during President Trump’s first year in office, and reached a key conclusion: Americans are most united about health care, and they are united in opposition to the GOP agenda.

Asked if keeping “Obamacare” was a good thing for the country, 57 percent of respondents said yes – a significantly higher percentage than any other policy. Meanwhile, just one policy was underwater: the Republican tax scam, which kicked millions of people off of their insurance and was opposed 46% – 34%.

This polling echoes results in a January Hart Research survey, which found that health care far exceeds any other issue as an important driver of voting preferences, with over half of all voters identifying health care as one of their top priorities in the 2018 congressional elections. A majority of those surveyed expressed strong disapproval for the health care policies pushed by the GOP:

And just last week in Wisconsin, voters made their voices heard at the polls that matter most — the ballot box — by electing pro-ACA Democrat Patty Schachtner, who defeated her Republican opponent by nine points in a district that supported Donald Trump by 17 points just 15 months ago. That win follows off-year November elections where voters’ support for health care swept Democrats to victory across the country.

The polling is clear and so are the electoral results: the GOP’s health care has never been less popular. If Republicans want to stave the wave in 2018, they must abandon their sabotage-and-repeal health care agenda.

ashoup
In Stories, News

Republicans Lose Trump Senate District in Wisconsin, Health Care Plays Important Role

Last night, Democrat Patty Schachtner, the chief medical examiner of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, won a special election for an open state Senate seat by 9 points. Voters in the district supported Donald Trump by 17 points just 15 months ago, and the seat had not been held by a Democrat since the turn of the century.

One of the big issues in the race was health care, and below is an example of direct mail Schachtner’s campaign used extensively to highlight the consequences of the GOP’s health care repeal. Just like in Virginia, where health care was the top issue for voters and Democrats came away victorious, voters are rejecting Republicans who embrace the GOP war on health care. In fact, recent national polling conducted by Hart Research and Protect Our Care found that health care was the number one issue among voters surveyed.

If Republicans want to stop losing, they should stop their war on health care.

ashoup
In Stories, News

Right-Wing Groups Demand GOP Keep Trying Health Care Repeal

In response to the news that 43 right-wing groups sent a letter demanding Republicans continue trying to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2018 no matter the cost, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“This is what a war on health care looks like,” said Woodhouse. “No matter how many times the American people reject it, Republicans remain determined to repeal health care – ripping coverage away from millions, raising costs for millions more and gutting protections that tens of millions with pre-existing conditions count on. They won’t give up until they’ve turned every American’s health insurance plan into a tax cut for their wealthy campaign contributors.”

ashoup
In Capitol Hill, Administration, News

2018 Is the Year of Health Care

To: Interested Parties

From: Brad Woodhouse, Campaign Director, Protect Our Care

Subject: 2018 Is the Year of Health Care

Date: January 2, 2018

In 2017, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress waged a war on our health care – from ACA repeal to Medicaid cuts to health care sabotage. Under their planned agenda, costs would rise, coverage would fall and millions of Americans would lose protections against abuses from insurance companies.

The story of 2018 is a simple one: it will be the year the politics of health care will haunt Republicans at the polls. Poll after poll shows that health care is the number one issue on voters’ minds and that they strongly oppose the GOP war on health care. Relatedly, the Affordable Care Act is more popular than ever, and more than 8 million people have already signed up for coverage in open enrollment.

Now, some Republicans want to keep their war on health care going.  They do so at their political peril.

The American people see health care as their top issue.

  • 48 percent in a recent Associated Press-NORC poll rated health care as their top concern for 2018, a number double-digits ahead of the second issue, taxes.
  • Health care topped people’s concerns in a POLITICO/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll. The number one issue people wanted Congress and President Trump to address was to renew funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
  • Health care was the most important issue to people in a recent Economist/YouGov poll (18 percent), followed by Social Security (17 percent).

The American people reject President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ approach to health care.

  • The recent AP/NORC poll had President Trump’s approval/disapproval on health care at 30/70. More voters disapprove of his performance on health than any other issue.
  • According to the November 2017 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, “The majority of the public (60 percent) – including majorities of Democrats (89 percent) and independents (57 percent) – do not trust President Trump to do what’s best when it comes to health care in this country.”
  • FOX News polling showed only 33% of voters approve of President Trump’s work on health care while 60% disapprove.  

And it will cost Republicans politically if they continue their war on health care, like it did last November.

  • The latest Quinnipiac poll showed 41% of voters as being less likely to vote for a Senator or Member of Congress who backed the GOP’s health care plan with only 19% more likely to support them.
  • Health care was the most important issue for people who voted in the Virginia gubernatorial race in November, more than double any other issue, and Ralph Northam beat Ed Gillespie by 54 points, 77-23, among these voters.
  • In Maine, voters backed a referendum to endorse a key element of the Affordable Care Act by an 18-point margin (59-41), the first time the ACA had ever been on the ballot.

The Affordable Care Act is more popular than it has ever been.

  • Pew Research Center: “Today, more Americans say the 2010 health care overhaul has had a mostly positive than mostly negative effect on the country (44% versus 35%), while 14% say it has not had much effect. Overall support for the health care law also has grown since last year. Currently, 56% of the public approves of the law while 38% disapproves, according to a new national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted Nov. 29-Dec. 4.”
  • A Public Policy Poll for Protect Our Care found that 57% say they approve of the Affordable Care Act to just 36% who say they disapprove – a 21 point gap. This is up 5 points from a September poll done for Save My Care, where approval was 54/38.
Sean England
In Capitol Hill, News

GOP to Susan Collins: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she voted for the GOP tax scam, which contains a sneaky repeal of the Affordable Care Act that kicks 13 million people off of their insurance, raises premiums double digits for millions more and guts Medicare by $25 billion, due to promises from GOP leadership to move forward with health care stabilization bills. Experts made clear these stabilization bills would be largely meaningless, Sen. Collins nonetheless argued that she had a deal. In the days since the vote, however, something else has been made abundantly clear: these so-called promises were blatant lies:

The Hill: “Ryan’s office warning he wasn’t part of deal on ObamaCare: source.” “Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) office told a meeting of congressional leadership offices on Monday that the Speaker is not part of a deal to get ObamaCare fixes passed before the end of the year, according to a source familiar with the meeting. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made a commitment to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that he would support passage of two bipartisan ObamaCare bills before the end of the year, a promise that helped win her vote for tax reform. However, Ryan’s office told a meeting of staff from the four top congressional leadership offices on Monday that he has not made that same commitment, raising further questions about whether the ObamaCare bills, already opposed by House conservatives, can pass the House.”

Portland Press-Herald: “House Republicans balk at concessions Sen. Collins obtained for her tax reform vote.” “Beyond Ryan, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, a leader in the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said the Alexander-Murray bill could not pass the House, according to The Hill’s report. ‘The package that’s put together today is just not sufficient to get the votes,’ Cole said. ‘You will not get the votes here.’”

The Daily Beast: “House Republicans Already Shooting Down Tax Bill’s Promises.” “Lawmakers made it clear that they felt no reason to support the proposed deals, and blamed Senate leaders for trying to wheel and deal their way to a successful result on reforming the tax code and slashing rates, an issue they believe all Republicans should have been united around from the start.”

New York Magazine: “Susan Collins Wanted to ‘Get to Yes’ on Tax Bill So Badly She Accepted Promises Written in Vanishing Ink.” “Some observers are lumping the assurances Jeff Flake got on DACA as equivalent to Collins’s deal, but the promises made to Flake were both vague and not at all linked to any timetable. The senator from Maine got a commitment for presidential and Senate leadership support for very specific legislation, and from McConnell at least, a very specific timetable (before the end of 2017). It now appears that one reason for last night’s surprising House conservative threat to the routine measure to appoint tax-bill conferees was to place deals like those struck by Collins totally off the table.”

HOW HAS THIS PLAYED OUT IN MAINE?

Bangor Daily News: “Collins ‘let the people of Maine down’ with her vote to pass tax bill, protesters say.” “After U.S. Sen. Susan Collins voted early Saturday morning in support of the Republican bill to overhaul the tax code, some Mainers broke out in protest over the weekend, calling Collins’ vote a betrayal. Gathered outside Collins’ Portland office Friday night before the vote, Mainers for Accountable Leadership co-founder Gordon Adams told Portland-based ABC affiliate WMTW that Collins, who came out in support of Senate the tax bill, ‘has really let the people of Maine down.’”

WGME: “Protesters gather in front of Sen. Collins office after support of tax bill.” “Protesters gathered outside Senator Susan Collins’ offices in Portland after she announced her support for the GOP tax reform bill. Within an hour of Senator Susan Collins’ announcement, a group of protesters showed up outside of her office in downtown Portland, saying they were unhappy with her decision.”

Mic: “In Maine, Susan Collins’ “yes” vote on tax plan brings devastation.”“Residents in Collins’ home state have demonstrated notable support for the ACA. In November, Maine became the first state to vote to expand Medicaid via a ballot initiative. Maine’s residents are leading the nation in the growth of people with health insurance through Obamacare open enrollment. A recent poll said a majority of Maine residents opposed the Senate tax plan, while fewer than a quarter supported it… ‘Maine is a rural state, a small business state and the oldest state in the country and Mainers are exactly the people who are targeted by the health care cuts and tax increases in this bill,’ Tipping said. ‘We definitely won’t see clapping at the airport.’”

Sean England
In Uncategorized

Protect Our Care Statement On Passage of Senate GOP Tax Scam which Guts American Health Care to Give Tax Breaks to Billionaires and Wall Street

In response to the Senate passing the GOP’s Senate tax scam which includes sneaky health care repeal, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“Today, Senate Republicans and President Trump made their priorities clear: tax breaks for the rich and powerful and big corporations, all of whom are doing just fine in today’s economy, are more important than the health care of millions of Americans,” said Woodhouse.

“Under this bill, 13 million people will have their health coverage ripped away, premiums will skyrocket double digits for millions more, Medicare will be slashed by $25 billion next year alone and older Americans will face an age tax — all so the wealthiest and corporations can get a tax break. And none of the promises which have been made to some members to get their votes, including the passage of the Alexander-Murray stabilization bill, will undo the damage this bill will cause and hiding behind these sham deals is just plain wrong.

“After a year of historically bad poll numbers, rising public support for the Affordable Care Act and election losses in November tied to the issue of health care, Republicans are performing the political equivalent of Harakiri to appease Republican donors who want a fat tax break for themselves and a political win for their party, the health security of millions of Americans be damned in the process. Fortunately, this issue is far from decided and in the ensuing days and weeks Republicans in the House and Senate will be subject to a barrage of ads, calls, events and protests from constituents who will not stand idly by while American health care is sacrificed on the altar of tax breaks for the rich.”

Sean England
In Uncategorized

Will Alexander-Murray Become Law? Not According to GOP Elected Officials

Some GOP Senators, notably Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), have begun floating the notion that their support of the GOP tax bill — which will kick 13 million people off of their insurance, raise premiums by double digits for millions more and trigger a $25 billion cut to Medicare all to give a tax breaks to the wealthiest and corporations — is contingent on Alexander-Murray being signed into law. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that pairing the Alexander-Murray bill with the repeal of the individual responsibility provision will still result in 13 million fewer people with coverage and double-digit premium increases. Moreover, it’s important to note who has expressed doubt this will happen: a lot of Republicans whose support is necessary for it to be signed into law.

House Republicans, from Speaker Paul Ryan on down, have voiced their opposition to Alexander-Murray. GOP Senators have expressed skepticism that Alexander-Murray could pass the House. And President Trump, who now claims to support it, previously opposed it, which he clarified after hinting at his support, which came after his initial opposition.

The tax bill might be voted on with a promise that Alexander-Murray will become law. Does that really seem like a promise that can be kept?

HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE VOICED OPPOSITION AT THE ALEXANDER-MURRAY BILL

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI): “The Speaker Does Not See Anything That Changes His View That The Senate Should Keep Its Focus On Repeal And Replace Of Obamacare.” “‘The speaker does not see anything that changes his view that the Senate should keep its focus on repeal and replace of Obamacare,’ Ryan spox Doug Andres says.” [Tweet, 10/18/17]

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC): CSRs Without Full Repeal “Pretty Much A Nonstarter.” “Still, some Republicans are skeptical of any bill that isn’t repeal. ‘It depends on what it is,’ said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.). ‘The biggest thing I see with most of what they’re talking about is just extending … [subsidy] payments. And … [subsidy] payments without a transition to something that lowers premiums is pretty much a nonstarter.’” [Politico, 9/28/17]

Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC): “This Bailout Is Unacceptable.” “Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee in the House, quickly denounced the deal over Twitter: ‘The GOP should focus on repealing & replacing Obamacare, not trying to save it. This bailout is unacceptable.’” [Associated Press, 10/17/17]

Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA): “No Way.” “Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA), a member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, told The Daily Beast in a phone interview. ‘[Alexander-Murray], as it is? No way. It’s not even in the ballpark.’” [The Daily Beast, 10/19/17]

Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA): “Right Now It’s A Nonstarter.” “House conservatives appear united in opposition to the health care stabilization proposal crafted by Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray. ‘Right now it’s a nonstarter,’ House Freedom Caucus member Dave Brat said Tuesday during a Conversations with Conservatives press event.” [Roll Call, 10/24/17]

Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Scott Perry (R-PA), Mark Walker (R-NC), Matt Gaetz (R-FL): All Oppose Alexander-Murray Agreement. “Brat, Freedom Caucus members Jim Jordan and Scott Perry, Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker and Rep. Matt Gaetz all spoke to their opposition to the bipartisan accord. One aspect of the plan that conservatives oppose is the funding of cost-sharing reduction subsidies that the federal government pays to insurance companies to keep costs down for low-income individuals.” [Roll Call, 10/24/17]

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): “We Should Not Be Funding The CSRs.” “‘It is a problem,’ Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan said. ‘We should not be funding the CSRs.’” [Roll Call, 10/24/17]

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC): “It’s An Insult For The Insurance Companies To Be Getting Subsidies.” “South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman added: ‘It’s an insult for the insurance companies to be getting subsidies. It really is.’” [Roll Call, 10/24/17]

EVEN REPUBLICAN SENATORS HAVE EXPRESSED SKEPTICISM THAT THE ALEXANDER-MURRAY BILL COULD PASS THE HOUSE

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA): Alexander-Murray “Will Not Pass Unless Concerns Of The House Are Addressed.” “However, we recognize this short-term stabilization will not pass unless concerns of the House are addressed… Without a stabilization package, the market will collapse and advance premium tax credits will spike. This would increase the costs to the American taxpayer.” [Lindsey Graham Statement, 10/19/17]

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO): “I Don’t Know” If Alexander-Murray Could Pass The House. “Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of the Senate GOP leadership, said he believes the Senate could pass a bipartisan health care fix but wasn’t sure if it could clear the House or get President Trump’s signature. ‘I believe they’ll be able to come up with a proposal, and a number of senators will sponsor it,’ Blunt, R-Mo., said of the negotiations between Alexander and Murray. ‘I don’t have a sense of where the president’s going to wind up or where the House is. I think the Senate would likely be able to get something done there. But whether the other two essential players are willing to go in that direction, I don’t know.’” [Tennessean, 9/29/17]

AND PRESIDENT TRUMP FLIP-FLOPS ON HIS SUPPORT FOR ALEXANDER-MURRAY TOO MUCH TO BE TRUSTED

President Trump: “Senator Mike Rounds Of South Dakota Quoted Trump As Telling Republican Senators, ‘I Support The Alexander-Murray Bill.’” “Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota quoted Trump as telling Republican senators, ‘I support the Alexander-Murray bill.’ ‘He actually made it very clear that he supported the Alexander-Murray bill,’ Rounds said of the president’s remarks during a luncheon meeting with senators. ‘He sees it as a transition away from Obamacare.’” [Bloomberg, 11/28/17]

President Trump: “I’m Not Going To Do It.” “So when I knocked out the hundreds of millions of dollars a month being paid back to the insurance companies by politicians — I must tell you — that wanted me to continue to pay this, I said I’m not going to do it. This is money that goes to the insurance companies to line their pockets, to raise up their stock prices. And they’ve had a record run. They’ve had an incredible run, and it’s not appropriate.” [Politico, 10/18/17]

President Trump: “Congress Must Find A Solution To The Obamacare Mess Instead Of Providing Bailouts To Insurance Companies.” “While I commend the bipartisan work done by Sens. Alexander and Murray — and I do commend it — I continue to believe Congress must find a solution to the Obamacare mess instead of providing bailouts to insurance companies.” [Politico, 10/18/17]

President Trump: “I Can Never Support Bailing Out Ins Co’s Who Have Made A Fortune W/ O’Care.” “I am supportive of Lamar as a person & also of the process, but I can never support bailing out ins co’s who have made a fortune w/ O’Care.” [Tweet, 10/18/17]

President Trump: “For A Period Of One Year, Two Years, We Will Have A Very Good Solution.” “‘Alexander said the president had encouraged his efforts in phone calls over the past two weeks. And at the White House, Trump responded positively, expressing optimism that Republicans would ultimately succeed in repealing Obamacare, but until then, ‘For a period of one year, two years, we will have a very good solution.’ ‘It is a short-term solution so that we don’t have this very dangerous little period, including a dangerous period for insurance companies, by the way,’ he said during a Rose Garden press conference.” [Associated Press, 10/17/17]

Sean England
In Uncategorized

Protect Our Care Statement on Tax Bill Passing Out of Senate Budget Committee

In response to the news that the Senate Budget Committee voted 12–11 to advance the GOP tax bill, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:

“This bill is a disgrace,” said Woodhouse. “It repeals our health care in order to give billionaires and corporations a massive tax break. It was crafted in secret, on a purely partisan basis, with no expert input, and its provisions are opposed by every major health group in America. This bill would kick 13 million Americans off of their insurance, raise premiums across the board, trigger a $25 billion cut to Medicare and further destabilize the insurance markets.

“If this bill passes, it is tantamount to repealing the Affordable Care Act. President Trump’s support for the Alexander-Murray bill is a sham. Alexander-Murray does nothing to make up for the damage the Senate bill causes and everyone knows that, including its authors. Even more cynically, the House leadership does not support the bill and House conservatives have referred to it as a ‘nonstarter.’

“This bill will rip health care away from millions and raise costs for millions more, hammering older Americans and people in rural areas. The consequences for middle-class Americans will be enormous. Shame on any senator who supports it.”

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