Politics

Now Republicans Must Stop Trump’s Sabotage by Ensuring Cost Sharing Reduction Payments Are Made or Hold the Bag for Skyrocketing Premiums

Before it has even been introduced, the latest desperate attempt at health care repeal from Republicans is dead on arrival according to Republican Senators. The repeal proposal from Senators Graham, Cassidy and Heller was the most vicious bill yet and can’t seem to get the support from members of their own party. Sen. Hatch gave the possibility of a vote on the bill a firm, “No” on Monday. Sen. Rand Paul said the bill “sounds to me like a bad idea.” The bill proposes the same deeply unpopular provisions of previous repeal bills, including deep cuts to Medicaid, ending federal funding for Medicaid Expansion states, eliminating payments to help lower out-of-pocket costs and deductibles for lower-income individuals, and increasing out-of-pocket costs for people with pre-existing conditions. The bill would also disproportionately hurt states that expanded Medicaid over states that did not.

“The now dead Graham-Cassidy-Heller bill would have been the worst of all the partisan health care bills Senate Republicans have pursued to date — worse even than those that were already soundly rejected by the American people,” said Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse. “Now is the time for Republicans to finally abandon these failed, partisan repeal efforts and work toward bipartisan solutions to improve health care like immediately making good on the cost-sharing reduction payments to prevent premiums from skyrocketing for Americans by twenty percent and provide much-needed certainty to the health care market. If Republicans don’t quickly stand up to Trump’s sabotage and ensure these payments are made, they will be to blame when the premiums rise, coverage lapses occur and the debt explodes by $200 billion.”

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Geoff Garin

DATE: September 5, 2017

RE: New Polling on Voters’ Priorities for Healthcare After the Failure of Repeal and Replace

From August 18 to 21, Hart Research Associates completed 1,017 online interviews with a representative national cross section of Americans who voted in the 2016 election. The selfreported presidential vote among the sample is 48% for Hillary Clinton, 45% for Donald Trump, 5% for Gary Johnson, and 2% for Jill Stein. The party identification of the survey respondents is 43% Democrat, 39% Republican, and 18% independent.

Overview

Our recent national survey of 1,017 voters, conducted August 18 to 21, 2017, confirms that the efforts of President Trump and Republicans in Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act already have put them very far at odds with the public and are a major political vulnerability for them. The poll results also clearly demonstrate that continued efforts by Trump and congressional Republicans to undermine the Affordable Care Act will be deeply unpopular with voters, including many rank-and-file Republican voters. Large majorities of voters recognize that President Trump is trying to make the Affordable Care Act fail and playing politics with people’s healthcare. This behavior is in direct contrast with the priorities of most voters; for example, two-thirds of voters agree that “President Trump and the Republicans in Congress need to put politics aside and take the necessary steps to make sure individuals have access to affordable health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.”

There is widespread disapproval of President Trump’s threats to cut off the funding that helps insurance companies reduce out-of-pocket costs for individuals, and these threats are one of the top sources of concern about Trump’s handling of healthcare. Voters react strongly to the fact that cutting off these funds would increase health insurance premiums for individuals by 19%, as well as to the uncertainty that these threats create for insurers and the resultant possibility that many Americans could be left without affordable healthcare options. If these outcomes occur and there are failures in the Affordable Care Act, voters will blame President Trump and the congressional Republicans who are complicit in his efforts to undermine the ACA. Healthcare stands out as the number-one issue for voters in the 2018 midterm elections, and large majorities say they will be less likely to reelect their senator or congressperson if he/she supports efforts by President Trump to destabilize the health insurance markets and sabotage the Affordable Care Act. 
 
From a political perspective, these poll results underline one clear conclusion: Democrats and progressives should be playing offense on the issue of healthcare, and should keep the issue front and center for voters in the coming weeks and months. This poll and others show that healthcare is a priority voting issue across the electorate, and the threat to healthcare presented by the policies of President Trump and congressional Republicans is a matter of deep personal concern to many voters. There is an obvious high ground in the debate about what should happen next in healthcare policy: voters want a bipartisan effort to keep what works in the Affordable Care Act and make the necessary improvements so it can work better, and they want action to bring more stability to the health insurance markets to keep premiums down and make sure people continue to have affordable healthcare options. If President Trump and congressional Republicans fail on these objectives and outcomes, voters will hold them accountable for that, and Democrats and progressives should be aggressive in shining a spotlight on each and every action by Trump and the Republicans that contributes to higher premiums and greater instability in the healthcare system.

In making these points, Democrats and progressives should:

• Remind voters of Trump’s frequent declarations of his intention to let the Affordable Care Act fail and the ways he has followed through on these threats — including his efforts to limit and subvert enrollment;
• Blame Trump and congressional Republicans for rising premiums and insurer opt-outs in the health insurance marketplaces, as a direct result of policies and actions designed to promote uncertainty and instability;
• Emphasize that Trump is deliberately sabotaging people’s healthcare because of his own egomania, political spitefulness, and personal hostility to the previous administration;
• Hold congressional Republicans accountable for supporting Trump’s efforts to destabilize the health insurance markets and sabotage the Affordable Care Act, and for their lack of independence in standing up to these efforts;
• Never let voters forget that Trump and the Republicans in Congress see the alternative to the Affordable Care Act as a system that weakens protections for pre-existing conditions, imposes an age tax through higher premiums on people over the age of 50, leaves 16 million to 32 million more Americans uninsured, and eviscerates Medicaid at the expense of children, people with serious disabilities, and people in need of nursing home care;
• Remind voters that instead of sabotaging people’s healthcare, the better way is a bipartisan effort to keep what works in the Affordable Care Act and make the necessary improvements so all Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare.

Discussion of Key Findings

1. The efforts of President Trump and Republicans in Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act already have put them in a very deep hole with the public on the issue of healthcare.

By 61% to 39%, voters disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the issue of healthcare as president — including fully half (50%) who strongly disapprove; only 21% strongly approve. Independent voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue by 40 points (70% to 30%), and one-in-five (20%) Trump voters disapproves as well. Voters volunteer a variety of reasons for disapproving of Trump’s handling of healthcare: Democrats emphasize that Trump just wants to destroy former President Obama’s legacy, while Republicans focus on Trump’s lack of accomplishments on the issue and his failure to come up with a good plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans in Congress get poor marks on this issue as well: eight-in-10 (80%) voters disapprove of the way congressional Republicans are handling the issue of healthcare, while only 20% approve. This “disapprove” number includes 91% of Democrats, 81% of independents, and, notably, 68% of Republicans themselves. These marks reflect the public’s dislike for Republicans’ legislative proposals over the course of this year: 60% of voters are unfavorable toward the bills proposed by the Republicans to repeal and replace the ACA, while only 25% are favorable. Among those with a strong opinion, negative attitudes outnumber positive ones by more than seven-to-one (6% very favorable, 43% very unfavorable). Independent voters oppose the GOP bills by a wide margin of 64% to 17%, while more than a third (35%) of Republicans are opposed as well. This represents significant erosion in support since our poll back in May, when voters expressed unfavorable views toward the House version of the Republican healthcare repeal bill (the AHCA) by a much smaller margin, 54% to 40% (with Republicans supportive by 71% to 22%). What’s more, our March poll — conducted at the outset of the healthcare fight — found voters to be essentially split on the issue, with 48% unfavorable and 45% favorable toward the Republicans’ efforts at that point.

2. Large majorities of voters recognize that President Trump is “trying to make the Affordable Care Act fail” and “playing politics with people’s healthcare.” This behavior is in direct contrast with the priorities of most voters.

There is a major disconnect between what voters want President Trump to do now that Congress has failed to repeal and replace the current healthcare law and what they believe he actually is doing, as the following table shows: 
Hart Research Associates

On a related set of questions, nearly two-thirds (64%) of voters believe it is true that Donald Trump is “undermining the Affordable Care Act” and three-in-five (61%) voters believe that he is actively “trying to make the Affordable Care Act fail.” Additionally, 64% say that Trump is “playing politics with people’s healthcare,” including one-in-four (24%) of his own voters. Along similar lines, a 57% majority believe that the president is “sacrificing people’s healthcare in order to oppose Barack Obama.” And when provided with a list of phrases describing potential actions Trump could take around healthcare, this idea — that Trump would hurt people purely out of his own personal animus toward his predecessor — scores as the most worrisome for voters, with onethird (32%) choosing it as their number-one concern. 
 
Clear majorities of voters see each of the following statements about Trump’s approach to healthcare as true:

• Trump is undermining the Affordable Care Act (64% true)
• Trump is playing politics with people’s healthcare (64% true)
• Trump is trying to make the Affordable Care Act fail (61% true)
• Trump is sacrificing people’s healthcare in order to oppose Barack Obama (57% true)

3. There is widespread disapproval of President Trump’s threats to cut off the funding that helps insurance companies reduce out-of-pocket costs for individuals, and these threats are one of the top sources of concern about Trump’s handling of healthcare.

When asked to react to a variety of actions President Trump has taken on healthcare, several elicit widespread disapproval from voters.

• He has frequently threatened to cut off the funding that helps insurance companies reduce out-of-pocket costs for individuals, which non-partisan analysis says can raise premiums by 19% (66% disapprove)
• He has frequently threatened to cut off the funding that helps insurance companies reduce out-of-pocket costs for individuals, creating uncertainty for insurance companies when calculating next year’s premiums (66% disapprove)
• He has cut in half the amount of time when people are able to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (65% disapprove)
• His budget makes deep cuts in funding for Healthcare.gov — the website people use to sign up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act — knowing that these cuts would make the website less reliable and less easy to use (63% disapprove)
• He has publicly said several times that he will let the Affordable Care Act fail — signaling to insurance companies that they cannot rely on the Trump administration and creating uncertainty about what rules they will be operating under (61% disapprove)

Of these different actions taken by President Trump, many voters highlight his threat to cut off the CSR payments as one of the two items causing them the most concern (selected by 47%). Voters also emphasize Trump’s statements about letting the ACA fail as a top concern (selected by 43%), because these statements signal to insurance companies that they cannot rely on his administration and create uncertainty about the rules they will be operating under.

After hearing about what Trump has said and done on healthcare, voters overwhelmingly are convinced that his actions are destructive and will have negative consequences. For example, 70% of voters say it is true that Trump is “actively trying to undermine the Affordable Care Act and taking actions that are destabilizing health insurance markets,” while 65% say it is true that he is trying to “sabotage” the law. And more than three-in-five (61%) respondents concur with the conclusion that “on healthcare, Donald Trump is putting his ego and dislike for Barack Obama ahead of doing what is necessary to ensure that people have access to affordable health insurance” — exactly the petty, politically motivated approach they tell us bothers them the most. 

4. After hearing the pros and cons of the issue, voters say by two to one that payments of the cost sharing reductions should continue — notwithstanding the GOP charge that these payments are bailouts of the insurance industry.

In total, we tested eight different arguments in favor of continuing and guaranteeing costsharing reduction payments for the next several years, all of which garnered majorities saying they were convincing — including three that were rated as convincing by 60% or more of voters. On the other side of the coin, we tested three arguments in support of cutting off these payments. Only one of these arguments — that these funds are used to bail out insurance companies so they can make a profit, and taxpayers should not subsidize insurance companies — was rated as convincing by a majority of voters. Fiftyseven percent (57%) of voters felt this was a convincing argument; while 43% said it was just somewhat or not convincing, including a third (32%) of Republicans.

Of the pro-CSR arguments we tested, the statement that “if these funds are cut off, more health insurance companies will decide not to offer health insurance to individuals and many Americans could be left without affordable healthcare options” tested strongly, with 64% saying this is a convincing argument in favor of continuing these payments, including 41% who say it is “very” convincing. Essentially tied was the argument that if these funds are cut off, non-partisan analysts say that premiums for individuals would be 19% higher each year; 63% of voters, including 66% of independent voters, rated this as convincing.

After hearing both sides, voters told us by 68% to 32% that they believe these payments should be continued, not cut off. Nearly all (94%) Democrats want to see these payments continued, as do 69% of independents and 38% of Republicans. Sixty-four percent (64%) of white non-college educated women and 41% of non-college educated Trump voters want to see these payments continue, as they are essential to keeping down healthcare costs for everyday people and ensuring access to affordable care.

Furthermore, when informed, nearly half (48%) of voters say that the idea that Trump is “sabotaging people’s healthcare” is one of their top concerns about what he would be doing if he cuts off these payments, and only one-in-five (21%) say that the idea of “sabotage” is not really believable to them as a way of describing what Trump would be doing. (Before learning about the effects of cutting off CSR payments, voters were more likely to see Trump as just playing politics with healthcare — but the additional information makes the idea of “sabotage” both highly concerning and broadly credible.) 
 
5. Continued efforts by Trump and congressional Republicans to undermine the Affordable Care Act will be deeply unpopular with voters, and it is clear that voters will blame Trump and the Republicans for future premium increases and disruptions in the health insurance markets.

In terms of the path forward, 78% of voters agree (seven-to-10 ratings on a zero-to-10 scale) with the statement that “President Trump and the Republicans in Congress should take the necessary steps to make sure the health insurance markets are stable, in order to prevent large increases in insurance premiums,” including three-fourths (75%) of Republicans. Another 68% of voters agree that “President Trump and the Republicans in Congress need to put politics aside and take the necessary steps to make sure individuals have access to affordable health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.” Even in spite of its mentioning the ACA, nearly half (45%) of both Republicans and Trump voters agree with this statement as well.

Encouragingly, the poll indicates that — even if there is not universal agreement that the ACA is working well currently — there is a strong sense of optimism that it can work well with the proper support. In fact, 13% of all voters describe themselves as unfavorable toward the ACA, BUT say they believe it the law has the potential to work well in the future. This important target group is three-fifths female (61%) and is made up largely of Trump voters (69%), 70% of whom do not have a college degree.

Going forward, if there are still problems occurring a year from now in terms of premium increases and insurance companies no longer offering plans under the Affordable Care Act, 83% of voters tell us that Republicans in Congress will bear the responsibility, including 48% who say they will have “a lot” of the responsibility. And 71% believe that President Trump will be responsible, compared with only 51% who say the same about President Obama — suggesting that, despite being known as “Obamacare,” the onus to make the law work is now on the current occupant of the White House and leaders in Congress.

6. Healthcare stands out as the number one issue for voters in the 2018 midterm elections, and large majorities say they will be less likely to reelect their senator or congressperson if he/she supports efforts by President Trump to destabilize the health insurance markets and sabotage the Affordable Care Act.

Nearly six-in-10 (57%) voters chose healthcare as one of their top two most important issues heading into the 2018 elections, far and away the top choice (25 percentage points higher than any other issue) out of a list that spanned topics from the economy and taxes, to education, to immigration, to terrorism and national defense. Healthcare was the number-one choice among self-identified Democrats (71%), independents (58%), and Republicans (42%) alike. The issue is pertinent among key voting blocks, such as white non-college educated women, 53% of whom point to healthcare as one of their top issues, and voters across the 10 states Trump carried in 2016 but in which Democratic senators are defending seats next year (57% of voters in these states picked healthcare, compared to only 32% who picked the economy, their number-two choice).

Finally, this poll suggests that there are indeed electoral consequences to Republicans’ actions (or lack thereof) when it comes to improving the current law and stabilizing healthcare markets: 75% of voters tell us they would be more likely to support their senator or congressperson if he or she “supported a bipartisan effort to bring more stability to the health insurance markets in order to keep premiums down and make sure people continue to have affordable healthcare options,” including 85% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 65% of Republicans. When framed explicitly in terms of the ACA (“supported a bipartisan effort to keep what works in the Affordable Care Act and make the necessary improvements so it can work better”), 68% of voters are supportive, with even Republican voters more likely to support their representative (47% to 38%). On the other side of the coin, however, voters tell us by 38 points that they would be less likely to vote for someone who “supported efforts by President Trump to destabilize the health insurance markets and sabotage the Affordable Care Act” (22% more likely, 60% less likely).

To: Interested Parties

From: Leslie Dach, Protect Our Care Campaign Director

Re: Health Care Debate: A Sea Change

Date: August 4, 2017

This past week represented a sea change in the effort to repeal health care that few would have predicted when President Trump and Republicans launched their partisan repeal campaign in January. While most observers believed Trump and Republicans in Congress would muscle through legislation to repeal Obamacare by hook or by crook, in the relative blink of an eye, repeal has been declared all but dead, Trump has become increasingly isolated on the issue and the grassroots energy to protect and improve the law has continued unabated.

Here are three things you need to know about the state of the Republican repeal attempts in Washington:

First, Congress’s push to repeal health care is on life support, if not completely dead, with more members urging bipartisan cooperation. The momentum in Congress continued to shift away from repeal this week, with Republicans in both the House and Senate signaling that they favor a bipartisan process to improve our health care system going forward. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced they are holding a series of bipartisan hearings in September to strengthen and stabilize the individual market.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX): “And I Think, Frankly, Bipartisan Solutions Tend To Be More Durable.” “‘There’s a lot the American people expect of us, but we’ve seen with fragile majorities in the Senate that we are forced to work together to try to solve these problems. And I think, frankly, bipartisan solutions tend to be more durable,’ Cornyn said. Democrats have sent Republicans multiple letters on healthcare that asked, for example, for an all-Senate meeting and suggested a list of rooms where they could hold a public hearing.” [The Hill, 8/1/17]

Senate HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN): “This Committee Will Hold Hearings…On The Actions Congress Should Take To Stabilize And Strengthen The Individual Health Insurance Market.” “This committee will hold hearings beginning the week of September 4th on the actions Congress should take to stabilize and strengthen the individual health insurance market so that Americans will be able to buy insurance at affordable prices in the year 2018. We will hear from state insurance commissioners, patients, Governors, health care experts and insurance companies. Committee staff will begin this week working with all of our committee members to prepare for these hearings and discussions.” [Alexander and Murray Statement, 8/1/17]

Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT) On Moving Forward On Health Care: “I Hope It’ll Be Bipartisan.” [Politico, 7/31/17]

The American people reject Republican partisan repeal and want Congress to work in a bipartisan way, and they are holding Republicans accountable for their votes.

Quinnipiac Poll: “Voters Disapprove 5–1 Of GOP Handling Of Health Care.” “American voters disapprove 80–15 percent of the way Republicans in Congress are handling health care. Even Republicans disapprove 60–32 percent. Voters disapprove 64–25 percent of Republican ideas to replace Obamacare.” [Quinnipiac Poll, 8/3/17]

And in states around the country, people held rallies, called their members of Congress, and showed they will not stop until Congressional Republicans, President Trump and HHS Secretary Tom Price quit their game of repeal and sabotage.

Second, President Trump and his administration are increasingly isolated on an island of their own making. Trump and HHS Secretary Tom Price continue to advocate for legislative repeal when Republicans in Congress have made clear they want to move on. Absent Congressional action, the administration continues to sabotage the marketplaces, threatening to torpedo the insurance markets by defaulting on cost-sharing reduction payments that lower out-of-pocket costs and deductibles for a majority of those enrolled on the marketplaces. Republicans in Congress strongly disagree and have directly said the administration should continue funding the payments.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY): “Some Kind Of Action With Regard To The Private Health Insurance Market Must Occur. No Action Is Not An Alternative.” “‘If my side is unable to agree on an adequate replacement, then some kind of action with regard to the private health insurance market must occur,’ McConnell said. ‘No action is not an alternative. We’ve got the insurance markets imploding all over the country, including in this state.’” [Washington Post, 7/6/17]

Senate HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN): “Without Payment Of These Cost-Sharing Reductions, Americans Will Be Hurt.” “And Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican who chairs the influential health committee, said this week that he urged the president to make the payments through September so Congress could work on stabilizing Obamacare in the short-term. That bipartisan solution ideally should also include funding for the subsidies through 2018, he said. ‘Without payment of these cost-sharing reductions, Americans will be hurt,’ Alexander said.” [CNN, 8/4/17]

Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT): “I Think We’re Going To Have To Do That.” “President Donald Trump has been urging lawmakers not to drop the matter, despite a series of failed votes last week. ‘There’s just too much animosity and we’re too divided on healthcare,’ Hatch said in an interview with Reuters. He said he would prefer Congress not appropriate cost-sharing subsidies that help make Obamacare plans affordable but added, ‘I think we’re going to have to do that.’” [Reuters, 7/31/17]

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI): The Senate Should “Bite The Bullet And Stabilize Those Markets.” “Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has for months called for a bipartisan stabilization bill that would guarantee funding for ObamaCare payments, known as cost-sharing reductions, to insurers. Those payments are key to avoiding premium spikes and keeping insurers in the markets. Johnson said Tuesday that he hopes the GOP can pass something next week, but if not, ‘bite the bullet and stabilize those markets.’” [The Hill, 7/13/17]

House Ways And Means Chair Kevin Brady (R-TX): “Simply Letting Obamacare Collapse Will Cause Even More Pain For [People].” [Brady Statement, 7/28/17]

House Energy And Commerce Committee Chair Greg Walden (R-OR): “I Will Do Everything I Can To Make Sure That The Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments Get Made.” “Likewise, Mr. Walden said last month, ‘I will do everything I can to make sure that the cost-sharing reduction payments get made.’ That, he said, is ‘an obligation we have not only to the insurers,’ but also to consumers, and ‘we cannot leave them high and dry.’” [New York Times, 4/10/17]

House Appropriations Health Subcommittee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) On Making CSR Payment: “My Personal Opinion Is Yes.” ‘’I don’t think anybody wants to disrupt the markets more than they already are,’ Mr. Cole said in an interview. ‘It’s a very unstable market.’ Asked if he thought Congress should provide the money, Mr. Cole said, ‘My personal opinion is yes.’” [New York Times, 4/10/17]

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) On Not Paying CSR: “I Think That Would Be A Mistake.” “First, withholding that money would ultimately hurt a lot of people making between 150, 200 percent of the poverty level trying to afford insurance. So, I think that would be a mistake.” [Dent Interview on CNN’s New Day, 7/31/17]

Republican and Democratic governors, the chief executives of their respective states, do not agree with the Trump/Price approach:

National Governors Association: “The Administration Has The Opportunity To Stabilize The Health Insurance Market Across Our Nation And Ensure That Our Residents Can Continue To Access Affordable Health Care Coverage.” “The Administration has the opportunity to stabilize the health insurance market across our nation and ensure that our residents can continue to access affordable health care coverage. A first critical step in stabilizing the individual health insurance marketplaces is to fully fund CSRs for the remainder of calendar year 2017 through 2018. This is a necessary step to stabilize the individual marketplaces in the short term as Congress and the Administration address long-term reform efforts.” [NGA, 8/2/17]

And political analysts and journalists have noted Trump’s self-created isolation, too.

New York Times: “‘Time to Move On’: Senate G.O.P. Flouts Trump After Health Care Defeat” [New York Times, 8/1/17]

Associated Press: “Senate Republicans Slowly Turning Their Backs On Trump” [Associated Press, 8/2/17]

Wall Street Journal: “Senate Republicans Rebuff Donald Trump’s Health-Care Push” [Wall Street Journal, 8/1/17]

The HIll: Senate Republicans Brush Off Trump’s Healthcare Demands [The Hill, 8/1/17]

Politico: “Republicans Ignore Trump’s Obamacare Taunts” [Politico, 7/31/17]

It’s clear that Trump and the administration will need to stop burning political capital on a failed gambit that will harm millions of Americans and that the legislative branch won’t get on board with.

Lastly, Americans who stood up and stopped repeal from happening aren’t letting up. Angry at the legislative failure to repeal the ACA, Trump and Price could respond by continuing their ongoing sabotage of people’s health care. They’ve threatened to default on paying cost-sharing reductions, which would raise premiums, spook insurers and hit the middle class hard. They might continue illegally using taxpayer funds to undermine the law. They could further curtail outreach and advertising efforts before Open Enrollment for HealthCare.gov, or continue producing misleading analysis of the ACA, or employ other sinister tactics to weaken current law and put people’s health care at risk.

But people are wise to what Trump and Price are trying to do.

This August recess, thousands of Americans will continue to make their voices heard.

They’ll attend local events across the country as part of Save My Care’s nationwide bus tour.

Los Angeles Times: “Protesters In L.A. And Across The Country Rally To Protect Healthcare From Future Threats.” [LA Times, 7/29/17]

Phoenix Fox 10: “‘Our Lives On The Line’ Rally In Phoenix Supports Affordable Health Care.” [Phoenix Fox 10, 7/29/17]

The Guardian: “Activists Refuse To Slow Resistance After Stymying Republican Healthcare Plan.” [The Guardian, 7/29/17]

They’ll canvass their neighborhoods, making sure their neighbors know how their Senators voted. They’ll continue to visit Congressional town halls across the country, asking their elected leaders to work on bipartisan ways to improve, not tear down, our health care system.

The sea change over the last seven days in how Republicans are approaching health care is significant. Let’s hope when they return from recess, they’ll be guided by the wishes of voters who depend on our health care system, not by the wishes of an increasingly isolated President who’s made clear he has little understanding of health care and equally little desire to remedy that.