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STATEMENT: SCOTUS Rejects Far-Right Attack on ACA, But Preventive Care is Still At Risk

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court rightly rejected a constitutional challenge from far-right activists that would have eliminated the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s cost-free coverage requirement for numerous life-saving preventive care services. Approximately 150 million Americans rely on the ACA for free access to services like cancer screenings, statins to address high cholesterol levels, mental health screenings, HIV prevention medication, and more.

However, despite this win, preventative services are still in danger. The Trump administration was given the ability to overturn health experts’ evidence-based recommendations regarding which preventive services insurers must cover. HHS Secretary RFK Jr. already replaced a key panel responsible for issuing vaccine recommendations and just yesterday the panel made one of the first major changes in federal vaccine guidance, voting to recommend that no one receives certain flu shots containing an ingredient anti-vaccine advocates have long targeted without any evidence. Existing coverage is now at risk, given the Trump administration’s open embrace of pseudoscientific treatments and track record of embracing junk plans that are not required to cover evidence-based services – not to mention their longtime goal of repealing the ACA altogether.

In response, Protect Our Care Senior Advisor Anne Shoup issued a statement:

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Braidwood is a major victory for the American people and for affordable health care. For now, millions of Americans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they can continue to access free lifesaving care, such as cancer screenings, statins to address high cholesterol levels, mental health screenings, and HIV prevention medication. But make no mistake – this is not over. While today’s ruling protects preventive care for now, the Trump administration including HHS Secretary RFK Jr., Republicans, and other far-right extremists continue to try and weaken these protections and hand more power to insurance companies. The fight to protect affordable health care for all is far from over. We must remain vigilant to ensure access to science-backed preventative services are protected”

HEADLINES: SCOTUS Hears Arguments In Kennedy v. Braidwood, The Case That Puts Free Preventative Care At Risk

Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Kennedy, et al. v. Braidwood, a case in which far-right extremists are seeking to invalidate a key portion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires insurers to cover lifesaving preventive services for free, including cancer screenings, statins to address high cholesterol levels, mental health screenings, and HIV prevention medication. Providing no-cost coverage of lifesaving screenings and services has saved innumerable lives, improved health outcomes, and reduced disparities in care. In total, over 150 million Americans have benefited from this provision of the ACA. Read more about the case here. Last week, Protect Our Care held a press call warning of the threats to American health care posed by the case.

Court watchers report the Supreme Court seems poised to reject the right-wing plaintiffs’ claims, but the threat does not stop there. Given the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on experts, science, and health care, they are likely to undermine the availability of free vaccines, contraception, mental health, and other critical services.

Politico: Supreme Court Appears to Reject Conservative Argument Over Obamacare Provision.

  • “But while President Joe Biden’s Justice Department argued that eliminating the coverage requirements would harm the public’s health, Trump’s attorneys focused exclusively Monday on Kennedy’s supervisory power. That argument has made progressive health advocates who filed amicus briefs in the case nervous — particularly given Kennedy’s views about vaccines and other preventive health care that contradict the medical community’s consensus, as well as his reported desire to overhaul other HHS advisory committees.”

Jezebel: This Supreme Court Case Underscored How Much Power RFK Jr. Has Over Our Health Insurance.

  • “Leslie Dach, a former HHS aide who now leads the group Protect Our Care, told Politico: ‘We are very, very nervous that they will take a sledgehammer to vaccines, take a sledgehammer to contraception and a number of other preventative services that the American people benefit from and need.’”

Axios: ACA Preventive Care Case Reaches Supreme Court.

  • “Progressive advocacy groups remain concerned that the Trump administration could use its authority to limit coverage of vaccines, contraception and other scientifically backed preventive services. ‘We’re going to have to remain very, very vigilant in seeing how the administration, which thankfully is defending the law now, behaves when the power is in their hands,’ Leslie Dach, chair of Protect Our Care, told reporters last week.”

Politico: Obamacare Returns to SCOTUS, With Preventive Care on the Line.

  • “‘It’s important that they’re looking to protect this authority, but we’re hoping that they’re not just doing it because they want the ability to ruin our health care,’ said Leslie Dach, a former senior counselor at HHS who now leads the group Protect Our Care. ‘We are very, very nervous that they will take a sledgehammer to vaccines, take a sledgehammer to contraception and a number of other preventative services that the American people benefit from and need.’”

The Hill: SCOTUS to Hear Obamacare Free Care Case.

  • “‘The minute that provision gets struck down … we will be back at the mercy of the insurance companies. They’ll still get the same premium from you, but they’ll offer less services,’ said Leslie Dach, executive chair of the Democratic-aligned group Protect Our Care.” 

Politico Pulse: Obamacare in Court … Again.

  • “‘It’s important that they’re looking to protect this authority, but we’re hoping that they’re not just doing it because they want the ability to ruin our health care,’ said Leslie Dach, a former senior counselor at HHS who now leads the group Protect Our Care. ‘We are very, very nervous that they will take a sledgehammer to vaccines, take a sledgehammer to contraception and a number of other preventative services that the American people benefit from and need.’”

AP News: US Supreme Court Appears Likely to Uphold Obamacare’s Preventive Care Coverage Mandate.

  • “The case could have big ramifications for the law’s preventive care coverage requirements for an estimated 150 million Americans. Medications and services that could be affected include statins to prevent heart disease, lung cancer screenings, HIV-prevention drugs and medication to lower the chance of breast cancer for high-risk women.”

ABC News: Supreme Court Divided Over Obamacare Mandate for No-Cost Preventive Health Benefits.

  • “‘The ACA’s preventive services requirement has been a game-changer, providing access to evidence-based preventive care and early detection of serious medical conditions,’ said Wayne Turner, a senior attorney at the National Health Law Program, a nonprofit group that advocates for low-income communities. ‘The ACA’s coverage and cost-sharing protections are especially important for low-income persons, who will be harmed most if the Supreme Court refuses to allow the ACA provision to stand.’”

The New York Times: Supreme Court Wrestles With Challenge to Affordable Care Act Over Free Preventive Care. 

  • “But the case, Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, could have broader implications for tens of millions of Americans who receive a wide array of free health care services, including cancer and diabetes screenings, medications to reduce heart disease and strokes, and eye ointment for newborns to prevent infections causing blindness. A ruling in favor of the challengers could mean that insurers would no longer be required to offer free coverage for any care the United States Preventive Services Task Force has recommended since 2010.”

CBS: Dispute Involving Affordable Care Act’s Preventive Care Coverage Faces Supreme Court.

  • “If the Supreme Court affirms the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, major hospital associations and leading nonprofits advocating on behalf of breast cancer and HIV patients have warned it would limit access to life-saving medical care for millions of patients, as insurers would no longer be required to cover at no cost to patients the services recommended by the task force.”

CNN: Supreme Court Could Help Preserve Obamacare’s No-Cost Preventive Care Task Force.

  • “At stake is the ability of millions of Americans to access cost-free services under the Affordable Care Act such as cancer screenings, statins that help prevent cardiovascular disease, PrEP drugs that help prevent HIV infections, and counseling referrals for pregnant and postpartum women at increased risk of depression. The task force’s recommendations were challenged by a Texas business, Braidwood Management, that objected on religious grounds to covering certain preventive services, including the PrEP medications.”

The Washington Post: Challenge to ACA Preventive-Care Panel Draws Skepticism From Supreme Court.

  • “Health-care providers and nonprofit organizations say the closely watched case could affect critical health services for many Americans who might otherwise not have access to them.”

Fierce Healthcare: Supreme Court Appears Willing to Save ACA Preventive Services Task Force.

  • “‘Stepping back and looking at the bigger picture, the challengers’ claim is supposedly about political accountability,’ said Andrew Pincus, a partner at law firm Mayer Brown. ‘But if that is what they really were after, it’s been achieved: the government agrees that the Secretary can control whether recommendations become binding on private parties through his power to appoint and remove USPSTF members and his power to issue regulations determining when and whether recommendations become effective.’”

The Advocate: Justices Kavanaugh & Barrett Signal They May Uphold Access to PrEP and Preventative Care Protections. 

  • “The case began as a religious objection to PrEP and has expanded into a full-blown assault on the ACA’s preventive care guarantees. LGBTQ+ and public health advocates warn that a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs would allow insurers to begin denying or charging for services currently guaranteed to be free—like STI testing, diabetes screening, contraception, and maternal care.”

Mother Jones: The Latest Supreme Court Case Targeting the ACA Comes from a Longtime Anti-Gay Activist.

  • “‘The people who are going to be hurt most are the people who can’t just pull out a credit card and pay full cost for a service, or pay a $50 co-pay or an $80 co-pay,’ says Wayne Turner, senior attorney at the National Health Law Program. ‘It is a literal lifesaver for people to be able to have some early detection.’” 

Fierce Healthcare: ‘At the Mercy of Insurance Companies’: Supreme Court Braces for ACA Preventive Coverage Suit Oral Arguments.

  • “‘I think at the end of the day, we need to make sure we understand this is going to mean more deaths at even a higher cost to Americans, and there’s no question that there’s savings down the line when we do this,’ said Georges Benjamin, M.D., executive director at the American Public Health Association. If the provision is overturned, it will lead to more deaths from cancer, strokes and drug use, he added.”
  • “‘It was an easy choice,’ said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a press briefing April 16. ‘First, the plaintiff’s argument doesn’t hold up and relies on bad faith reading of the appointments clause, and the court could also take steps to repair the provision in question without destroying these essential programs.’”

STAT: In Braidwood v. Kennedy, Supreme Court Is Hearing Challenge to ACA Rule Requiring Free Preventive Care.

  • “‘This is about giving them the power, to some extent. This is a fight to say, the secretary has the power. If they win, they can uphold the experts’ recommendations or attempt to veto them, which then would likely trigger a court challenge,’ said Andrew Pincus, a lawyer representing the American Public Health Association in an amicus brief filed to the Court.”

Washington Examiner: Supreme Court Skeptical Of Undoing Obamacare Preventive Coverage Mandates.

  • “Braidwood Management, a Texas Christian-owned business, argued that the task force members ought to be construed as ‘primary officers,’ meaning it is unconstitutional for them to be appointed by the secretary of Health and Human Services, as they are today. Instead, they should be subject to presidential appointment and Senate confirmation under the appointment clause of the Constitution.”
  • “If the court rules in favor of Braidwood, all changes that the task force has made since 2010 would be invalidated, including the HIV medication PrEP, cancer screenings, and certain maternal care measures.”

STAT: Opinion: Employers Should Continue Waiving Preventive Care Out-Of-Pocket Costs Regardless Of How Supreme Court Rules.

  • “The Supreme Court has several options in this case: It could rule narrowly or broadly in favor of the plaintiffs, rule against them, or avoid making a substantive ruling altogether. A narrow ruling for the plaintiffs might apply only to their specific circumstances, leaving preventive care provisions intact for other employers. A broader ruling could eliminate the requirement for insurers to cover services recommended by the USPSTF without cost-sharing — potentially limited to those recommendations issued after 2010, including PrEP. A very broad decision could strike down all preventive service mandates under the Affordable Care Act. Alternatively, the court may rule against the plaintiffs entirely or decline to decide the case on procedural grounds.”
  • “Preventive health care coverage has proven to be a worthwhile benefit that saves lives and improves health. Regardless of the Supreme Court decision, there are compelling reasons for employers to maintain coverage of preventive services without cost sharing like deductibles and copays.”

Protect Our Care Statement on Kavanaugh’s Confirmation

Washington, DC – Upon a majority of the U.S. Senate voting to approve Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, Leslie Dach, chair of Protect Our Care, issued the following statement:

“America has seen the real Brett Kavanaugh — an angry, entitled, dishonest, partisan operative — and by historic proportions, they have opposed this nominee and asked their Senators to vote no. When Brett Kavanaugh uses his power as a justice to steamroll health care and abortion rights for the American people,millions will suffer the consequences of this vote. Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation puts an indelible stain on our nation’s highest court, and poses a significant risk for the millions of Americans whose pre-existing conditions are protected because of the ACA, or whoever may need a safe and legal abortion. The Republicans who control the Senate”refused to fully investigate the sexual assault allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, and refused to allow a full and thorough review of his nomination throughout the process.”

Watch The Two Times Brett Kavanaugh Refused to Stand Up for People with Pre-Existing Conditions

Twice yesterday, Donald Trump’s nominee to the United States Supreme Court would not commit to protecting people with pre-existing conditions on the very same day that Trump’s Department of Justice argued in court in Texas that these protections should be overturned. In response, Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, said: “The fix is in. If anyone still thinks that Trump’s position in the Texas case and the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the court is simply a coincidence – drop me a line – I have some ocean front property for you in Kansas.”

Watch for yourself:

Sen. Klobuchar: “The Texas case on pre-existing conditions, the Administration is taking the position that it’s unconstitutional – that part of the Affordable Care Act, down in the Texas case – taking the position that you could actually throw people off of their insurance if they have a pre-existing condition. So, let’s say that that law is found to be constitutional. Could the President choose not to implement the part of the law providing protections for pre-existing conditions?

Kavanaugh: Senator, that’s a pending case, so I cannot talk about it.

Sen. Whitehouse: In my office you told me that you could provide no assurance to me that you’d uphold a statute requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Is that still true here in public?

Kavanaugh: Well, I think, Senator, it’s important to understand the principle in play here.

Sen. Whitehouse: We’ve talked a lot about that, but is the statement you made – have I recited it accurately, and is it still true today that you can give no assurance that you would uphold the statue?

Kavanaugh: Well, Senator, judges like to explain their decisions.

Sen. Whitehouse: Yep, but I get to ask the questions. Usually you get to ask the questions because you’re an appellate judge, but today for half an hour I get to. So, is it still true that you can give no assurance that you would uphold a statute requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing medical conditions?

Kavanaugh: So, to prepare for this moment, I went back and read –

Sen. Whitehouse: I really would like you to be as careful with your time as you can because I have a limited amount of time with you, so the quicker you can get to the answer – it could be as simple as yes or no.

Kavanaugh: But I can enhance your understanding of my answer if I explain it, I think.

Sen. Whitehouse: I really just want your answer on the record, I think I’m pretty capable of understanding on my own.

Kavanaugh: But, well, I want everyone to understand my answer. So there’s nominee precedent of how justices and nominees in my position have answered in the past, I’ll be succinct if I can. And all eight sitting justices –

Sen. Whitehouse: I know, you’ve actually already said this in the hearing, so people who are listening and are interested have actually already heard you say this.

Kavanaugh: Well, I think it’s really important so I want to –

Sen. Whitehouse: Say it again then.

Kavanaugh: I want to underscore it. All eight sitting justices in the Supreme Court have made it clear that it would be inconsistent with judicial independence, rooted in Article III, to provide answers on cases or issues that could come before us. Justice Ginsburg hints forecast, Justice Kagan talking about precedent, no thumbs up or down and I went back, Justice Thurgood Marshall was asked repeatedly in his hearing, what do you think about Miranda, what do you think about Miranda, what do you think about Miranda –

Sen. Whitehouse: Got it, everybody else does it and the answer is still no.

Kavanaugh: So the reason everyone else does it is rooted in judicial independence and my respect for precedent. So it’s a combination of my respect for precedent, nominee precedent, and my respect for judicial independence. So I can’t give assurances on a specific hypothetical.

Health Care Advocates Travel to D.C. to Urge Rejection of Brett Kavanaugh

Advocates from Arizona, Nevada, and Tennessee Discuss Looming Threats to Health Care

Washington, D.C. – Today, health care advocates from Arizona, Nevada, and Tennessee arrived in Washington, D.C., urging the Senate to reject the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Cancer survivors Jeff Jeans of Arizona and Joseph Merlino of Nevada, and Air Force Veteran Kelly Gregory of Tennessee, currently battling terminal breast cancer, visited Capitol Hill, met with senators, and attended the nomination hearing, to discuss the threat Judge Kavanaugh represents to their health health care and that of millions of Americans.

“This judge literally has the power to take us backward in time to the days when people like me were priced out of insurance because of our medical history,” said Gregory, an Air Force veteran from Tennessee currently battling stage four breast cancer, who was mentioned by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) during today’s confirmation hearing. “Let me be be the last person to die because of a lack of access to health care.”

Judge Kavanaugh has demonstrated a vocal hostility to health care. Just last year he criticized Chief Justice John Roberts for upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. He has been consistently hostile towards women’s health, previously arguing that employers should be able to deny women coverage for birth control and attempting to force a young woman to continue a pregnancy against her will. And he was approved by the Federalist Society, which has been advocating against the ACA since before it was signed into law.

“As I fought a rare throat cancer, I relied on coverage that I got through the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid. If it weren’t for that, I surely wouldn’t be here right now,” said Joseph Merlino, a survivor of cancer in his larynx, who met with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) this afternoon and urged her to reject the nomination. “Brett Kavanaugh’s hostility towards the ACA and Medicaid is a direct threat to millions of Americans like me who rely on it.”

Tomorrow, oral arguments begin in Texas v. United States, a lawsuit attempting to overturn the benefits provided by the ACA, including those for Americans with pre-existing conditions, brought by 20 Republican state Attorneys General and governors and backed by the Trump Administration in an unprecedented move. While these Republicans spend the afternoon arguing to strip the protections relied on by 130 million Americans, these health care advocates will be meeting with lawmakers, speaking at rallies, and conducting interviews, all to urge Senators to protect Americans’ care and reject Kavanaugh’s nomination.

“I was a Republican who was against the ACA. It took cancer and my having to face my own death to bring compassion for others into my heart, and to understand why the ACA was needed,” said Jeff Jeans of Arizona. “I implore all Senators to find in them the compassion and courage that my former Senator John McCain had and use the power we’ve entrusted to them to fight back against any attempt to take away our health care.”

On SCOTUS Hearings Eve, New Ads Preview Reality If Collins Refuses To Stand Up for Mainers

New TV Ad in Maine Previews a Scary Future When the ACA is Struck Down by a Court Hostile to Health Care

Radio Ads in Maine and Alaska Highlight ‘Side Effects’ of Justice Kavanaugh for People with Pre-existing Conditions Like Cancer

Washington, D.C. – In the latest phase of its campaign to educate the public about what’s at stake for health care in the Supreme Court, Protect Our Care is launching new television and radio ads in Maine and Alaska urging constituents to ask Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski to oppose Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination.

  • The new TV ad in Maine shows the scary future we could face if Justice Brett Kavanaugh sides with the Trump Administration and casts the deciding vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act and its protections for 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions.
  • Radio ads up in Maine and Alaska highlight the impact Kavanaugh’s vote could have on hundreds of thousands of state residents living with pre-existing conditions.

Watch the new TV ad airing in Maine:  

Listen to the radio ads airing all week in Alaska and Maine.

The new ad campaign comes after two months of activity in the Senators’ states and in DC — including this past weekend’s massive 50-state Unite for Justice Day of Action — where constituents have implored the Senators to stand up for their health care and oppose Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Court. The groundswell of opposition to Kavanaugh’s nomination is borne out by poll after poll showing weak support for Kavanaugh, making him the most unpopular Supreme Court nominee in three decades, less popular than Harriet Miers, whose nomination was withdrawn. In fact, a new Protect Our Care-PPP poll released last week found that just 42 percent of Mainers want Sen. Collins to confirm Judge Kavanaugh and that a vote to confirm him would harm Sen. Collins’ re-election prospects.

“Americans do not want protections for the more than 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions taken away from them by the Supreme Court, but President Trump does. And as we head into the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings next week, Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski need to decide if they agree,” said Leslie Dach, chair of Protect Our Care. “Senators Collins and Murkowski have claimed a commitment to health care — this nomination may be the truest test of where they actually stand yet.”

“I’m Honestly Concerned and Very Scared”: Alaskan Visits Washington, D.C. to Tell Sen. Lisa Murkowski Her Fears Over Kavanaugh’s Nomination

Yesterday, a young Alaskan woman traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Sen. Lisa Murkowski  following her meeting with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Leighan Gonazales was born with a heart condition that required open heart surgery at five months old – a pre-existing condition protected by the Affordable Care Act. She traveled 14 hours from Alaska this week to meet with her Senator to express her fears that, if confirmed, Kavanaugh would rubber stamp the Republican war on health care and overturn protections for 326,000 Alaskans with pre-existing conditions.

Alaska Public Media, “Alaskans Press Murkowski on Kavanaugh”: Some 30 Alaskans flew to the nation’s capital mid-week to urge Murkowski to vote no. Among them was Leighan Gonzales, a student at UAA. “I made a very personal appeal and I asked her to vote no on his nomination because I’m honestly concerned and very scared of this person being on the Supreme Court,” Gonzales said. Gonzales was born with a heart condition that required surgery. She said Kavanaugh is hostile to a key promise of the Affordable Care Act: that people with pre-existing conditions won’t be denied insurance coverage.[…] Gonzales said Murkowski seemed receptive to her message on Thursday. “I brought a picture, a baby picture post-surgery, with this giant scar on my tiny baby chest,” Gonzales said. “She was really moved by that, and I felt very optimistic.”

KDXF (Fairbanks), “Alaskans Ask Murkowski to Vote Against Kavanaugh for Supreme Court Justice”: Leighan Gonzales of Anchorage, who was born with a heart condition, is worried that thousands of Alaskans will lose protections in the current ACA if Murkowski votes in favor of the supreme court nominee.”The biggest concern and the reason I asked her to vote no on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination is the pre-existing protections that were brought forward in the ACA. There have been a lot of attacks on the Affordable Care Act recently. And these are issues that we know in Alaska are so much closer to home and bigger than in other states where we discuss healthcare accessibility,” said Gonzales.

KTUU (Anchorage), “Murkowski Meets with Kavanaugh as Alaskans Weigh In”: Alaskan activists flew to the Capitol overnight to tell Murkowski what they thought of Kavanaugh’s nomination. Leighan Gonzales, says she wants Murkowski to consider people like her with pre-existing conditions – she was born with a hole in her heart. She’s worried about the impact Kavanaugh could have on health care laws. “I’m concerned about not knowing enough about his record and that the hearings are being pushed forward too quickly,” Gonzales said.

Concerned Alaskans have held 12 press calls, press conferences, and events across the state in the six weeks since Kavanaugh’s nomination was announced. In each instance, Alaskans relying on protections for pre-existing conditions or expanded Medicaid services created by the Affordable Care Act have made clear that Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination

Alaskan with Pre-Existing Condition Meets with Senator Murkowski in D.C.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Leighan Gonzales, a 23 year old University of Alaska, Anchorage student, met with Senator Lisa Murkowski to discuss how Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court threatens protections for Alaskans with pre-existing conditions.

Leighan was was born with a heart condition that required open heart surgery at five months old – a pre-existing condition protected by the Affordable Care Act. She traveled 14 hours from Alaska this week to meet with her senator to make sure her concerns were heard, especially on behalf of the 320,000 Alaskans with pre-existing conditions who were not able to make the trek.

“Today, I met with Senator Murkowski to ask her to vote no on Judge Kavanaugh,” said Leighan. “As an Alaskan with a pre-existing condition, I am very concerned that protections for people with pre-existing conditions and Medicaid are in jeopardy. Senator Murkowski has stood up for Alaskans before, and I hope that she will do it again.”

For the past 18 months, the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress and states across the country have been waging a relentless war on our health care. The Trump Administration has turned to executive orders and regulations to roll back the Affordable Care Act (ACA) piece by piece, all while joining a lawsuit that threatens to upend protections for people with pre-existing conditions and end the Medicaid expansion, which was signed into law in Alaska by Governor Bill Walker. Judge Kavanaugh has criticized the Supreme Court’s previous decision in favor of the ACA, and has said that a president may refuse to enforce laws he disagrees with.

Concerned Alaskans have held 12 press calls, press conferences, and events across the state in the six weeks since Kavanaugh’s nomination was announced. In each instance, Alaskans relying on protections for pre-existing conditions or expanded Medicaid services created by the ACA have made clear that Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination would be disastrous for thousands of Alaskans, and have implored their Senators to vote no.

Senate Republicans Go Home After Ignoring Responsibility to Stand Up for Health Care

GOP Senators Will Face Constituents Fired Up about Health Care Protections and Kavanaugh When They Head Home

Washington, D.C. – Following Senate Republicans’ decision to head home for August recess after refusing to examine Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s records and refusing to sign onto a resolution introduced by the Democratic Senators to protect health care for Americans with pre-existing conditions, Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, released the following statement:

“Shame on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and each and every Republican Senator for doing nothing to join their Democratic colleagues in standing up for the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions from the Trump-GOP lawsuit working its way through the courts right now that could end protections they rely on and all of the other consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act.

“What’s more, Republican Senators — including Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — are trying to hide critical information about Brett Kavanaugh’s views on health care from the American people. Like President Trump, former President George W. Bush proposed radically reshaping Medicaid by turning it into a block grant program, putting the coverage that millions of Americans rely on in jeopardy. We already know Judge Kavanaugh has criticized previous Supreme Court decisions to protect the Affordable Care Act, but we also deserve to know whether he supported President Bush’s plan to go after Medicaid.

“Senate Republicans may try to sweep their repeal-and-sabotage record under the rug when they go home, but Americans see the giant bullseye the Senate GOP has placed on our health care, and we will be raising our concerns at home.”

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Protect Our Care Launches “What’s At Stake” Week to Highlight How Kavanaugh Could Harm Health Care if Confirmed

Washington, D.C. – As the Trump Administration continues its unrelenting assault on Americans’ health care,  the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh threatens to raise the stakes even higher. With “What’s At Stake” week, running from Monday, June 16 through Sunday, June 22, Protect Our Care will continue to shine a light on the dire repercussions Americans face if the pro-health care majority in the Senate does not act to stop Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

“Here’s what’s at stake: protections for the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, women’s health and rights, Medicaid coverage for low-income families, and so much more,” said Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care. “Rather than be a check on the President, Brett Kavanaugh would be a rubber stamp on President Trump’s extreme agenda of of ripping health care away from millions of people and returning to an era when women and doctors are criminals. The pro-health care majority in the Senate must recognize what’s at stake and reject Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.”

Since Kavanaugh’s  nomination to the Supreme Court was announced, Protect Our Care and its allies have held events in fourteen states: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Throughout What’s At Stake Week, advocates in these states will build upon the week of activism following Kavanaugh’s nomination last week, continuing to shine a light on the issues at risk, including:

  • Protections for the 130 million Americans with a pre-existing condition, who could be charged much higher rates or denied coverage entirely;
  • Protections for women and Americans over 50, who could see premium increases of up to 50 percent;
  • Women’s health care, including access to safe and legal abortion, contraception, access to Planned Parenthood,  and coverage for nursing moms, and,
  • Medicaid eligibility and Medicaid expansion, which cover 70 million Americans.

For more information about What’s at Stake with Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, read here.

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