April 2020

Call Highlighted Critical Role Medicaid Expansion Plays in Getting More Americans Access to Care During This Crisis

Call Audio Available Here

Washington, DC — Today, Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) along with Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX-32), former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt and Protect Our Care held a press call to discuss the overwhelming benefits of Medicaid and why Medicaid expansion is needed now more than ever as America grapples with the coronavirus crisis. April is Medicaid Awareness Month, and there has never been a more important time to highlight the role Medicaid plays in covering more than 900,000 Alabamians, 4 million Texans and 70 million Americans, and how Medicaid expansion is pivotal to covering more Americans, especially as this crisis puts our health and safety at risk. 

“The health crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19 has revealed how urgent it is for states like Alabama to expand Medicaid,” said Senator Jones. “We should be making it easier for folks to access the health care they need, especially in these unprecedented times. I’m grateful to Protect Our Care for continuing to bring attention to the importance of Medicaid expansion and increasing access to health care coverage.”

“This crisis has made it clearer than ever that Medicaid expansion is long overdue,” said Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32). “Our health care system has sadly failed too many Texans and our state suffers with the highest uninsured rate in the country. In the long term, expansion will help create jobs and help as we rebuild our economy. This is not a partisan issue, and I will keep fighting to increase access and lower costs across the board.” 

“It’s time for us to forget the battles of the last decade and focus on keeping people healthy in this critical moment and in the future,” said former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt. “Senator Jones and Congressman Allred have the right idea on Medicaid because they are focused on putting people ahead of politics.”

“Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of Americans, and its importance has never been more clear as America grapples with the coronavirus crisis that threatens everyone’s health and safety,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Medicaid is a critical component of America’s ability to keep Americans healthy, and we are grateful for leaders in Congress like Senator Jones and Congressman Allred who are fighting every day to expand Medicaid so that people get access to the care they need during this crisis.”

BACKGROUND: 

If each of the 14 states that have not yet expanded Medicaid were to fully do so, they would see significant coverage gains: 

• 377,000 Alabamians would gain coverage.
• 1,596,000 Floridians would gain coverage.
• 885,000 Georgians would gain coverage.
• 165,000 Kansans would gain coverage.
• 266,000 Mississippians would gain coverage.
• 438,000 Missourians would gain coverage.
• 692,000 North Carolinians would gain coverage.
• 299,000 Oklahomans would gain coverage.
• 379,000 South Carolinians would gain coverage.
• 50,000 South Dakotans would gain coverage.
• 390,000 Tennesseans would gain coverage.
• 2,070,000 Texans would gain coverage.
• 158,000 Wisconsinites would gain coverage.
• 32,000 Wyomingites would gain coverage.

For more information on the importance of Medicaid expansion, see Protect Our Care’s latest report: Medicaid Expansion, A Critical Part Of America’s Response to the Coronavirus, Is Under Threat From President Trump.

Protect Our Care Releases New Report as Part of Medicaid Awareness Month on Importance of Medicaid Expansion During Coronavirus Crisis 

Read the Report Here

Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report as part of Medicaid Awareness Month on the overwhelming benefits of Medicaid expansion and the critical role of the program for Americans as the country grapples with coronavirus. The report points out how the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on Medicaid and state Republicans’ refusal to implement expansion puts Americans’ health and safety at risk during this crisis. 

Report: Medicaid Expansion, A Critical Part of America’s Response to the Coronavirus, Is Under Threat From President Trump

“Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of Americans, and its importance has never been more clear as America grapples with the coronavirus crisis that threatens everyone’s health and safety,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Medicaid is a critical component of America’s ability to keep Americans healthy and get them access to care during this crisis, and President Trump and Republicans continue to put lives at risk through their efforts to sabotage Medicaid and refusal to implement expansion.”

People of color are experiencing higher rates of coronavirus, and preliminary data shows they are more likely to die from the disease. People of color are less likely to be insured, one of many barriers to helping them access quality health care. This grim news comes as President Trump continues to reject common sense measures to help reduce these disparities, such as opening a special enrollment period or encouraging holdout states to expand Medicaid during this crisis. 

Washington Post: The Coronavirus Is Infecting And Killing Black Americans At An Alarmingly High Rate. “As the novel coronavirus sweeps across the United States, it appears to be infecting and killing black Americans at a disproportionately high rate, according to a Washington Post analysis of early data from jurisdictions across the country….A Post analysis of available data and census demographics shows that counties that are majority-black have three times the rate of infections and almost six times the rate of deaths as counties where white residents are in the majority.” [Washington Post, 4/7/20] 

Politico: Health Professionals Warn Of ‘Explosion’ Of Coronavirus Cases In Minority Communities. “Covid-19 has pushed to the forefront longtime health disparities among black, brown, Native American and other minority populations in the country. Health professionals have warned that black and Latino populations are at potentially greater risk of severe illness from the coronavirus, due to prevalent comorbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and asthma. Minority groups are also less likely to have health insurance, complicating their ability and willingness to seek treatment for illnesses.” [Politico, 4/6/20] 

New York Times: Black Americans Face Alarming Rates Of Coronavirus Infection In Some States. “For many public health experts, the reasons behind the disparities are not difficult to explain, the result of longstanding structural inequalities. At a time when the authorities have advocated staying home as the best way to avoid the virus, black Americans disproportionately belong to part of the work force that does not have the luxury of working from home, experts said. That places them at high risk for contracting the highly infectious disease in transit or at work…Longstanding inequalities also make African-Americans less likely to be insured, and more likely to have existing health conditions and face racial bias that prevents them from getting proper treatment.” [New York Times, 4/7/20] 

The Hill: Black, Latino Communities Suffering Disproportionately From Coronavirus, Statistics Show. “Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, noted that Latinos are disproportionately affected by conditions like heart disease and diabetes and are already more likely to lack access to health care. “ [The Hill, 4/7/20] 

Vox: Covid-19 Is Disproportionately Taking Black Lives. “‘It’s almost like structural racism has made black people sick,’ Uché Blackstock, an emergency medicine physician in Brooklyn and the founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, an organization that fights health care inequity, tells Vox…According to Blackstock, the pandemic is exposing a deep-rooted system of the haves and have-nots. It’s also displaying how black and brown people have a more tenuous existence in New York City since they lack job security, sick leave, and health insurance. They must ride public transportation to get to work on the front lines, many of them driving the buses themselves or cleaning the hospitals where they are directly at risk.” [Vox, 4/7/20] 

Axios: Coronavirus Hits Poor, Minority Communities Harder. “A slew of pre-existing disparities are contributing to this coronavirus disparity…Lower-income workers are less likely to have health insurance. They’re also less likely to be able to work from home, and therefore more likely to have to keep going to work and putting themselves at risk.” [Axios, 4/4/20] 

Kaiser Health News: Long-Standing Racial And Income Disparities Seen Creeping Into COVID-19 Care. “The biotech data firm Rubix Life Sciences, based in Lawrence, Massachusetts, reviewed recent billing information in several states and found that an African American with symptoms like cough and fever was less likely to be given one of the scarce coronavirus tests. Delays in diagnosis and treatment can be harmful, especially for racial or ethnic minority groups that have higher rates of certain diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. Those chronic illnesses can lead to more severe cases of COVID-19.” [Kaiser Health News, 4/6/20] 

BACKGROUND:

Medicaid Expansion Helps Reduce Racial Disparities. Medicaid expansion played a key role in increasing coverage rates for communities of color. After the implementation of the ACA, gaps in insurance coverage narrowed the most in states that adopted Medicaid expansion. Today, a black person living in an expansion state is more likely to be insured than a white person residing in a state that rejected Medicaid expansion. Study after study showed that expansion improved health care outcomes for communities of color. 

A Special Enrollment Period Would Help Communities Of Color. People of color are far more likely to work in low-wage jobs that don’t provide health coverage. As millions of Americans are losing their jobs during this crisis, a special enrollment period would not only help those who lost employer-based insurance sign-up for coverage without onerous paperwork requirements, but it would also ensure those who were uninsured before the crisis gain comprehensive coverage. People with insurance are more likely to see a doctor when they are sick, and they are protected from steep medical bills that they could incur from coronavirus. 

Protect Our Care Held a Press Call to Discuss How President Trump’s Refusal to Open a Special ACA Enrollment Period Puts Millions of Americans at Risk 

Press Call Audio

Washington, DC — On a press call this morning, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt along with Protect Our Care urged President Trump to open a special enrollment period to allow uninsured Americans to access health coverage under the ACA during the coronavirus crisis. So far, President Trump has refused to open a special ACA marketplace to allow the uninsured to purchase health insurance during the crisis, despite calls from health insurers and lawmakers to do so to slow the spread of the virus and save American lives.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced politicians and government officials of all political stripes to think outside the box, work together and set-aside rigid partisanship. The health, safety and well-being of all Americans must come first,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). “A special open enrollment period wouldn’t be a heavy lift for the Trump administration yet it would give millions of Americans access to health care coverage during the worst global pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu. This is a time for national unity and bipartisanship, not narrow ideological agendas. It’s time for the Trump administration to move past its opposition to the ACA and the lifesaving health care coverage that it provides, and do what’s right for public health and safety.” 

“Nothing shows how important it is for all of our neighbors to have the health care they need then a pandemic,” said former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt. “And yet, somehow, Trump still opposes the ACA’s insurance protections and pre-existing conditions protections.”

“President Trump is putting American lives at risk by refusing to allow the 27 million uninsured Americans the choice to get affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act at a time when people need health care the most,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Millions of uninsured Americans are facing unprecedented threats to their health due to coronavirus and the possibility of devastating health care bills, and still President Trump is blocking them from accessing affordable coverage through the ACA marketplace. If President Trump were serious about protecting the health and safety of the American people, he would immediately open enrollment and end his disastrous lawsuit that would rip health care away from 20 million Americans during a crisis.” 

BACKGROUND: 

Trump’s Sabotage Of The ACA Leaves The U.S. Less Prepared For Coronavirus

• Trump Is Backing A Lawsuit That Could Rip Away Coverage From 20 Million People In The Middle Of The Outbreak. The Trump administration is currently backing a lawsuit that overturn the Affordable Care Act and, if they are successful, 20 million people would lose insurance overnight. The lawsuit also threatens protections for 135 million with pre-existing conditions. This means that anyone who contracts coronavirus – a potential pre-existing condition – could be charged more or denied coverage altogether by insurance companies. 
• Trump’s Texas Lawsuit And Other Efforts To Repeal The ACA Would Cut Key Funding From The CDC. GOP repeal bills would have eliminated the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund. In 2017, the Washington Post reported that this fund “provides almost $1 billion annually to CDC, now about 12 percent of CDC’s budget. It includes prevention of bioterrorism and disease outbreaks, as well as money to provide immunizations and heart-disease screenings.” The Trump administration is currently supporting a lawsuit that could repeal the ACA in its entirety, and there is no plan to maintain this funding if the courts overturn the health care law. 
• Trump Is Pushing Short-Term Junk Plans That Would Not Need To Cover Coronavirus Treatment. Junk plans do not need to comply with the consumer protections established by the Affordable Care Act, including coverage of essential health benefits. The expansion of junk plans under Trump has already led to reports of patients receiving thousands of dollars in unexpected medical bills: In February, a Florida man covered by Trump-backed short-term plan discovered he “may owe thousands” after he sought a test for coronavirus.
• Efforts To Undermine Medicaid Expansion Threaten Coverage For Millions. In addition to seeking to repeal the health care law altogether, Trump has proposed measures that specifically target the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid. The administration has encouraged states to impose illegal work requirements on the expansion population that are designed to throw people off coverage. Additionally, under the Trump administration’s proposed block grant, federal funding would no longer necessarily increase in response to a public health emergency. This could lead to people losing coverage and access to care, undermining prevention and treatment of diseases nationwide.
• Thanks In Part To His Sabotage Of The ACA, The Uninsured Rate Is Rising Under Trump. Between cutting funding for education and outreach to imposing Medicaid work requirements, Trump has made it harder to enroll in coverage. Uninsured individuals are far less likely to seek medical treatment when they are sick. At least 7 million people have already lost coverage under Trump, and experts warn that recent enactment of anti-immigration policies will only serve to deter more people from gaining coverage and seeking medical treatment.

Washington, DC – The Supreme Court announced Friday that opening briefs for petitioners in Texas v. United States, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to overturn the ACA will be due on May 6. This announcement means that President Trump’s determination to rip health care away from 20 million Americans will be on full display during the coronavirus crisis and just months before the November election. In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“This announcement means that President Trump’s lawsuit to rip health care away from 20 million Americans and protections from 135 million with pre-existing conditions will be front and center as Americans grapple with the coronavirus crisis and months before the November elections. It’s outrageous that when millions of Americans are more concerned than ever about their health and safety, Republicans will be arguing in court why it’s necessary to rip health care away from them when they need it most.” 

Washington, DC — Today, at the daily coronavirus briefing, President Trump once again refused to reopen that ACA marketplaces and instead implied they would be employing a reimbursement scheme that makes little sense and still leaves the uninsured at risk. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“President Trump has once again decided to harm Americans who need health care by refusing to give them access to quality affordable insurance under the ACA. The administration simply refuses to do the right thing and people’s health will suffer. President Trump has the power today to open the ACA marketplaces but instead is proposing a new bureaucracy that requires congressional approval, will likely cost people and the government more money and leave Americans at risk for the costs of non-covid illnesses. Shame on them.”

On Wednesday, Protect Our Care hosted a press call with Senator Bob Casey, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry as well as Michigan State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud and medical workers on the front lines of fighting coronavirus. Coverage from outlets in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin highlighted the dire calls from the lawmakers and health care workers for the Trump administration to step up and give those on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis the supplies they need. Also on the call, Protect Our Care unveiled new ads that are running in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin which criticize President Trump for failing to prepare Americans for the threat of coronavirus. 

Coverage from Protect Our Care’s Press Call:

PA Capital-Star: Trump Admin Failing ‘Soldiers’ on COVID-19 Front Lines, Pa.’s Casey Says. “The Trump administration is failing to properly protect the health care workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey told reporters Wednesday. “These brave soldiers heading into battle — hour after hour, day after day, now week after week — without the protective equipment that they need is not only embarrassing, it is very, very dangerous and it’s not in any way consistent with our values,” Casey said. “These frontline health care workers need a lot more help. The administration has a lot of explaining to do and should mobilize today to make sure they can get this done.” Health care workers across the country have reported dangerous shortages of personal protective equipment as the COVID-19 virus continues to spread. Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, said on the press call Wednesday that caregivers across the country are “working without sufficient personal protective equipment.” She called on the government to “immediately and for the duration of the crisis, procure, produce and provide ample personal protective equipment to health care workers.” [PA Capital-Star, 4/1/20] 

Michigan Advance: Fear and Exhaustion in Detroit, State’s COVID-19 ‘Epicenter.’ “Moore and Henry were among those who spoke on the conference call hosted Wednesday by Protect Our Care, an advocacy group that’s running ads against President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus in critical swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn), an epidemiologist who also joined the call, said he’s been receiving two principal types of phone calls from his constituents lately. “One is those looking for unemployment support, and the second are those seeking [personal protective equipment (PPE)] who are on the front lines or for their family members or friends on the front lines.” On Tuesday, he received an email from a mother who reached out on behalf of her daughter, an emergency room physician at a Michigan hospital who is ‘not equipped with any of the PPE she needs to protect herself so that she can fully assist others without fear for her own life and without fear for putting her family at risk for when she is exposed, only a matter of when.’” [Michigan Advance, 4/1/20]

CBS 21 Harrisburg: Healthcare Workers Join Sen. Casey to Address Concerns Over Their Working Conditions. “Sen. Bob Casey joined forces with the Protect Our Care Organization on Wednesday to bring awareness to some of those conditions. Many say they are battling the coronavirus outbreak without enough ventilators, masks or protective gear. “Let’s make no mistake. We are at war; at war with this virus that has disseminated not only our public health infrastructure, but also our economy for years to come, and it is time that we utilize each and every single tool we have, and that means using the DPA [Defense Production Act] to meet the demands and help our workers on the front lines,” Casey said. Many healthcare workers added that they do not believe the current statewide and national response has been enough.” [CBS 21, 4/1/20]

Philadelphia Tribune: Health Care Workers, Union Leaders, Elected Officials Call for Increased Production of Masks and Other Personal Protective Equipment. “Tinae Moore, an emergency room technician, highlighted the challenges of working at Detroit Medical Center during this crisis. “In the past few weeks, our ER staff has been cut in half,” said Moore, who had to be quarantined after showing symptoms of COVID-19. “Due to not having proper PPE, a lot of us are getting sick. “A few days after the pandemic started, my hospital management took all of the PPE available to the staff members off the shelves where it was normally located and locked it away and we were only dispersed minimal protection at a time.” [Philadelphia Tribune, 4/1/20] 

Wisconsin Examiner: Health Care Workers Scrap Old Routines, Confront New Risks. “On a media call Wednesday morning organized by Protect Our Care, a Washington, D.C., organization that has campaigned to preserve and strengthen the Affordable Care Act, Joe McGinn, a Madison emergency room nurse, echoed support for that approach. “Every day we’re coming up with our own contingency plans to prepare for the days and weeks ahead,” said McGinn, an SEIU member, He credited the union with being able to engage in “difficult conversations with employers” about the need for PPE that non-union employees might not be able to.” [Wisconsin Examiner, 4/2/20]

Daily Item (PA): Casey, Union President: Health Care Workers Need Help. “The dire need for providing health care workers with more ventilators, masks and other personal protective equipment that are vital on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis was the subject of a Wednesday morning conference call attended by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, and Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry. Front-line health care workers need help, Casey began, ‘and the Trump administration has a lot of explaining to do. These brave soldiers, heading into battle, hour after hour, day after day, and now week after week without the protective equipment that they need is not only embarrassing, but it is very dangerous. It is not in any way consistent with our values.’” [Daily Item, 4/1/20]

Washington, DC — The Trump administration continues to refuse to re-open enrollment for uninsured Americans in the federal ACA marketplace. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“Once again, the Trump administration has shown it doesn’t care about health care in America. President Trump’s failure to prepare for the coronavirus crisis has meant more Americans are getting sick and more Americans are losing their jobs. At a time when millions of uninsured people are facing the possibility of coronavirus and devastating health care bills, President Trump still refuses to let them buy affordable coverage through the ACA marketplace. No wonder the American people don’t trust this administration on health care. Thank goodness Democrats in Congress continue to try and force the administration to do the right thing by calling on them to re-open the exchanges and passing legislation condemning President Trump’s disastrous lawsuit that would take away coverage from 20 million Americans who have insurance today.”

BACKGROUND:

New York Times: Obamacare Markets Will Not Reopen, Trump Decides. “The Trump administration has decided against reopening the Affordable Care Act’s Healthcare.gov marketplaces to new customers, despite broad layoffs and growing fears that people will be uninsured during the coronavirus outbreak. The option to reopen markets, in what is known as a special enrollment period, would have made it easier for people who have recently lost jobs or who had already been uninsured to obtain health insurance.” [New York Times, 4/1/20] 

New York Times: The Administration “Divided” On Special Enrollment Period “Given The President’s Support For The Lawsuit That Would Overturn The Law.” “Insurers, which had been arguing in favor of the enrollment period, had been hopeful just a few days ago that the White House might announce such a step. But the situation suddenly became ‘fluid,’ in the description of one executive. Another described the administration as divided about whether to proceed, especially given the president’s support for the lawsuit that would overturn the law.” [New York Times, 4/1/20] 

Politico: White House Sources Said Trump’s Decision To Reject Special Enrollment “Was Ultimately Made To Avoid Muddling The Administration’s Position On The Affordable Care Act As Trump Urges The Supreme Court To Throw Out The Law.” “Despite Trump’s decision on Obamacare, people who lost their workplace health insurance amid a record surge in employment are still likely eligible for coverage through a special enrollment period for people experiencing certain life circumstances. But millions of more uninsured Americans who don’t qualify for a special allowance will remain shut out from the marketplaces until they reopen in the fall. Sources familiar with discussions between insurers and the administration believe Trump’s decision was ultimately made to avoid muddling the administration’s position on the Affordable Care Act as Trump urges the Supreme Court to throw out the law.” [Politico, 4/1/20] 

Vox: Decision To Reject Open Enrollment Period “Follows A Long-Established Pattern By The Administration To Weaken And Discourage Enrollees To The ACA At Nearly Every Turn Possible.” “The decision follows a long-established pattern by the administration to weaken and discourage enrollees to the ACA at nearly every turn possible. Administration officials also signaled Monday that they would be proceeding with supporting a federal lawsuit scheduled for oral arguments this fall at the Supreme Court which could potentially end the ACA altogether. That would result in millions of people getting thrown off their ACA health insurance plans.” [Vox, 4/1/20] 

Vox: People Who Reside In States That Rejected Medicaid Expansion “Will Be Hurt The Most By The Trump Administration’s Decision Not To Reopen The ACA Marketplace.” “It’s those folks, who were already uninsured before getting laid off and aren’t eligible for Medicaid, who will be hurt the most by the Trump administration’s decision not to reopen the ACA marketplace. That’s why New York, California, and other states have decided to do so in their own marketplaces.” [Vox, 4/1/20] 

Vanity Fair: Decision To Reject Special Enrollment Period Comes As “Republican-Led States And The Trump Administration Have Resolved To Keep Moving Forward WIth Their Lawsuit TO Kill The ACA Despite The Coronavirus.” “The Trump administration’s refusal to allow more Americans to easily sign up for ACA insurance isn’t the GOP’s only attack on the health care program in the midst of the global pandemic, as Republican-led states and the Trump administration have resolved to keep moving forward with their lawsuit to kill the ACA despite the coronavirus.” [Vanity Fair, 4/2/20] 

Salon: Trump Refuses To Reopen Obamacare Exchanges After Millions Of Laid-Off Workers Lose Health Coverage. “The Trump administration has refused to reopen Obamacare exchanges to allow millions of laid-off workers get health insurance, even though the White House estimated that hundreds of thousands of Americans will die as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.” [Salon, 4/1/20] 

Forbes: “The Trump Administration Has Decided Against Opening Up A Special Enrollment Period..Instead Doubling Down On His Support Of A Lawsuit By Republican States Aimed At Killing The Entire Affordable Care Act.” “The Trump administration has decided against opening up a special enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, instead doubling down on his support of a lawsuit by Republican states aimed at killing the entire Affordable Care Act…It would seem the move by the Trump Administration to not open a special ACA enrollment period is just one in a series of steps the administration has taken to kill the program, even as America reels under the poorly planned for COVID-19 pandemic.” [Forbes, 3/1/20] 

Politico: Trump’s Decision To Reject Special Enrollment Period Comes After He “Doubled Down On His Support Of A Lawsuit By Republican States That Could Destroy The Entire Affordable Care Act.” “Trump confirmed last week he was seriously considering a special enrollment period, but he also doubled down on his support of a lawsuit by Republican states that could destroy the entire Affordable Care Act, along with coverage for the 20 million people insured through the law.” [Politico, 3/31/20] 

BuzzFeed News: Donald Trump Won’t Open The Obamacare Markets During The Coronavirus Outbreak. “The Trump administration will not open up Obamacare enrollment, denying millions of people the chance to buy health insurance during the coronavirus outbreak…The Trump administration has taken a cold view of administering the Obamacare markets since day one. It has backed the Republican push to repeal the ACA that failed in Congress and taken various steps to weaken the marketplaces, such as shortening enrollment periods and opening up competition from unregulated plans that are cheaper but pay out far lower benefits. Most importantly, the administration is breaking with the convention of defending established law and backing a legal fight to have the entire ACA thrown out as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case this year.” [BuzzFeed News, 4/1/20]

Ads Blast President Trump for His Disastrous Coronavirus Response and Failure to Provide Those on the Front Lines of the Crisis With Adequate Testing, Ventilators, Masks and Other Supplies

View the ads: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin 

Washington, DC — Protect Our Care is launching new ads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin holding President Trump accountable for his failure to prepare America for the coronavirus crisis. President Trump has downplayed the threat of coronavirus from the beginning. And now, as the virus ravages communities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and across the country, Trump’s refusal to listen to medical experts and lack of preparedness is actively hurting hospital workers and medical professionals on the front lines who are without critical supplies such as tests, ventilators, beds and other equipment they desperately need to keep themselves and their patients safe. 

The 30 second ads will run on cable in select markets in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“President Trump has botched the response to this crisis from the beginning, and now those on the front lines of the coronavirus response are paying the price of his failed leadership,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “President Trump wasted precious time by refusing to listen to medical experts and instead of taking responsibility has lied, spewed misinformation and blamed those on the front lines for his failure to provide them with the testing and protective equipment they need. At a time of extreme crisis for the country, Americans deserve a leader who gives them the truth and put their health and safety first, not one like Trump who makes excuses and blames others for failing to do his job.” 

Ad script: 

President Trump’s failure to prepare America for the coronavirus crisis has made Michigan less safe.

We don’t have nearly enough tests.

Our hospitals are overwhelmed.

Doctors and nurses don’t have the masks, ventilators and supplies they need.

And now more and more Michiganders are out of work.

At a time of extreme crisis, Michigan families need a steady and trusted leader, but Donald Trump has failed that test.

Call the White House. Tell President Trump: Michigan needs stronger leadership.