October 2024

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Contact: Liz Ernst, [email protected]

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2024***

Rep. Sanford Bishop, State Rep. Spencer Frye Headline Event in Georgia as Care Force One Travels Across 17+ States, Makes Over 50 Stops, and Covers Nearly 12,000 Miles

Watch All Bus Tour Stops Live Here.

Georgia — During week three of Protect Our Care’s “Lower Costs, Better Care” bus tour, Rep. Sanford Bishop and State Rep. Spencer Frye will join health care advocates and Protect Our Care for events in Georgia to make sure Georgians understand that our health care is at stake. By passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress lowered premium costs, capped the monthly cost of insulin, and gave Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. While we celebrate this progress, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are fighting to go backwards, raise costs, take away protections for pre-existing conditions, and leave millions of people without critical coverage. MAGA Republicans want us to go back to the days when insurance companies made the rules and could deny people coverage.

Health care is a top issue for people across the country. During each stop, national and local elected officials, health care advocates, and storytellers are sounding the alarm about the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to American health care and celebrating the historic steps the Biden-Harris administration has taken to provide working families the quality, affordable care they need to stay healthy. Later this week, the tour continues in Virginia. Over six weeks, Care Force One will travel to more than 17 states, make more than 50 stops, and travel nearly 12,000 miles.

COLUMBUS, GEORGIA:

WHO:
U.S Representative Sanford Bishop (D-GA-02)
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: The Bibb Mill Event Center, 3715 1st Ave, Columbus, GA 31904

WHEN: Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 10:00 AM ET

ATHENS, GEORGIA:

WHO:
State Representative Spencer Frye
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: Rashe’s Cuisine, 585 Vine St, Athens, GA 30601

WHEN: Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET

Harris Announces Proposal To Extend Medicare Coverage For In-Home Health Care Services On ‘The View’

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new proposal to expand Medicare to help seniors and their families pay for in-home health care, helping working families, seniors, and the “sandwich generation.” This new benefit will be paid for by the billions of dollars in savings generated by expanding the Medicare drug price negotiation program. Already, the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare negotiation program is saving seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars, and Harris wants to accelerate the program and increase the number of drugs included in negotiations and to pay for long-term care. 

Harris continues to be a health care champion for lower costs and better care, but President Trump wants to go backwards. Trump is continuing to push the MAGA Project 2025 agenda that includes cutting Medicare, repealing the historic Inflation Reduction Act, banning Medicare from negotiating drug prices, raising drug costs and out-of-pocket expenses, and ending protections for the over 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. But don’t just take our word for it:

The Hill: Harris Leans Into Health Care In Race Against Trump.

• “Leslie Dach, founder and chair of the Democratic-aligned advocacy group Protect Our Care, said health care is a universal issue. ‘When someone in your family is sick or you’re sick, you know it takes over your life. Every American has felt that anxiety,’ Dach said. Harris’s campaign unveiled policy positions in early September, including a pledge to ‘make affordable health care a right, not a privilege by expanding and strengthening the Affordable Care Act.’”

The New York Times: Harris Proposes a Medicare Plan to Provide Home Care for Seniors.

• “Vice President Kamala Harris outlined a new proposal for home health care on ABC’s ‘ ‘The View’ on Tuesday, a plan for expanding Medicare coverage aimed at helping what is called the ‘sandwich generation’ take care of their aging parents. Many adults find themselves straddling the dual responsibilities of rearing their children at a time when their parents need more assistance to stay at home. And millions of Americans struggle to find affordable home care for themselves or their loved ones as they become older. Medicare, the federal insurance program for older Americans, does not cover long-term care and will generally pay for a home aide only if a patient is recovering from an acute medical condition, like a stroke, and only for a short time, often just a few months.”
• “While Medicaid will pay for a home aide if someone is poor or has no assets, there are long waiting lists to qualify. And in many areas of the country, there is a severe shortage of workers because of low wages and better, less stressful jobs in other businesses. Most people have no choice but to rely on a family member to care for them because they cannot afford the cost of care, which can surpass the expense of an assisted living facility. Agencies can charge about $30 an hour, according to Genworth, a long-term care insurance company. Others end up spending most of their assets and seeking care in a nursing home, where Medicaid does not have waiting lists.”

Reuters: Harris Proposes New Funds For At-Home Senior Care, Aiming At ‘Sandwich Generation’.

• “Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced a plan to expand healthcare benefits to cover at-home senior care in an interview on ABC’s ‘The View’ program on Tuesday, the latest policy proposal in her effort to boost the ‘care economy’ and lower healthcare costs.”
• “‘I took care of my mother when she was sick. She was diagnosed with cancer,’ Harris said, describing her personal experience with caregiving. ‘There are so many people in our country who are right in the middle. They take care of their kids and they’re taking care of their aging parents, and it’s just almost impossible to do it all,’ she said. […] Harris’ policy would expand Medicare, the federal insurance plan for elderly and disabled people, to cover long-term care for seniors at home for the first time, including services like in-home health aides, in hopes of saving American families the often high cost of nursing homes for aging family members.”

MarketWatch: Harris Says ‘It’s About Dignity’ As She Floats Plan For In-Home Care For Seniors.

• “The latest Harris proposal is for Medicare, the federal government’s health-insurance program for seniors, to cover home-care services such as in-home aides for a wider number of recipients. In-home aides currently are covered only in a limited way. ‘It’s about dignity for that individual,’ the vice president said during an appearance on the ABC talk show ‘The View.’ ‘They want to stay in their home. They don’t want to go somewhere else. Plus, for the family to send them to a residential-care facility, to hire somebody is so expensive,’ she said.”

Roll Call: Harris Unveils Plan To Allow Medicare To Cover In-Home Care.

• “Kamala Harris proposed a new campaign policy Tuesday to help seniors ‘age in place,’ a popular concept allowing older Americans to receive care at home through Medicare. The vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, speaking on ABC talk show ‘The View,’ said the proposal would allow families to keep their loved ones at home, rather than in nursing facilities, and avoid the associated costs of in-facility care. The proposal would cover home health aides, among other services, and provide relief to family members who juggle their careers and caregiving responsibilities.”

The Guardian: Harris Announces Plan For Medicare To Cover Long-Term Care At Home.

• “If approved, the program would represent a major expansion of Medicare, which currently only covers at-home care under narrow circumstances. Harris made the announcement on ABC’s The View, a day-time talkshow popular with older women.”
• “Today, Medicare typically covers at-home care only in ‘post-acute’ settings, such as when a person is recovering from a surgery. Instead Medicaid, the public health insurance program for the low-income and disabled, is the largest single payer of what the government calls ‘long-term support services’ – everything from nursing homes to the home health aides on which Harris focused. Medicaid spent $207bn on long-term support services in 2021, or roughly 44% of all such spending nationally, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). […] However, Harris did mention that the proposal was made through Medicare to avoid a phenomenon many in the sandwich generation will recognize – the Medicaid ‘spend down’. Families forced to ‘spend down’ their loved ones’ assets must pay for a certain amount of healthcare before Medicaid begins contributing to costs.”

Newsweek: Kamala Harris Touts Medicare Expansion Plan in First Live Interview.

• “Harris outlined key policy plans aimed at easing the financial burdens of middle-class families, emphasizing her commitment to expanding Medicare and lowering child care costs.”
• “The vice president wants to expand Medicare to cover at-home care services for seniors, a move aimed at alleviating financial burdens. Currently, most Medicare beneficiaries must pay out-of-pocket for home aides, a cost that, for some, can be nearly double their income.”
• “By lowering child care expenses and expanding Medicare, Harris aims to ease the pressure on families facing dual caregiving roles—a personal mission rooted in her own experience caring for her mother during her battle with cancer.”

STAT+: Harris Seeks To Tie Expanded Medicare Drug Price Negotiation To Home Care Policy.

• “Vice President Harris is proposing to use cuts to the pharmaceutical industry’s profits in Medicare to fund a home care benefit for people over the age of 65, she announced Tuesday. Harris has followed in President Biden’s footsteps by calling to expand Medicare’s new drug price negotiation to include more drugs and make drugs qualify for negotiation with less time on the market. The drug industry’s fear when lawmakers first allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices was that once the firewall prohibiting Medicare from interfering with drug prices was broken, Congress would find expanding the program to pay for other policies irresistible. If Harris has her way, those fears could become reality.”

Bloomberg: Harris Pitches Medicare Coverage for In-Home Health Aides.

• “Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a new plan to cover in-home health care for seniors, a proposal she said would ease the burden on working adults responsible for aging parents and raising children. ‘It’s just almost impossible to do it all. Especially if they work — we’re finding that so many are then having to leave their job,’ Harris said on ABC’s The View, during one of three major interviews set for Tuesday.”

CNBC News: Harris Proposes Expanding Medicare To Cover Long-Term Care At Home. 

• “Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new proposal on Tuesday that would require Medicare to cover the costs of long-term care at home. That coverage could potentially allow millions of seniors and people with disabilities to get care at home rather than in a nursing facility. Over 37 million people, or 14% of the adult population, provide some form of unpaid eldercare in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The majority of these caretakers, around 59%, are women.”

NPR: Harris Proposes Help For The ‘Sandwich Generation’: A Medicare Benefit For Home Care.

• “Vice President Harris on Tuesday will lay out a new proposal to expand Medicare coverage to help cover the costs of home health care aides for seniors. […] The proposal is squarely aimed at ‘sandwich generation’ women who take care of aging parents as well as their own kids. […] In its current form, Medicare doesn’t widely cover assistance like home health aides for seniors, which can be costly. And nursing home facilities are also expensive. Harris’ plan to expand Medicare to cover at-home care for seniors would be paid for in part by expanding Medicare drug price negotiations, her campaign said.”

HuffPost: Kamala Harris Proposes Big Home Care Benefit For Medicare.

• “Such a plan could mean the option of staying at home, rather than in a nursing facility, for the millions of seniors and people with disabilities who need help with the daily tasks of life. It could also mean physical and financial relief ― and new opportunities for school or work outside the home ― for the millions of working-age Americans who today provide so much of that care on their own without much in the way of outside assistance.”
• “If the proposed legislation is enacted, such a program would represent a substantial boost in federal support for caregiving and, by any measure, one of the largest one-time increases in American history.”

The SF Chronicle: Kamala Harris To Announce Plan To Help Families Pay For In-Home Health Care.

• “A majority of voters support efforts to pay for home care for seniors. A September Data for Progress poll found 88% of likely voters support expanding Medicare to include coverage for long-term in-home care, including 84% of independents and 86% of Republicans.”
• “The global population — and that of San Francisco — is rapidly aging, and in a country where most seniors are dependent on Medicare, access to affordable long-term care to assist with everyday tasks like dressing and bathing and skilled nursing for seniors who need medical care in the home is often hard to find and prohibitively expensive. Medicare covers in-home, long-term health care in a very narrow set of circumstances, and getting coverage can be difficult and complicated.”
• “Harris has long worked on improving paid leave, child care and long-term care and has made her efforts to help families a centerpiece of her campaign. She also cared for her mother at the end of her life. Nearly one-quarter of Americans are caring for aging parents while raising children — a group the Harris campaign said makes up a large percentage of undecided voters, citing internal polling.”

Forbes: Kamala Harris Will Propose New Medicare Benefit To Cover Home Care Costs For Seniors.

• “Harris’ pitch will call for establishing a home care benefit through Medicare to cover the cost of long-term care services—including health aides—for seniors, without them needing to go to a nursing home. According to the Democrat’s campaign, the plan would be funded by the savings from her proposal of expanding Medicare drug price negotiations.”
• “Harris campaign officials told various outlets that the proposal is aimed at the so-called ‘sandwich generation’ of middle-aged Americans—who account for nearly a quarter of the U.S. population—and make up a sizable percentage of undecided voters. According to the Pew Research Center, the ‘sandwich generation’ is made up of adults who are supporting a living parent aged 65 or older, while also raising a child under the age of 18 or financially supporting a grown child.”

The Wall Street Journal: Harris Wants Medicare to Cover Home Care for More Seniors.

• “Vice President Kamala Harris is proposing a new Medicare benefit for in-home eldercare, part of a pitch to middle-aged voters who are grappling with the dual cost of raising children and attending to their aging parents.”
• “The proposal would cover long-term home care services, including health aides, according to Harris campaign officials, allowing many seniors to get the support they need without going to a nursing home. The officials said the benefit, which would require congressional approval, would be paid for from the savings from a series of proposals Harris has made to lower prescription-drug costs. The plan builds on a proposal pitched by President Biden that didn’t win enough support to pass Congress.”
• “Harris has separately called for capping child-care costs at 7% of a working family’s income and for expanding the child tax credit, including offering $6,000 to the parents of newborns.”

Axios: Harris To Propose New Medicare Benefit For Senior Care.

• “Harris’ plan is to expand Medicare coverage to cover at-home care for seniors, enabling families to afford services like in-home health aides, according to a senior Harris campaign official. The plan could help families avoid expensive senior facilities that can cost more than in-home care. Savings from medicare drug price negotiations will help pay for the plan, as will increasing the discounts drug manufacturers cover for certain brand-name drugs for Medicare enrollees.”
• “About 47% of U.S. adults in their 40s and 50s are juggling caring for both elderly parents and young children, according to the Pew Research Center. […] Harris has previously spoken about her own experiences caring for her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, when she was sick with cancer. ‘I have a personal experience with caregiving. I remember being there for my mother when she was diagnosed with cancer. Cooking meals for her, taking her to her appointments …. I know caregiving is about dignity,’ she said at a campaign stop in Pittsburgh last month. America is facing a looming senior care crisis, with nearly 70% of older adults projected to need long-term care services that are hard to come by, let alone pay for.”

Politico: Harris To Propose New Medicare Home Care Benefit For Seniors.

• “The vice president will propose establishing a home care benefit through Medicare focused on helping families afford the cost of caring for seniors at home instead of in nursing facilities, according to a senior campaign official granted anonymity to share details of the proposal. The senior official said the proposal would help older Americans age at home and avoid the costs of in-facility care, which can be thousands of dollars more a month than in-home care. The benefit would cover the costs of various home care services, including in-home health aides.”
• “The proposal is the latest in a line of campaign promises from the vice president aimed at helping parents and other caregivers, something that was one of President Joe Biden’s top domestic priorities. In August, Harris announced a plan to both bring back the pandemic-era expanded child tax credit, as well as establish a new $6,000 tax credit for parents of newborns. Studies have shown that more than 40 percent of Americans, more than 105 million people, currently provide unpaid care.”

Daily Mail (UK): Kamala Harris To Use Her Appearance On The View To Pitch To The ‘Sandwich Generation’.

• “Vice President Kamala Harris is set to propose the first-ever expansion of Medicare to help Americans known as the so-called ‘sandwich generation’ who are facing the staggering burden of taking care of kids as well as aging parents at the same time.”
• “The proposal includes the first-ever expansion of Medicare to include at-home care benefits to help address the long-term care of seniors. The vice president wants to cover home care services like in-home aides, so seniors do not have to choose between having to go to a facility for care as they age or burdening their families.”

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Contact: Vanessa Watson, [email protected]

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2024***

Care Force One Rolls into North Carolina as it Travels Across 17+ States, Makes Over 50 Stops, and Covers Nearly 12,000 Miles

Watch All Bus Tour Stops Live Here.

North Carolina — During week three of Protect Our Care’s “Lower Costs, Better Care” bus tour, U.S Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12) and State Senator Natalie Murdock will join health care advocates and Protect Our Care for events in North Carolina to make sure North Carolinians understand how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress worked to lower health care costs for Americans. By passing the Inflation Reduction Act, they provided relief to those who purchase insurance on their own, capped the monthly cost of insulin, and gave Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. While we celebrate this progress, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are fighting to go backwards, raise costs, take away protections for pre-existing conditions, and leave millions of people without critical coverage. MAGA Republicans want us to go back to the days when insurance companies made the rules and could deny people coverage.

During each stop, national and local elected officials, health care advocates, and storytellers are sounding the alarm about the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to American health care and celebrating the historic steps the Biden-Harris administration has taken to provide working families the quality, affordable care they need to stay healthy. Later this week, the tour continues in Georgia. Over six weeks, Care Force One will travel to more than 17 states, make more than 50 stops, and travel nearly 12,000 miles.

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA: 

WHO:
State Senator Natalie Murdock
Nervahna Crew, health care advocate
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: Durham Central Park, 501 Foster St, Durham, NC 27701

WHEN: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 10:00 AM ET

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: 

WHO:
U.S Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12)
DonnaMarie Woodson, health care advocate
Meghan Bradshaw, health care advocate
Stacy Staggs, health care advocate
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC 28202

WHEN: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 2:00 PM ET

U.S. Reps. Jennifer McClellan, Alma Adams, Sanford Bishop, Darren Soto, Kathy Castor, State Sens. Natalie Murdock, Sonya Halpern, Mayor Deanna Reed Will Headline “Lower Costs, Better Care” Events in Four States

Watch All Bus Tour Stops Live Here.

Washington, D.C. — On the third week of Protect Our Care’s 12,000-mile “Lower Costs, Better Care” bus tour, “Care Force One” will make stops in four states to make sure everyone understands how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress worked to lower health care costs for Americans. By passing the Inflation Reduction Act, they provided relief to those who purchase insurance on their own, capped the monthly cost of insulin, and gave Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. At the same time, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are fighting a war on our health care system to raise costs and deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, leaving millions of people without critical coverage. MAGA Republicans want us to go back to the days when insurance companies made the rules and could deny people coverage. During each stop, national and local elected officials, health care advocates, and storytellers are sounding the alarm about the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to American health care and celebrating the historic steps the Biden-Harris administration has taken to provide working families the quality, affordable care they need to stay healthy. Over six weeks, Care Force One will travel to more than 17 states, make more than 50 stops, and travel nearly 12,000 miles.

MONDAY

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA:

WHO:
U.S Representative Jennifer McClellan
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi
Leslie Mehta, civil rights attorney
Rae Pickett, Director Of Communications, Virginia League for Planned Parenthood
Kenda Sutton-EL, Founder and Executive Director, Birth in Color
Victor McKenzie, nonprofit executive and community leader
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate

WHERE: Diversity Thrift, 1407 Sherwood Ave, Richmond, VA 23220

WHEN: Monday, October 7, 2024 at 11:30 AM ET

HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA:

WHO:
Mayor Deanna Reed
Vic Bermudez, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance
Michael Sizemore, Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia
Professor Tim Jost of Harrisonburg, Medicare Storyteller
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate

WHERE: Shelter 1 of Ralph Sampson Park, 431 E Washington St, Harrisonburg, VA 22802

WHEN: Monday, October 7, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET

TUESDAY

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA:

WHO:
State Senator Natalie Murdock
Nervahna Crew, health care advocate
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: Durham Central Park, 501 Foster St, Durham, NC 27701

WHEN: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 10:00 AM ET

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA:

WHO:
U.S Representative Alma Adams
DonnaMarie Woodson, health care advocate
Meghan Bradshaw, health care advocate
Stacy Staggs, health care advocate
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC 28202

WHEN: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 2:00 PM ET

WEDNESDAY

COLUMBUS, GEORGIA:

WHO:
U.S Representative Sanford Bishop
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: TBA

WHEN: Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 10:00 AM ET

THURSDAY

ATLANTA, GEORGIA:

WHO:
State Senator Sonya Halpern
State Representative Jasmine Clark
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: TBA

WHEN: Thursday, October 10, 2024 at TBA

ATHENS, GEORGIA:

WHO:
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: TBA

WHEN: Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET

FRIDAY

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA:

WHO:
U.S Representative Darren Soto
State Representative Anna Eskamani
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate

WHERE: Archie Gordon Memorial Park, 420 Buenaventura Blvd, Kissimmee, FL 34743

WHEN: Friday, October 11, 2024 at 9:30 AM ET

TAMPA, FLORIDA:

WHO:
U.S Representative Kathy Castor
Leader Fentrice Driskell
State Representative Susan Valdes
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate

WHERE: Perry Harvey Senior Park, 1000 E Harrison St, Tampa, FL 33602

WHEN: Friday, October 11, 2024 at 2:00 PM ET

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One will make stops in:
Duluth, Minnesota on Monday, September 23, 2024
St. Paul, Minnesota on Monday, September 23, 2024
Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Milwaukee, Michigan on Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Lansing, Michigan on Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Grand Rapids, Michigan on Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Toledo, Ohio on Thursday, September 26, 2024
Youngstown, Ohio on Thursday, September 26, 2024
Greensburg, Pennsylvania on Friday, September 27, 2024
Hudson Valley, New York on Monday, September 30, 2024
Long Island, New York on Monday, September 30, 2024
Manchester, New Hampshire on Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Troy, New York on Thursday, October 3, 2024
Utica, New York on Thursday, October 3, 2024
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Friday, October 4, 2024
Richmond, Virginia on Monday, October 7, 2024
Harrisburg, Virginia on Monday, October 7, 2024
Durham, North Carolina on Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Columbus, Georgia on Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday, October 10, 2024
Athens, Georgia on Thursday, October 10, 2024
Kissimmee, Florida on Friday, October 11, 2024
Tampa, Florida on Friday, October 11, 2024
Albuquerque, New Mexico on Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Las Cruces, New Mexico on Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Tempe, Arizona on Thursday, October 17, 2024
Palm Springs, California on Thursday, October 17, 2024
Orange County, California on Friday, October 18, 2024
Santa Clarita, California on Monday, October 21, 2024
Bakersfield, California on Monday, October 21, 2024
Reno, Nevada on Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Grand Junction, Colorado on Thursday, October 24, 2024
Denver, Colorado on Friday, October 25, 2024
Burnsville, Minnesota on Monday, October 28, 2024
Rochester, Minnesota on Monday, October 28, 2024
La Crosse, Wisconsin on Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Detroit, Michigan on Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Wayne, Michigan on Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday, October 31, 2024
Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday, October 31, 2024
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Friday, November 1, 2024

For more information on Protect Our Care’s “Lower Cost, Better Care” tour, click here. 

U.S. Representatives Susan Wild, Pat Ryan, Chris Pappas, Paul Tonko, and Matt Cartwright, State Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, Assembly Member Michaelle Solages Headlined “Lower Costs, Better Care” Bus Tour Events

On the second week of Protect Our Care’s nearly 12,000-mile “Lower Costs, Better Care” bus tour, “Care Force One” made stops in three states to make sure everyone understands how they continue to benefit from legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Affordable Care Act – while also making it clear the stakes for American health care have never been higher. During each stop, national and local elected officials, health care advocates, and storytellers sounded the alarm about the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to American health care. MAGA Republicans want us to go back to the days when insurance companies made the rules and could deny people coverage. As Republicans fight to raise costs on working families, deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, and repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and Affordable Care Act, the Biden-Harris administration continues to improve access to quality and affordable health care. Next week, the tour continues in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Over six weeks, Care Force One will travel to more than 17 states, make more than 50 stops, and travel nearly 12,000 miles.

Watch All Bus Tour Stops Here

ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One was joined by Representative Susan Wild (D-PA-07), and health care advocates at the IBEW Local 375 in Allentown to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and how health care remains under threat by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.

Watch the event here.

HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One was joined by Representative Pat Ryan (D-NY-18), and health care advocates at Academy Green Park in Kingston to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and how health care remains under threat by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.

Coverage:

• Mid Hudson News: Congressman Ryan helps kick off National Protect Health Care Bus Tour

Watch the event here.

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One was joined by Assembly Member Michaelle Solages, and health care advocates at Kennedy Park in Hempstead to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and how health care remains under threat by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.

Coverage:

• Long Island Herald: Advocates Stand to ‘Protect Our Care’ in Hempstead
• WKTV (NBC): Protect Our Care Bus Tour

Watch the event here.

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One was joined by Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH-01), and health care advocates at Victory Park in Manchester to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and how health care remains under threat by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans. 

Watch the event here.

PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One was joined by State Senator Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, and health care advocates at the Love Mural in Prescott Park in Portsmouth to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and how health care remains under threat by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.

Watch the event here.

RENSSELAER COUNTY, NEW YORK

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One was joined by U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, and health care advocates at Beman Park in Troy to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and how health care remains under threat by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.

Watch the event here.

UTICA, NEW YORK

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One was joined by U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), and health care advocates at Character Coffee in Utica to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and how health care remains under threat by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.

Coverage:

• WKTV (NBC): Sen. John Manion joins Lower Costs, Better Care Bus Tour

Watch the event here.

WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA

Protect Our Care’s Care Force One was joined by Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08), Mayor Harry Kelly, and health care advocates at the public square in Wilkes-Barre to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and how health care remains under threat by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.

Watch the event here.

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Contact: Michael Berman, 1(215) 316-2850, [email protected]
Request for coverage: PLEASE EMBARGO INFO UNTIL FRIDAY EVENT.

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2024 AT 2:00 PM ET***

Care Force One Rolls into Wilkes-Barre, PA as it Travels Across 17+ States, Makes Over 50 Stops, and Covers Nearly 12,000 Miles

Watch All Bus Tour Stops Live Here.

Wilkes-Barre, PA — On week two of Protect Our Care’s “Lower Costs, Better Care” bus tour, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) will join health care advocates and Protect Our Care for an event in Wilkes-Barre, PA to make sure Pennsylvanians understand how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress worked to lower health care costs for Americans. By passing the Inflation Reduction Act, they provided relief to those who purchase insurance on their own, capped the monthly cost of insulin, and gave Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. While we celebrate this progress, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are fighting to go backwards, raise costs, take away protections for pre-existing conditions, and leave millions of people without critical coverage. MAGA Republicans want us to go back to the days when insurance companies made the rules and could deny people coverage.

During each stop, national and local elected officials, health care advocates, and storytellers are sounding the alarm about the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to American health care and celebrating the historic steps the Biden-Harris administration has taken to provide working families the quality, affordable care they need to stay healthy. Later this week, the tour continues in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. Over six weeks, Care Force One will travel to more than 17 states, make more than 50 stops, and travel nearly 12,000 miles.

WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA: 

WHO:
U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08)
Clarks Summit Mayor Harry Kelly
Denise Parashac, patient storyteller
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701

WHEN: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 2 PM ET

Watch the Full Event Here. 

Washington D.C. — Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), health care storytellers and advocates Reggie Hubbard and Elena Hung joined Protect Our Care for a virtual event to discuss the tremendous progress that we’ve made to lower health care costs and improve care for the American people as well as the fight ahead of us to protect our health care as MAGA Republicans continue to escalate their attacks. If Donald Trump wins, health care is on the chopping block. He has already tried and failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and now he is threatening to do it again. If Trump gets his way, 45 million people could lose coverage, and lifesaving protections would be ripped away from more than 100 million people with pre-existing conditions.

In every election since 2018, voters have gone to the polls prioritizing better health care and lower costs – this year is no different. Health care is core to this election cycle from Vice President Harris reminding voters about the accomplishments made over the last four years to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance repeatedly attacking the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its protections for more than 100 million people with pre-existing conditions. 

“If you go to kitchen tables of the American people, the list of their worries goes on – the cost of health care, the cost of prescription drugs – all things that are part of the Democratic agenda but not the Republican agenda,” said Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.  “The former president said ‘Obamacare sucks,’ but it doesn’t suck – it cures – and Democrats will do everything possible to expand the Affordable Care Act and cure many more people.  Make no mistake: this is the most important election of our lifetime – and it’s a health care election.  Onward to victory for a healthier America!”

“I’m here because of health care and I’m here because of my amazing daughter, Xiomara, who is the joy of my life,” said Executive Director and Co-Founder of Little Lobbyists Elena Hung. “Kids like my daughter are alive today and have a chance at childhood because the ACA banned lifetime limits on their care and insurance companies can no longer discriminate against people with pre-existing issues. Xiomara has been able to thrive because of the care that she and my family have received, because of the care that my family has been able to receive. We have to defend the ACA because the ACA saves lives.”

“On April 1, fresh off the celebration of the ACA anniversary, I became a member of the stroke survivor club,” said Save Our Health Care Campaign Director for Team Pelosi Reggie Hubbard. “In that moment, I went from activist and advocate to a patient with a pre-existing condition. The Affordable Care Act changed immediately from a policy that I passionately advocated for to a vital lifeline that not only gave me access to health care, but a path to navigate my stroke and my recovery in the aftermath. It didn’t just save my life, but it protected me from financial ruin when the unthinkable became my norm.”

“The Affordable Care Act and the lower drug provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act have finally given Americans a safe place to land so that they know they can get the health care they need,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Americans across the nation are seeing lower health care costs thanks to the Biden-Harris administration. We all know that when one of us gets sick, it dominates our lives, especially if you can’t afford to go to the doctor or get prescriptions. But Democrats stood up to big drug companies and won, and now seniors are saving on their prescription drug costs. People across the country finally have more breathing room, and Democrats are fighting to build on this progress so everyone has the health care they need.” 

“Donald Trump and JD Vance have made it abundantly clear that they want to turn back the clock on all the progress we have made under the Biden-Harris administration,” said Protect Our Care Executive Brad Woodhouse. “From ripping away protections for pre-existing conditions to gutting the Affordable Care Act, they are intent on leaving middle-class Americans in the dust in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires and put drug companies back in charge. The MAGA agenda is an existential threat to our health care and a second Trump term would be disastrous for millions of hardworking people across the nation.”

“Time and time again, voters have gone to the polls with health care as a forefront issue,” said Protect Our Care Communications Director Anne Shoup. “This year is no different as voters will once again determine the future of American health care. It is a kitchen table issue, and the Democratic message on health care receives strong support from a majority of voters, no matter who they are or where they live.”

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Contact: Maria Huiza, 917-355-5286, [email protected]

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2024***

Care Force One Rolls into New York as it Travels Across 17+ States, Makes Over 50 Stops, and Covers Nearly 12,000 Miles

Watch All Bus Tour Stops Live Here.

New Hampshire — During week two of Protect Our Care’s “Lower Costs, Better Care” bus tour, Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY-20) will join health care advocates and Protect Our Care for events in New Hampshire to make sure New Yorkers understand how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress worked to lower health care costs for Americans. By passing the Inflation Reduction Act, they provided relief to those who purchase insurance on their own, capped the monthly cost of insulin, and gave Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. While we celebrate this progress, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are fighting to go backwards, raise costs, take away protections for pre-existing conditions, and leave millions of people without critical coverage. MAGA Republicans want us to go back to the days when insurance companies made the rules and could deny people coverage.

During each stop, national and local elected officials, health care advocates, and storytellers are sounding the alarm about the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to American health care and celebrating the historic steps the Biden-Harris administration has taken to provide working families the quality, affordable care they need to stay healthy. Later this week, the tour continues in New York and Pennsylvania. Over six weeks, Care Force One will travel to more than 17 states, make more than 50 stops, and travel nearly 12,000 miles.

TROY, NEW YORK:

WHO:
U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY-20)
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate 

WHERE: Burdett Birth Center, 2215 Burdett Avenue, Troy, NY 12180

WHEN: Thursday, October 3, 2024 at 10 AM ET

UTICA, NEW YORK:

WHO:
U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY-20)
State Senator John Mannion
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate  

WHERE: Character Coffee, 171 Genesee St., Utica, New York

WHEN: Thursday, October 3, 2024 at 3:30 PM ET