MEMORANDUM
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Leslie Dach and Brad Woodhouse, Protect Our Care
DATE: September 30, 2024
RE: Health Care Is Front and Center Heading Into November
Health care is at the center of this election cycle. Whether it’s Kamala Harris campaigning on the administration’s accomplishments over the last four years through advertising and campaign events or Donald Trump and J.D. Vance making headlines for attacking the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions, health care is front and center heading into November.
In this election, voters will once again determine the future of American health care.
In every election since 2018, voters have gone to the polls prioritizing better health care and lower costs — and this year is no different. By passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress won a decades-long battle against big drug companies and lowered health care costs for families across the nation. Kamala Harris and Democrats are working to build on these accomplishments to further lower drug prices, restore abortion access, safeguard Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA, and ensure that people with pre-existing conditions remain protected.
Meanwhile, on the debate stage, Trump lied and outlandishly claimed he “saved” the ACA while he was in office, and then said he has a “concept of a plan” to replace the law. At the same time, his VP pick is doubling down on calls to repeal the ACA and its protections for 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. Trump and Vance want to conceal their deeply unpopular health care agenda to hike costs for middle-class families while delivering more tax breaks to big drug and insurance companies.
Harris Campaign Is All-In On Health Care
Kamala has made health care a central part of her campaign. Health care is a kitchen table issue, and the Democratic message on health care receives strong support from a majority of voters, whether they live in red or blue states, or rural, suburban, or urban zip codes.
Kamala Harris Is Campaigning On Health Care. On the debate stage, Harris declared, “Access to health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it, and the plan has to be to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, not get rid of it.” During rallies and events, Harris has repeatedly raised the issue of health care. During a White House policy event in Largo, MD, for example, she told the crowd, “As vice president — together with Joe Biden, our president — we’ve finally addressed the long-standing issue that for years was one of the biggest challenges on this subject, which is that Medicare was prohibited by law from negotiating lower drug prices, and that cost was passed on to our seniors. But not anymore.” During a recent event in Charlotte, NC, she also said, “45 million Americans are insured through the Affordable Care Act, and [Trump]’s going to end it based on a concept and take us back to when insurance companies had the power to deny people with pre-existing conditions. Well, we are not going back.” The Harris-Walz campaign held 19 events with health care messaging in the week following the debate alone.
Paid Media: Medicare And Prescription Drugs Dominated Recent Democratic Spending In The Presidential Campaign. According to Wesleyan Media Project, between August 26 and September 8, 30.9% of Kamala Harris ads focused on Medicare and nearly 100% of allied group ads sponsored for Climate Power Action, FF PAC, and LCV Victory Fund included prescription drugs as a top issue. The Harris campaign and allied groups combined for over 33,000 airings of ads mentioning Medicare or prescription drugs during this time period.
Trump’s Plans To Repeal the ACA and Gut Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions Are Back in the Spotlight
Headlines across the nation are calling out the Trump campaign for renewing calls to repeal the ACA and gut its protections for over 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. At the same time, Trump is lying about his disastrous record on health care. Trump’s “concepts of a plan” moment in the debate is fueling ridicule and voter anxiety around the country.
Trump Is Coming For The Affordable Care Act. Trump was one vote away from total repeal in 2017, and he did everything in his power to sabotage it and throw people off the rolls. As a result, millions of Americans lost coverage and costs went up across the board. Now, he is doubling down on his Project 2025-MAGA plan to repeal the ACA, cut Medicare and Medicaid, hike prescription drug costs, and raise costs on middle-class families.
Vance Has Renewed Calls To Eliminate Protections For Pre-Existing Conditions. In the last few weeks, J.D. Vance has repeatedly called for gutting protection for people with pre-existing conditions. His latest comments about separating insurance pools would raise costs on over 100 million people with conditions like asthma, cancer, and diabetes. Insurance companies would be back in charge and given the power to lock millions of people out of affordable coverage options.
Trump Wants To Take Credit For Inflation Reduction Act Savings (While Trying To Repeal It). Despite allowing drug companies to charge whatever they want, he is trying to take credit for the Inflation Reduction Act’s insulin cap. In reality, the MAGA agenda would repeal the Inflation Reduction Act in its entirety, putting drug companies back in charge, stopping Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices, and hiking insulin costs for seniors.
Additional Resources
- MEMO: Don’t Be Fooled By Trump’s Lies On The Debate Stage – He Is An Existential Threat to Our Health Care
- HEADLINES: Donald Trump and JD Vance Are Coming for the Affordable Care Act
- HEADLINES: Trump and Vance Expose Their Plan to Gut ACA Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions
- ROUND-UP: J.D. Vance Calls for Gutting ACA Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions