News

Judiciary Committee member U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has made his opposition to the Affordable Care Act crystal clear by voting time and again to repeal the health care law and by supporting California v. Texas, the Trump administration’s lawsuit to completely dismantle the health care law. If successful, the lawsuit would throw our entire health care system into chaos by ripping away health care from more than 20 million Americans and ending protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions, all in the middle of an ever-worsening pandemic. Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett in hopes she will help them accomplish their decade-long goal of eliminating the law — and the protections it provides for Americans — when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in California v. Texas one week after the election. 

What’s At Stake If The Supreme Court Overturns The ACA

If Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the ACA is successful, 1,958,000 Texans would lose coverage. 

Without the ACA, 11,898,500 Texans with pre-existing conditions could be charged more or denied coverage altogether. 

A Walk Down Memory Lane: Senator Cruz And The ACA

Cruz has voted FOUR TIMES to fully repeal the ACA.

2018: Ted Cruz Said It Was “Reasonable” To Argue ACA’s Pre-Existing Conditions Rules Are Now Unconstitutional. “Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), as vociferous an Obamacare critic as you’ll find, sounds on board with the latest legal challenge to the health care law that could lead to protections for people with preexisting conditions being found unconstitutional. Cruz told Vox that he thought the Justice Department’s position in the lawsuit, that the law’s rules on preexisting conditions should be invalidated along with the individual mandate, was ‘reasonable’ and defended the foundation of the case being brought by his home state of Texas in a brief interview at the Capitol.” [Vox, 6/15/18] 

2018: Ted Cruz: “We Need To Finish The Job” On Obamacare. “Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday said Republicans needed to ‘finish the job” on repealing and replacing Obamacare in 2018, and he is pushing his colleagues to use one last reconciliation bill before the midterms to deliver on their long-running promise… ‘The biggest unfinished task is Obamacare,’ Cruz said, reflecting on what Congress did in 2017 and his priorities for 2018. ‘We need to finish the job. I still believe it is possible to bring Republicans together. I think we got very close last time and that’s something I’m continuing to devote a lot of time trying to unite our fractious conference and build consensus to get at least 50 Republicans on the same page.’” [Washington Examiner, 1/24/18] 

2013: Cruz Led The Republican Government Shut Down Over ACA Implementation. “In 2013, Cruz, along with conservatives in the House, demanded that any spending bill also delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats, who still had control of the chamber in 2013, were never going to support such a move. But enough House Republicans wouldn’t go for a funding bill that didn’t defund Obamacare, setting up a showdown that shut down government for more than two weeks. (In the end, Cruz and the conservative House faction did not win policy concessions.) Republicans were largely blamed for the shutdown. Cruz’s theatrics inspired the ire not just of Democrats, but of his Republican colleagues in the Senate, who felt Cruz knew his self-righteous gambit was doomed to fail, but went ahead with it anyway to raise his own political profile at his party’s expense.” [Vox, 1/22/18] 

Judiciary Committee member U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has made his opposition to the Affordable Care Act crystal clear by voting time and again to repeal the health care law and by supporting California v. Texas, the Trump administration’s lawsuit to completely dismantle the health care law. If successful, the lawsuit would throw our entire health care system into chaos by ripping away health care from more than 20 million Americans and ending protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions, all in the middle of an ever-worsening pandemic. Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett in hopes she will help them accomplish their decade-long goal of eliminating the law — and the protections it provides for Americans — when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in California v. Texas one week after the election. 

What’s At Stake If The Supreme Court Overturns The ACA

If Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the ACA is successful, 143,000 Utahns would lose coverage. 

Without the ACA, 1,268,300 Utahns with pre-existing conditions could be charged more or denied coverage altogether. 

A Walk Down Memory Lane: Senator Lee And The ACA

Lee has voted FOUR TIMES to fully repeal the ACA.

2010: Lee Campaigned On ACA Repeal: “We Must Work To Defund And Repeal Obamacare.” “We must work to defund and repeal Obamacare. Every possible means must be applied to stop full implementation of this legislation…Health care reform must never give government the authority to force Americans to buy health insurance, or overburden small businesses which would contribute to job losses. The real solution to our current health care challenge is less government involvement in the process–not more.” [Mike Lee Campaign Website, accessed 10/11/20] 

2017: Lee Said “The Worst Thing Congress Could Do” Is Abandon ACA Repeal. “When I was first elected to the Senate in 2010, I ran on a promise to repeal Obamacare. When I ran for re-election last year, I again ran on a promise to repeal Obamacare…The worst thing Congress could do is abandon health care reform entirely. We’ve come too far and we were too close to a deal last week to give up now. Especially after we devoted just 17 legislative days to debating the Republican Obamacare repeal and replace plan.” [Deseret News, 3/29/17] 

2020: Just Ahead Of Barrett’s Nomination Hearings, Lee Tweeted That The ACA Is “Collusive, Corrupt, And Deeply Flawed.” The Affordable Care Act is a collusive, corrupt, and deeply flawed method of control for the sick and those with preexisring conditions.” [Mike Lee Twitter, 10/7/20] 

Judiciary Committee member U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has made his opposition to the Affordable Care Act crystal clear by voting time and again to repeal the health care law and by supporting California v. Texas, the Trump administration’s lawsuit to completely dismantle the health care law. If successful, the lawsuit would throw our entire health care system into chaos by ripping away health care from more than 20 million Americans and ending protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions, all in the middle of an ever-worsening pandemic. Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett in hopes she will help them accomplish their decade-long goal of eliminating the law — and the protections it provides for Americans — when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in California v. Texas one week after the election. 

What’s At Stake If The Supreme Court Overturns The ACA

If Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the ACA is successful, 1,958,000 Texans would lose coverage. 

Without the ACA, 11,898,500 Texans with pre-existing conditions could be charged more or denied coverage altogether. 

A Walk Down Memory Lane: Senator Cornyn And The ACA

Cornyn has voted FIVE TIMES to fully repeal the ACA.

2019: John Cornyn On The Texas Lawsuit: “I Support Having The Courts Make The Decision.” “Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) did not give a position on the case. ‘I support having the courts make the decision,’ he said. But he noted that the issue of health care is not going away. ‘I expect we’ll continue to have a conversation about health care into the indefinite future,’ he said.” [The Hill, 3/27/19] 

2017: Cornyn Was Repeal’s “Chief Salesman” In 2017. “Senate Republicans are in a grumpy mood these days. Then there’s John Cornyn, who’s almost unfailingly optimistic about the GOP’s chances of passing its Obamacare repeal bill despite the increasingly long odds. […] He’s held private one-on-one meetings with a slew of wavering senators to try to persuade them to back the party’s controversial bill, which would overhaul one-sixth of the U.S. economy and could mean that more than 20 million fewer Americans have health insurance. Cornyn said his offerings are not ‘state-specific’ deals to convince the likes of Nevada Sen. Dean Heller or Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, although the latest drafts of the bill include some carve-outs for Florida, Alaska and Louisiana. […] With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell typically tight-lipped, Cornyn has emerged as a chief salesman for the GOP’s beleaguered health care plan.” [Politico, 7/16/17] 

Judiciary Committee member U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has made his opposition to the Affordable Care Act crystal clear by voting time and again to repeal the health care law and by supporting California v. Texas, the Trump administration’s lawsuit to completely dismantle the health care law. If successful, the lawsuit would throw our entire health care system into chaos by ripping away health care from more than 20 million Americans and ending protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions, all in the middle of an ever-worsening pandemic. Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett in hopes she will help them accomplish their decade-long goal of eliminating the law — and the protections it provides for Americans — when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in California v. Texas one week after the election. 

What’s At Stake If The Supreme Court Overturns The ACA

If Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the ACA is successful, 227,000 Iowans would lose coverage. 

Without the ACA, 1,288,400 Iowans with pre-existing conditions could be charged more or denied coverage altogether. 

A Walk Down Memory Lane: Senator Grassley And The ACA

Grassley has voted FIVE TIMES to fully repeal the ACA.

2013: Grassley Called The ACA A “Failed Program” That Has “Not Been A Success By Any Measure.” “It is time to admit that Obamacare has not achieved the correct or desired result of an attempt. It has not been a success by any measure. Unless of course you lower your standard to the point that the mere act of keeping the doors open is a success .How sad is that for all we have been through. Maybe, just maybe, it is time to admit that massive restructuring has failed…The American people need to know that this failed program is not the only answer.” [Senator Chuck Grassley Floor Speech, 11/14/13]

Judiciary Committee member U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has made his opposition to the Affordable Care Act crystal clear by voting time and again to repeal the health care law and by supporting California v. Texas, the Trump administration’s lawsuit to completely dismantle the health care law. If successful, the lawsuit would throw our entire health care system into chaos by ripping away health care from more than 20 million Americans and ending protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions, all in the middle of an ever-worsening pandemic. Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett in hopes she will help them accomplish their decade-long goal of eliminating the law — and the protections it provides for Americans — when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in California v. Texas one week after the election. 

What’s At Stake If The Supreme Court Overturns The ACA

If Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the ACA is successful, 288,000 South Carolinians would lose coverage. 

Without the ACA, 2,027,400 South Carolinians with pre-existing conditions could be charged more or denied coverage altogether. 

A Walk Down Memory Lane: Senator Graham And The ACA

Graham has voted FOUR TIMES to fully repeal the ACA.

2019: Graham Vowed To Repeal The ACA If Republicans Are Elected In 2020: “We’ve Got To Remind People That We’re Not For Obamacare.” “ Echoing Trump’s critique of why they failed, Graham noted that ‘we were one vote short in the Senate’ — an apparent reference to his late best friend and fellow Republican senator, John McCain. Trump continues to disparage McCain (Ariz.) for his thumbs-down vote on a skinny-repeal bill in 2017 that killed momentum for Republicans trying to do away with the Obama legacy law as they had been promising to do for seven years. ‘We’ve got to remind people that we’re not for Obamacare,’ Graham said in the radio interview. ‘If we can get the House back and keep our majority in the Senate, and President Trump wins reelection, I can promise you not only are we going to repeal Obamacare, we’re going to do it in a smart way where South Carolina will be the biggest winner,’ Graham said.” [Washington Post, 8/9/19] 

2013: Graham On The ACA: “This Bill Sucks.” “Senator Lindsey Graham had some colorful words Monday for President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act. ‘This bill sucks, it really does,’ Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer.” [Politico, 9/23/13] 

2012: Graham Called The ACA “A Big Effin Mess.” “U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today said the second anniversary of Obama health care being signed into law was not a cause for celebration, but a chance to examine the ‘broken promises’ that have become clear from the law. He was joined at a press conference in Greenville by South Carolinians who have concerns about the effects of Obama health care on the operation of their business. ‘Two years ago at the Obama health care bill signing the Vice President was overheard telling President Obama, ‘This is a big ‘effing’ deal,’’ said Graham. ‘Unfortunately for them, two years later, the vast majority of Americans believe this has become a big ‘effing’ mess.’” [Sen. Lindsey Graham Press Release, 3/23/12] 

“Gone” Shows What’s at Stake If the Supreme Court Strikes Down Affordable Care Act

Washington, DC — Protect Our Care launched a new TV ad showing what’s at stake if the Senate confirms anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. “Gone” will run on cable, including on Morning Joe and Fox & Friends, the week of Judge Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings. The ad holds Senate Republicans accountable for rushing through President Trump’s nominee in hopes that she will help them do what they haven’t been able to accomplish legislatively — completely dismantle Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case one week after the election. If successful, President Trump’s lawsuit would rip away health care from more than 20 million Americans and end protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions all in the middle of an ever-worsening pandemic.

Watch: Gone

“Coronavirus is in the White House, in the Senate and raging across America, and while Senate Republicans refuse to negotiate a pandemic relief bill, they will stop at nothing to jam through the nomination of an anti-ACA justice to the Supreme Court,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Judge Coney Barrett was chosen because she opposes the Affordable Care Act, and Republicans are hell bent to overturn the law and leave millions of Americans without health care during the worst public health crisis our nation has faced in a century, which would throw our entire health care system into chaos.” 

SCRIPT: 

Our health care is on the line.

One week after election day, the Supreme Court will hear President Trump’s lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act in the middle of a pandemic. 

President Trump has made it clear that he nominated a justice who will take away Americans’ health care.

If President Trump gets his way…

Health care for more than 20 million Americans…

Gone.

Protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, plus everyone who contracts coronavirus…

Gone.

Coverage for millions who have lost their jobs, at a time over 60 million Americans have filed for unemployment.

Gone.

Don’t let President Trump and Republicans rip away health care from millions of Americans when they need it most.

The stakes in this supreme court nomination could not be higher: 

Tell your senator to vote against Amy Coney Barrett (with congressional phone number on screen)

Virtual Tour “Hit the Road” for Events with U.S. Senate Candidates Captain Mark Kelly and Dr. Al Gross and Elected Officials in Arizona and Alaska

On the fourth week of Protect Our Care’s 16-state “Your Health, Your Vote” virtual bus tour, Protect Our Care held events in Arizona and Alaska. During each stop, U.S. Senate candidates, elected leaders, health care advocates and storytellers from each state met in a virtual format to discuss President Trump’s complete mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic and highlight the danger of allowing President Trump to pick the next Supreme Court justice. California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, will be heard one week after the election. If successful, the lawsuit would take away protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and rip coverage away from over 20 million Americans in the middle of a pandemic.

To date, bus tour stops have included:

• Three United States Senate candidates including Speaker Sara Gideon (ME), Captain Mark Kelly (AZ) and Dr. Al Gross (AL)
• Four United States Senate Democrats including Senators Bob Casey (PA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Tina Smith (MN)
• Seven Democratic Members of Congress including Reps. Matt Cartwright (PA-08), Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Dean Phillips (MN-03), Cindy Axne (IA-03), Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) and Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01)

ARIZONA

Tuesday, October 6, 2020: Protect Our Care’s nationwide virtual “Your Health, Your Vote” tour arrived in Arizona to highlight Republicans’ ongoing war on health care and failed coronavirus response. Headlined by Congressman Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01), United States Senate candidate Captain Mark Kelly, State Senator Jamescita Peshlakai, and Dr. Hiral Tipirneni, the event highlighted how Trump’s health care sabotage, including a lawsuit to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act during a pandemic, would impact Arizona’s care. They also called on Martha McSally to denounce Trump’s war on health care and discussed Democrats’ agenda to improve health care and lower costs for Americans.

Watch the Event Here

Coverage

Tucson Local Media: O’Halleran, Democrats Keep Campaign Focus on Health Care Issues

AZ Central: ‘A Pretty Lethal Pandemic’: Arizona Deaths Have Spiked 22% So Far This Year

ALASKA

Wednesday, October 7, 2020: Protect Our Care’s nationwide virtual “Your Health, Your Vote” tour arrived in Alaska to highlight how Republicans’ ongoing war on health care and failed coronavirus response has left Alaskans at risk. Headlined by Dr. Al Gross, a former orthopedic surgeon and candidate for the US Senate, the event highlighted how Trump’s health care sabotage, including a lawsuit to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act during a pandemic, would impact Alaskans’ care. Speakers also called on Senator Dan Sullivan to denounce Trump’s war on health care and discussed Democrats’ agenda to improve health care and lower costs for Americans.

Watch the Event Here

Washington, DC — Today, reports indicated that the Trump administration is “scrambling” to send seniors $200 drug coupons to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs after President Trump announced this blatant political ploy last month. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“Donald Trump is attempting to bribe American seniors with taxpayer dollars to boost his flailing campaign after doing nothing for the last four years to meaningfully lower the cost of prescription drugs. President Trump has refused to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower prices — the single most effective way to make prescription drugs more affordable. Moreover, this hastily-conceived plan would raid the funding for Medicare, which was already at risk with his payroll tax cut plan. With 26 days to go until Election Day, these ‘drug coupons’ are nothing more than a blatant stunt from a president who threatens the lives of seniors every day by his disastrous mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic and his reckless war on Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, which millions of seniors depend on every day.”

Read the Report Here

Washington, DC — As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report showing the disproportionate impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on Hispanic communities. These worsening disparities are the result of Donald Trump’s failed leadership and his never-ending attacks on health care, including his lawsuit to completely overturn the Affordable Care Act in court that would be especially devastating to Hispanics. If successful, this lawsuit would throw our entire health care system into chaos — including further exacerbating the health disparities revealed by this new report. 

Report: Trump’s Failed Coronavirus Response Has Taken A Devastating Toll On Hispanic Communities Nationwide

“Time and time again, President Trump has failed Hispanic people in our country,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “This new report shows just how much the president’s failure to take decisive action and downplaying of the virus has disproportionately impacted Hispanic communities who already face systemic barriers to health care. Not only that, one week after the election, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act will be before the Supreme Court. The ACA has helped close health care coverage gaps for vulnerable populations. Trump’s continuous attacks on health care have only made health disparities worse.” 

Washington, DC — During tonight’s debate, Vice President Mike Pence failed to answer a basic question about how he and President Trump would protect people with pre-existing conditions and waved away concerns about Senate Republicans rushing to confirm anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. In response Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:

“As President Trump’s Vice President, Mike Pence is responsible for the administration’s war on health care. Pence has cheered on Trump’s relentless attacks on Americans’ health care including multiple attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. When those attempts were unsuccessful, Pence supported the Trump-Republican lawsuit to completely dismantle the ACA. That case will be heard before the Supreme Court one week after the election, and if successful, would rip health care from more than 20 million Americans and remove protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions in the middle of a pandemic. Now, Pence is leading the White House effort to rush through the nomination of anti-ACA Judge Amy Coney Barrett. What we saw from Mike Pence tonight was a concerted effort to hide his health care record and an inability to answer even a basic question about how he and President Trump would protect people with pre-existing conditions. The truth is he has been complicit in President’s Trump endless health care sabotage.”

BACKGROUND:

Why the ACA Is the Gold Standard for Protecting People with Pre-Existing Conditions

Trump’s Lawsuit to Overturn the Affordable Care Act Would Eliminate Protections for 135 Million People with Pre-Existing Conditions — and, Despite Claims to the Contrary, Republicans Have No Plan If the Law is Struck Down

Before the election, the Senate plans to rush through President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court before voters have a chance to make their voices heard. President Trump and his enablers in the Senate see the nomination of Judge Coney Barrett as their opportunity to accomplish what they haven’t been able to do legislatively — completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act and its protections for more than 135 million people with pre-existing conditions. One week after the election, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in California v. Texas, the Trump-Republican lawsuit that if successful, would overturn the ACA and throw our entire health care system into chaos. Trump and Senate Republicans want to tilt the balance of the court ahead of the lawsuit in their favor, and Judge Coney Barrett is their best chance to do it. Ending protections for people with pre-existing conditions is extremely unpopular with voters, so Senate Republicans and Trump have been scrambling to obscure their record and say they support these protections, but these lies are clearly just another election year stunt to try to distract voters from their decade-long war on health care. The reality is, they are in court trying to overturn the ACA — the gold standard for protecting people with pre-existing conditions.  

KEY POINTS

• Thanks to the ACA, 135 million Americans are protected from discrimination in the individual marketplaces, so regardless of their job status or state of residence, they will be able to access quality coverage without being charged more for having a pre-existing condition. If the ACA is overturned, these protections will be ripped away overnight, and in the middle of a pandemic. 
• Over seven million Americans have already tested positive for coronavirus and would likely be deemed as having a pre-existing condition without the ACA. If the law is overturned, the millions of Americans who have contracted the virus would be at the mercy of their insurance companies who could refuse to pay for needed care. Because of Donald Trump’s failure to respond to the coronavirus crisis, the number of Americans with coronavirus is only increasing, with roughly a million cases being reported every month. 
• Despite claims made to the contrary, the ACA includes key protections for people with employer-based coverage, including guaranteed free preventive care, bans on annual and lifetime caps on coverage, and out-of-pocket limits for patients.
• The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates the importance of the ACA. An estimated 12 million people have lost employer-sponsored coverage and experts say an overwhelming majority have been able to get covered under the ACA — through the marketplaces or through Medicaid expansion. Every single one of these individuals now relies on the ACA’s protections for pre-existing conditions. We cannot return to the days where, if people lost their job, they would lose access to quality, affordable health care at a time they need it the most. 

For the full report, click here.