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Washington, DC — Today, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a proposal to potentially allow Americans, after a long regulatory process and action by individual states, to import select prescription drugs from Canada, but fails to include any negotiating power for Medicare. Leslie Dach, chair of Protect Our Care, issued the following statement in response:

“If President Trump and Secretary Azar are serious about standing up to the drug companies, they’ll stop blocking plans that let Medicare negotiate for less expensive drug prices. Instead of taking meaningful action to lower drug prices, the GOP is busy blocking Medicare drug negotiations, filling a lawsuit against health care that would raise drug prices, and gladly giving out hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to drug and insurance companies. It’s clear that when it comes to lowering drug prices, Donald Trump is long on rhetoric and empty on results.” 

BACKGROUND

Trump’s Proposals Always Fall Far Short Of His Promises. President Trump promised that he would allow Medicare to use its buying power to negotiate drug prices directly with suppliers, but after meeting with pharmaceutical executives early in 2017, Trump abandoned that pledge, calling it “price fixing” that would hurt “smaller, younger companies.” 

Trump And His Republican Allies Continue To Block Medicare Negotiation For Lower Drug Prices. Even though  86 percent of Americans support allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, Republicans refuse to allow Medicare to negotiate. A 2018 Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Democratic Committee report found that Medicare Part D could save $2.8 billion in a single year if it were allowed to negotiate drug prices. Although it would decrease both federal spending and beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, a policy allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries was recently blocked by Senate Republicans. 

Washington, DC — 54 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. Since then, both programs have improved the well-being of millions of Americans and saved countless lives in the process. Yet Republicans continue to do everything they can to slash their budgets and kick millions of Americans off their coverage. To mark this important anniversary, Protect Our Care chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“Medicare and Medicaid are crucial lifelines for millions of Americans, but the programs remain under constant assault by Republicans who want nothing more than to gut or out-right end them. From slashing funding for both programs in their budgets, supporting the ongoing Trump-Texas lawsuit to eliminate Medicaid expansion entirely and imposing onerous paperwork requirements for Medicaid coverage, Republicans have stopped at nothing to strip health care from millions of Americans. While President Trump and Republicans’ never-ending war on health care rages on, Medicare continues to provide quality care for American seniors and Medicaid expansion proves to be an unmitigated success that saves the lives of children, families and people with disabilities every single day.”

BACKGROUND

HERE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS REPUBLICANS HAVE TRIED TO UNDERMINE MEDICARE:

• Trump’s 2020 budget proposal would cut more than $800 billion from Medicare over a decade. Despite repeatedly promising not to cut Medicare, President Trump’s budget would cut roughly 10 percent of Medicare’s funding over the next ten years to help pay for tax cuts to insurance and big drug companies.
• Trump and his Republican allies support a lawsuit that would overturn the entire ACA and re-open the “donut” hole, forcing seniors to pay more for prescription drugs. If the Republican lawsuit is successful, seniors will have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare “donut” hole got reopened. From 2010 to 2016, “More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs – an average of $2,272 per beneficiary,” according to a January 2017 Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services report.
• As the cost of drugs skyrocket, President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress will not allow Medicare to negotiate for better prescription drug prices. Under current law, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is explicitly prohibited from negotiating directly with drug manufacturers on behalf of Medicare Part D enrollees. Although it would decrease both federal spending and beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, a policy allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries was recently blocked by Senate Republicans.

 

WHO GETS HURT FROM THE GOP WAR ON MEDICAID?

• Children & Families. Roughly 34.9 million children in the United States are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Nationally, nearly 2 in 5, or 39% of children in America have health insurance through Medicaid, as do 17 Percent of parents. 49 percent of births are covered by Medicaid.
• Seniors. More than 6.9 million American seniors have Medicaid coverage. More than 8.5 million Americans ages 50 to 64 have health coverage through Medicaid. Medicaid covers 6 in 10 nursing home residents. 
• People with disabilities. Nearly 8.7 million adults enrolled in Medicaid have a disability. Of this group, only 43 percent qualify for social security income. More than 1 in 3 adults under age 65 enrolled in Medicaid lives with at least one disability. Medicaid covers 45 percent of nonelderly adults with disabilities, including adults with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, brain injuries, and mental illness.
• People in rural areas. The ACA has expanded access to health care to nearly 1.7 million rural Americans who have gained coverage through the Medicaid expansion, not only playing a central role in improving rural communities’ health, but also supporting these communities’ economic well-being. Medicaid covers nearly 24 percent of rural Americans, 45 percent of rural children, 15 percent of rural seniors, and pays for 51 percent of rural births. The uninsured rate in rural areas in states that expanded Medicaid has dropped by a median of 44 percent since expansion. 

 

 

 

 

Washington, DC — In advance of the second Democratic debate in Detroit, Protect Our Care executive director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement about the real political choice voters face when it comes to their health care:

“In Detroit, Democrats will continue to discuss their ideas to lower health care costs and protect coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions, a direct contrast to Republicans who are actively trying to rip away coverage from millions of Americans. While Democrats are discussing ways to improve American health care, Republicans have tripled down on a lawsuit that would overturn our health care: eliminating protections for people with pre-existing conditions while raising premiums and prescription drug costs. No matter how rigorous the debate is on our side, voters know that the real choice on health care is between Democrats who want to improve it and Republicans who want to blow it up.”

“Senator Cornyn should immediately apologize to these families for trying to deceive them”

Washington, DC — In the latest outlandish lie to cover up their health care repeal and lawsuit, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) blatantly fabricated an utterly false defense of the Republican opposition to protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Every reputable source has made clear that Republicans’ health care repeal agenda and their lawsuit to overturn health care would gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Protect Our Care chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement in response: 

“This outrageous lie about pre-existing conditions is an insult to everyone with a pre-existing condition or a family member with asthma, diabetes, cancer or other diseases. Republicans in Washington like Senator Cornyn have voted repeatedly to repeal protections for pre-existing conditions, and the Trump administration is currently in court to do what they failed to do in Congress. Every one of the bills that Republicans say protected people, did not. Senator Cornyn knows the truth and so do the American people.

“Senator Cornyn should immediately apologize to these families for trying to deceive them. No one facing a serious or chronic illness should be lied to by their public officials. They deserve better.” 

THE LIE:

THE FACTS:

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: KEY STAKEHOLDERS OPPOSE REPUBLICAN EFFORTS TO OVERTURN PRE-EXISTING CONDITION PROTECTIONS

American Cancer Society And Other Leading Patient Groups: Striking Down ACA Provisions Would Be “Catastrophic And Have Dire Consequences For Many Patients With Serious Illnesses.” “If either the plaintiffs’ or the administration’s position were adopted by the court, people with serious illness are likely to be denied coverage due to their preexisting conditions or charged such high premiums because of their health status that they will be unable to afford any coverage that may be offered. Without access to comprehensive coverage, patients will be forced to delay, skip, or forego care. Striking down these provisions would be catastrophic and have dire consequences for many patients with serious illnesses.” [American Cancer Society et. al, 6/14/18]

American Medical Association And Other Key Health Care Groups: “​Invalidating The Guaranteed-Issue And Community Rating Provisions—Or The ​Entire A​CA—Would Have A Devastating Impact On Doctors, Patients, And The American Health Care System As A Whole.” “The ACA’s ‘nationwide protections for Americans with pre-existing health conditions’ has played a ‘key role’ in allowing 3.6 million people to obtain affordable health insurance. Severing those vital insurance reforms would leave millions without much-needed insurance.” [AMA et. al, 6/14/18]

33 Leading Cancer Organizations Spoke Out Against GOP Repeal Bills: “The Senate’s BCRA, Just As The House’s AHCA, Is A Direct Threat To America’s 16 Million Cancer Patients And Survivors Who Rely On Timely And Uninterrupted Access To Comprehensive And Affordable Health Care.” “‘The Senate’s BCRA, just as the House’s AHCA, is a direct threat to America’s 16 million cancer patients and survivors who rely on timely and uninterrupted access to comprehensive and affordable health care,’ said NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso.” [NCSS, 7/13/17]

Washington, DC – On July 28, 2017 at 1:40 am, a bipartisan majority in the United States Senate gave a thumbs down to President Trump’s top legislative priority: repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Sunday marks the two year anniversary of this fateful vote, and today, health care is still the number one issue on voters’ minds. Last year, the Trump administration backed a lawsuit that goes even further than the Senate repeal bill, and would upend the entire health care system, ripping coverage from 20 million Americans, taking away protections for 130 million Americans with a pre-existing condition and raising costs across the board. 

Watch Protect Our Care’s video on the anniversary here

To mark the two year anniversary of Republicans’ failed health care repeal effort, Protect Our Care chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“The stinging defeat of his health care repeal bill in the Senate may be one of the most irritating moments of Donald Trump’s presidency, but it didn’t stop him and his Republican allies from doubling down on his health care sabotage agenda. Two years after the ‘thumbs down’ vote on the Senate floor, Trump remains hell bent on repeal, going to court and telling his appointees to do what he could not do in Congress: destroy America’s health care. And Republicans in the House and the Senate are his willing allies, refusing to condemn the Texas lawsuit and voting on party lines against any and all meaningful efforts to reduce costs and improve care.” 

In light of this anniversary, and the GOP’s ongoing war on health care, Protect Our Care’s state teams are targeting House and Senate Republicans across the country with events, protests, tweet storms, email campaigns and other earned media and grassroots tactics this week for their ongoing support of repealing American health care.

BACKGROUND: 

If the Trump-Republican lawsuit to destroy health care is successful:

• GONE: Protections for 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. The uninsured rate will increase by 65 percent.
• GONE: Medicaid expansion, which covers 17 million people.
• GONE: Nearly 12 million seniors will have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare ‘donut hole’ will be reopened.
• GONE: 2.3 million adult children will no longer be able to stay on their parents’ insurance.
• GONE: Insurance companies will be able to charge women 50 percent more than men.
• GONE: Financial assistance that helps 9 million people purchase health care in the marketplace.
• GONE: Key support for rural hospitals. As Americans lose coverage, already struggling hospitals will be hit even harder as their costs increase.
• GONE: Ban on insurance companies having lifetime caps on coverage.
• GONE: Requirements that insurance companies cover prescription drugs and maternity care.

Washington, DC — During today’s Senate Finance Committee markup of its drug pricing package, every Republican on the Committee voted against the amendment introduced by Senate Democrats to require Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. In response, Protect Our Care chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“Senate Republicans on the Finance Committee refused today to take meaningful action to lower the cost of prescription drugs and voted down a Democratic amendment allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. Shamefully, every single one of them refused to stand up to the drug lobby. If Republicans were actually serious about reducing the cost of prescription drugs, they would have supported this amendment. Nearly nine out of ten Americans support requiring Medicare to negotiate for lower drug costs, yet instead of doing what the American people have made clear they want, Republicans shot down the single most effective measure to lower drug prices.”

Washington, DC — Today, the Senate Finance Committee introduced a package that aims to address the cost of prescription drugs, yet does not include negotiating power for Medicare. Protect Our Care chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement in response:

“The Senate Finance Committee’s package to address the rising cost of prescription drugs fails to include the one policy that would have the biggest impact: requiring Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs for all consumers – a policy favored by nearly nine in ten Americans and 86 percent of Iowans in Chairman Grassley’s own backyard.”  

BACKGROUND:

PPP Poll: In advance of the Senate Finance Committee considering legislation on prescription drugs, a new Public Policy Polling survey in Iowa—home state of Chairman Chuck Grassley— finds that an overwhelming majority (86%) of Iowa voters support legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies to get lower prices for prescription drugs for consumers, with only 5% in opposition.

• This includes 83% of Iowa Republicans and 81% of Iowans who voted for President Trump in 2016, with only 9% and 8% respectively opposing such legislation. 
• A further 75% of Iowans disagree with Senator Grassley’s opposition to this legislation, with only 11% of Iowa voters agreeing with him. A majority of Republicans (62-16) and President Trump’s 2016 supporters (62-17) also disagree with Senator Grassley’s opposition to Medicare drug negotiations.

Washington, DC — President Trump heads to Greenville, North Carolina for a rally today, just one week after his lawyers were in court arguing in favor of the destruction of American health care in Texas v. United States. The Trump-Texas lawsuit put over 500,000 North Carolinians at risk of losing coverage and would strip protections from nearly four million North Carolinians with a pre-existing condition. Ahead of Trump’s rally, Protect Our Care executive director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“President Trump needs to explain to every North Carolina family why he went to court last week to overturn America’s health care laws, strike down protections for people with pre-existing conditions and strip coverage from millions. Trump’s lawsuit would raise health care premiums for families who can’t afford it and raise prescription drug costs for North Carolinians who have to choose between pills and rent, all with the support of Senator Tillis. Voters in North Carolina and across the country know that scoring cheap political points at a rally does not make up for trying to rip their health care away.”

BACKGROUND:

If Trump Gets His Way, 503,000 North Carolinians Would Lose Their Coverage

• 503,000 North Carolinians could lose coverage. According to the Urban Institute, 503,000 North Carolinians would lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 43 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
• 70,000 North Carolina young adults with their parents’ coverage could lose care. Because of the Affordable Care Act, millions of young adults are able to stay on their parents’ care until age 26.
• North Carolinians would lose important federal health care funding — an estimated reduction of $4.6 billion in the first year. The Urban Institute estimates that a full repeal of the ACA would reduce federal spending on North Carolinians’ Medicaid/CHIP care and Marketplace subsidies by $4.6 billion, or 30.3 percent in the first year.

If Trump Gets His Way, Insurance Companies Would Be Put Back In Charge, Ending Protections For The 130 Million People Nationwide With A Pre-Existing Condition

According to a recent analysis by the Center for American Progress, roughly half of nonelderly Americans, or as many as 130 million people, have a pre-existing condition. This includes:

• • 44 million people who have high blood pressure
  • 45 million people who have behavioral health disorders
  • 44 million people who have high cholesterol
  • 34 million people who have asthma and chronic lung disease
  • 34 million people who have osteoarthritis and other joint disorders
•  3,929,400 North Carolinians have a pre-existing condition, including 544,200 North Carolina children, 2,122,000 North Carolina women, and 803,300 North Carolinians between ages 55 and 64. 

If Trump Gets His Way, Insurance Companies Would Have The Power To Deny, Drop Coverage, And Charge More Because Of A Pre-Existing Condition

Before the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies routinely denied people coverage because of a pre-existing condition or canceled coverage when a person got sick. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, insurance companies will be able to do this again.

• A 2010 congressional report found that the top four health insurance companies denied coverage to one in seven consumers on the individual market over a three year period.
• A 2009 congressional report found that the largest insurance companies had retroactively canceled coverage for 20,000 people over the previous five year period.
• An analysis by Avalere finds that “102 million individuals, not enrolled in major public programs like Medicaid or Medicare, have a pre-existing medical condition and could therefore face higher premiums or significant out-of-pocket costs” if the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful.

If Trump Gets His Way, Insurance Companies Would Have The Power To Charge You More, While Their Profits Soar

• 3,966,308 North Carolinians Could Once Again Have To Pay For Preventive Care. Because of the ACA, health plans must cover preventive services — like flu shots, cancer screenings, contraception, and mammograms – at no cost to consumers. This includes nearly 3,966,308 North Carolinians, most of whom have employer coverage.
• Insurance Companies Could Charge Premium Surcharges in the Six Figures. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, insurance companies would be able to charge people more because of a pre-existing condition. The health repeal bill the House passed in 2017 had a similar provision, and an analysis by the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge up to $4,270 more for asthma, $17,060 more for pregnancy, $26,180 more for rheumatoid arthritis and $140,510 more for metastatic cancer.
• Women Could Be Charged More Than Men for the Same Coverage. Prior to the ACA, women were often charged premiums on the nongroup market of up to 50 percent higher than they charged men for the same coverage. 
• People Over the Age of 50 Could Face a $4,000 “Age Tax,” Including $5,720 in North Carolina. Because Judge O’Connor sided with Republican lawmakers, insurance companies would be able to charge people over 50 more than younger people. The Affordable Care Act limited the amount older people could be charged to three times more than younger people. If insurers were to charge five times more, as was proposed in the Republican repeal bills, that would add an average “age tax” of $4,124 for a 60-year-old in the individual market, including $5,720 in North Carolina, according to the AARP.
•  426,014 North Carolinians in the Marketplaces Would Pay More for Coverage. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, consumers would no longer have access to tax credits that help them pay their marketplace premiums, meaning roughly nine million people who receive these tax credits to pay for coverage will have to pay more, including 426,014 in North Carolina.
• 165,931 North Carolina Seniors Could Have to Pay More for Prescription Drugs. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, seniors could have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare “donut” hole would be reopened. From 2010 to 2016, “More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs – an average of $2,272 per beneficiary,” according to a January 2017 CMS report. In North Carolina, 165,931 seniors each saved an average of $1,117.

If Trump Gets His Way, Insurance Companies Would Have the Power to Limit the Care You Get, Even If You Have Insurance Through Your Employer

• Insurance Companies Do Not Have to Provide the Coverage You Need. The Affordable Care Act made comprehensive coverage more available by requiring insurance companies to include “essential health benefits” in their plans, such as maternity care, hospitalization, substance abuse care and prescription drug coverage. Before the ACA, people had to pay extra for separate coverage for these benefits. For example, in 2013, 75 percent of non-group plans did not cover maternity care, 45 percent did not cover substance abuse disorder services, and 38 percent did not cover mental health services. Six percent did not even cover generic drugs.
• Reinstate Lifetime and Annual Limits On 3,091,000 Privately Insured North Carolinians. Repealing the Affordable Care Act means insurance companies would be able to impose annual and lifetime limits on coverage for those insured through their employer or on the individual market.
• Large Employers Could Choose to Follow Any State’s Guidance, Enabling Them Put Annual and Lifetime Limits on Their Employees’ Health Care. Without the ACA’s definition of essential health benefits (EHB) in even some states, states could eliminate them altogether. Large employers could choose to apply any state’s standard, making state regulations essentially meaningless. Because the prohibition on annual and lifetime limits only applies to essential health benefits, this change would allow employers to reinstate annual and lifetime limits on their employees’ coverage.

If Trump Gets His Way, Medicaid Expansion Would Be Repealed

• 692,000 North Carolinians who could gain coverage if North Carolina were to expand Medicaid will be denied that possibility. By not fully expanding Medicaid, North Carolina has restricted its Medicaid program, preventing 692,000 residents from gaining coverage.
• Access To Treatment Would Be In Jeopardy For 800,000 People With Opioid Use Disorder. Roughly four in ten, or 800,000 people with an opioid use disorder are enrolled in Medicaid. Many became eligible through Medicaid expansion.
• Key Support For Rural Hospitals Would Disappear, leaving North Carolina hospitals with $1.1 billion more in uncompensated care.