RE: Exit Polling Shows Health Care Defined Midterm, Fueled Democrats’ Win
Exit polling conducted by Public Policy Polling on Tuesday makes clear that health care was the defining issue in the 2018 House elections and Democrats’ advantage on the issue was the primary driver of their victory – leading to Democratic control of the House of Representatives. PPP surveyed 2,326 people who said they voted on election day within one of 75 Republican-held Congressional districts that were listed by the Cook Report as competitive prior to the election. These were the battleground races for control of the House in 2018 and, from these races, come the Democratic gains that will put them in the majority.
Across the competitive Republican-held seats – the ones Democrats needed to win to take the majority – health care was a defining issue for an overwhelming majority (63%) and Democrats had an 8 point advantage (52% to 44%) on the issue.
The exit poll surveyed 75 competitive, Republican-held districts as defined by the Cook Political Report on the day before the election – Republican-held seats that ranged from Lean Republican to Likely Democrat, with 57 of them falling into the ‘Lean Republican’ or ‘Toss Up’ categories. Democrats needed to win 23 of these seats to take the majority and about two thirds of them supported President Trump in 2016. Despite Hillary Clinton winning the national popular vote by 2 points in 2016, this universe of districts said they voted for Donald Trump by 4 points, making this set of districts 6 points more Republican leaning than the country as a whole.
Democrats won on health care. By an 8 point margin (52% to 44%) voters trusted Democrats over Republicans and President Trump on the issue of health care. This lead expanded to 22 points with independents at 57/35.
By 11 points (50% to 39%) voters in these districts said the Democratic candidate was more in step with their views on health care than the Republican candidate, including 18 point margins with women and 28 points with younger voters.
Health care was the top issue. 63% of voters said health care was an important issue (21% the most important, 42% a very important issue). When asked to pick the issue most important to their vote, 24% picked health care to 24% for immigration, 15% for taxes, 11% for the Supreme Court, and 5% for security and crime. Among those voters who chose health care as the single most important issue, 88% voted Democratic to only 10% who voted Republicans.
Among voters who said they voted for a Democrat for Congress, health care was an important issue for 83% (32% the most, 51% a very important issue). 41% picked health care as their top issue from a list of choices, with nothing else exceeding 11%.
The debate in these elections was about health care and it hurt the GOP. 74% of voters heard about their Republican Congressman’s positions on health care – 41% hearing a lot and 33% hearing some or just a little. What they heard was seen as negative by 9 points (36% mostly negative to 27% mostly positive).
Voters rejected Republican candidates who support health care repeal. 44% of voters said a Republican candidate’s support for repeal made them less likely to vote for them, to only 35% who said more likely.
Republicans lost on pre-existing conditions. Voters trust Democratic candidates over Republican candidates by 17 points (51% to 34%) to protect health care for people with pre-existing conditions, including by 33 points among independent voters, 56-23.
66% of voters said protections for pre-existing conditions was an important issue (32% the most important, 34% a very important issue).
Among those who said protections for pre-existing conditions was important, they voted for the Democratic candidate by 67% to 30%.
Republicans lost on health care costs. Voters trusted Democratic candidates over Republican candidates by 9 points (48% to 39%) on the costs of health care, including by 15 points among women, 51-36.
61% of voters said the cost of health care was an important issue (21% the most important, 40% a very important issue).
Among those who said the costs of health care was important, they voted for the Democratic candidate by 63% to 34%.
Republicans lost on drug pricing. Voters trust Democratic candidates over Republican candidates by 9 points (45% to 36%) to do more to lower the price of prescription drugs, including by 16 points among independents, 44-28.
53% of voters said the cost of prescription drugs was an important issue (17% the most important, 36% a very important issue).
Among those who said prescription drug costs was important, they voted for the Democratic candidate by 65% to 32%.
Support for the ACA is strong. In these districts where Democrats won the House, voters want to keep what works and fix what doesn’t with the Affordable Care Act instead of repealing it by 22 points (58% to 36%) including 35 points with independents, 64/29
Public Policy Polling surveyed 2,326 voters by telephone on November 6th who said they had voted in the election in the 75 Republican held districts rated as either Lean Republican, Toss Up, Lean Democratic, or Likely Democratic by the Cook Political Report. The survey’s margin of error is +/-2.0%
Voters Reject Republican War on Health Care, Demand End to Sabotage
Democrats Given a Mandate to Reduce Costs, Increase Protections and Coverage
Washington, DC – In response to the breaking news that Democrats have taken control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Leslie Dach, the founder and chair of Protect our Care, issued the following statement:
“Tonight, Americans rejected the war on health care that has defined the Republican party for almost a decade. Health care propelled Democrats to victory and control of the House. The American people delivered a clear and powerful message. Voters roundly rejected the Trump-GOP agenda of repeal and sabotage. Democrats have a clear mandate to protect our care, starting with lower prescription drug prices and continued protections for people with pre-existing conditions.”
Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, added:
“The race for the House was a referendum on the Republican war on health care. You know it, I know it, and the Republican incumbents who shamefully tried to cover up their real record on health care and lost their seats know it. Even bald-face lies couldn’t save the GOP from their indefensible position on health care, which is that we all pay more for coverage — and women, people with preexisting conditions, and older people lose protections they need — while wealthy insurance and drug companies get record tax breaks.”
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
HEALTH CARE HAS BEEN THE DRIVING ISSUE OF THE 2018 ELECTION
A new Wesleyan Media Project analysis of advertising spending found that Democrats overwhelmingly ran on health care, with health care featured in 57 percent of Democratic advertising;
Health care is a top Google search in more than three-quarters of congressional districts;
Polling consistently has confirmed that health care is the top issue to voters and that Democrats have an advantage on the issue;
Polling also confirms that voters reject the Republican health care agenda; and
Republican incumbents have been firmly on the defensive on health care, resorting to outright, pants-on-fire lies about their record.
ELECTION-NIGHT NETWORK EXIT POLLS FOUND HEALTH CARE TO BE THE TOP ISSUE TO VOTERS
NBC News: Health Care Replaces Economy As Most Important Issue For Voters.“Early results from the NBC News Exit Poll indicate that Democrats’ strategic decision to campaign on the issue of health care resonated with voters. When asked which of four issues was the most important facing the country, a 41 percent plurality said health care. [NBC News, 11/6/2018]
CBS: “Health care was mentioned by almost twice as many voters as the next most common issue, immigration.” [CBS News, 11/6/18]
NBC News: By Two-to-one Margin, Health Care The Top Issue For Independent Voters. [Sahil Kapur Twitter, 11/6/18]
AP: Health Care Tops Voters’ Concerns. “Health care was at the forefront of many voters’ minds: 27 percent named it as the most important issue facing the country in this year’s midterm elections. …Those who voted for a Democratic House candidate were more likely to say health care was their top issue, while those who voted for a Republican were more likely to name immigration.” [Associated Press, 11/6/18]
POLLING HAS CONSISTENTLY FOUND OPPOSITION TO REPUBLICAN WAR ON HEALTH CARE
When polled, voters reject main components of the GOP health care agenda and conversely, support policies that ensure greater access to coverage.
Health Care Repeal:
July 2018 – Public Policy Polling Poll Shows Voters Oppose Repeal Of The Affordable Care Act And The Lawsuit That Would Overturn It.By an overwhelming 25 points (59/34), people want Congress to “keep what works and fix what doesn’t” in the ACA, not repeal it. That margin grows to 32 points (62/30) with independents. 64% of voters oppose the Trump administration joining the lawsuit (Texas V. U.S.) which would strike down ACA’s protections of health care for people with pre-existing conditions. Only 19% of voters support joining the lawsuit.
Gutting Protections for Pre-existing Conditions:
August 2018 – Urban Institute Poll Finds Vast Majority Of Public Does Not Support Allowing Insurance Companies To Exclude People With Pre-existing Conditions. The poll found that 81.5 percent of those surveyed did not support letting insurance companies exclude people with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes or cancer, from coverage.
July 2018 – Kaiser Health Tracking Poll Finds Candidate’s Position On Pre-existing Conditions Is Single Most Important Health Care Campaign Issue For Voters. “The July Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds a candidate’s position on continuing protections for people with pre-existing health conditions is the top health care campaign issue for voters, among a list of issues provided. This issue cuts across voter demographics with most Democratic voters (74 percent), independent voters (64 percent), and voters living in battleground areas (61 percent), as well as half of Republican voters (49 percent) saying a candidate’s position on continued protections for pre-existing health conditions is either the single most important factor or a very important factor in their 2018 vote.”
Junk Plans:
October 2018 – POLITICO/Harvard Poll Finds Junk Plans To Be Opposed By Majority Of Voters, Not Even Backed By Majority Of Republicans. According to the poll, 62 percent of voters oppose short-term plans, including 39 percent of Republicans. Plus, they are not even supported by a majority of Republicans.
August 2018 – Urban Institute Poll Finds Junk Plans To Be Opposed By Vast Majority Of Americans. The survey found that 67.3 percent of those polled did not support shifting healthy people to less comprehensive plans with lower premiums while leaving sick people in more comprehensive plans with higher premiums.
Cutting Medicaid:
March 2018 – Kaiser Health Tracking Poll Finds Majority Of Americans View Medicaid Favorably And Say The Program Is Working Well. “Medicaid continues to be seen favorably by a majority of the public (74 percent) and about half (52 percent) believe the Medicaid program is working well for most low-income people covered by the program.”
March 2018 – Kaiser Health Tracking Poll Confirms That Lifetime Limits On Medicaid Coverage Are Extremely Unpopular. Asked whether Medicaid should be available without a time limit, two-thirds said that Medicaid should be available without a time limit, compared to only 33 percent who said that Medicaid should only be available for a limited amount of time.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Health care is the defining issue of this election. Period.
During the weeks leading up to the election, Democrats have been laser-focused on protecting health care for millions of Americans. Have a look for yourself:
For more information, read Protect Our Care’s report, Defined By Health Care: Election 2018, which synthesizes all the evidence that health care is the issue in 2018. Among the findings: Health Care is a top Google search in 75 percent of Congressional Districts ; national and district-specific polling of voters confirms health care is the top issue heading into November, and public opinion is decidedly against the Republican repeal-and-sabotage agenda; 50 percent of Democratic ad spending is on health care (according to an October analysis by the Wesleyan Media Project), and up and down the ballot, Republicans are breathlessly working to reinvent their records on health care with outright lies.
Trump Can’t Defend Lawsuit That Would Take Away Protections for 130 Million Americans With Pre-existing Conditions Overnight
Washington, DC – In an interview with Axios, Donald Trump continued his attempts to cover up his lawsuit to eliminate pre-existing conditions protections. Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, said in response:
“Every time the repealer-in-chief Donald Trump says he will protect people with pre-existing conditions from discrimination by Big Insurance, it’s a lie — and he knows it is. Continuing to lie when confronted with his own Administration’s position was as uncomfortable for us to watch as it would be for anyone with a conscience to actually do. Unfortunately, all Trump cares about is covering up the truth so he can maintain control of Congress. But his tight grip is in jeopardy because of Republicans’ own, years-long agenda of health care sabotage and repeal — which, of course, includes ripping away protections for people with pre-existing conditions.”
ICYMI: Jonathan Swan’s Sneak Peek in Axios Showcases Donald Trump Struggling to Conceal The GOP’s Lies On Health Care:
I pressed Trump during our interview to square one of the biggest contradictions of the midterms: His insistence that Republicans will protect people with pre-existing conditions while his Justice Department argues in court that those protections should be thrown out.
The intrigue: As I tried to hand Trump a copy of DOJ’s legal brief, he told me Attorney General Jeff Sessions hadn’t given him a heads-up before adopting this politically explosive position. But that contradicts Sessions’ explanation.
The big picture: The Justice Department is arguing that the courts should strike down the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate and toss out its protections for people with pre-existing conditions in the process.
If that position ultimately prevails, millions of people could lose their coverage or see their costs skyrocket.
“It wouldn’t matter” if the ACA’s protections are struck down, Trump said, “because pre-existing conditions, on anything we do, will be put into it.”
“I support terminating Obamacare, but if we terminate it, we will reinstitute pre-existing conditions in whatever we do,” he said.
But as Axios’ Sam Baker points out, in the eight yearssince the ACA passed, Republicans have never proposed an alternative that would offer the same level of protection. Their proposals have either been underfunded or have left gaps that would still expose some people to higher costs and denied coverage.
Over the past six weeks, Protect Our Care took the health care fight to communities as its bus, Care Force One, traveled 12,000 miles, making 49 stops in 24 states.
“No matter where we went, we heard the same thing,” said Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care. “Americans all over are sick and tired of the Republican-led war on health care. And you know what else? They’re fired up about their chance to fight back at the polls.”
Traveling Nearly 12,000 Miles, Care Force One Made 49 Stops in 24 States to Hold Republicans Accountable for Voting to Take Away Our Care
Care Force One in St. Louis, Missouri.
This afternoon, Protect Our Care is wrapping up its nationwide bus tour at a joint rally in West Palm Beach, Florida, with Nuns on the Bus. Over the past six weeks, Protect Our Care took the health care fight to communities as its bus, Care Force One, traveled 12,000 miles, making 49 stops in 24 states.
“No matter where we went, we heard the same thing,” said Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care. “Americans all over are sick and tired of the Republican-led war on health care. And you know what else? They’re fired up about their chance to fight back next week at the polls.”
“Like a touring country band,” Care Force One visited Connecticut, Maine, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Joining Protect Our Care’s leaders Leslie Dach and Brad Woodhouse and cancer survivor Laura Packard on the bus tour were former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius; U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Tom Udall (D-NM); U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Jacky Rosen (NV-03), Dina Titus (NV-01), and Jim Cooper (TN-05); former Georgia House Minority leader Stacey Abrams; Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro; South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards; American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten; Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden; television personality Montel Williams, and many more.
“I’m alive because of the Affordable Care Act,” said health care advocate Laura Packard, who was on the tour for all 49 stops. “I’m a stage four cancer survivor and I traveled across the country to defend our attacks against the GOP. President Trump may have blocked me on Twitter, but he can’t stop me and the American people from fighting to protect our care.”
At a time when health care is consistently ranked as a top issue for the public, the tour highlighted that the Republican war on health care is very much alive, with GOP leaders doubling down on their calls to repeal health care and cut billions from Medicare and Medicaid, all while using regulations and the courts to continue their attacks on protections for the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, for women, older Americans, and Medicaid and Medicare enrollees.
Here’s a snapshot of what happened on the tour:
At Care Force One’s kickoff event, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and businessman Ned Lamont were joined by nearly 100 community members outside a Bridgeport Community Health Center to call attention to Republicans’ ongoing war on health care care.
“Connecticut made the decision to try to make the Affordable Care Act work, not undermine it like many other states did,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “Think about the 20 million Americans who have been given access to health care, whose lives have been changed. Just imagine what that number would be if every other state approached the Affordable Care Act the way Connecticut did.”
Traveling north from Connecticut, Care Force One made its way up to Maine, where U.S. Senator Angus King and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree joined state representatives and Mainers with pre-existing conditions at Portland City Hall to speak out against the devastating repercussions of health care repeal.
“We’ve got to continue to fight against repeal,” said Senator Angus King. “I call it a zombie proposal because it keeps coming back, and it’s a terrible idea and we have to keep trying to push that back to try and protect Medicare as well as the Affordable Care Act.”
Care Force One then headed west for three events in Pennsylvania, where state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, former Congresswoman and current Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper, state senators, state representatives, and Pennsylvanians of all backgrounds hosted rallies in Harrisburg, Erie, and Pittsburgh to defend the ACA and Medicaid.
“The Affordable Care Act has expanded coverage for millions of Pennsylvanians, especially those living with pre-existing conditions, and I will do everything in my power to protect that coverage,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “Now more than ever, we need our elected officials to stand up and defend the protections created by the ACA.”
In its second week, Care Force One was welcomed to South Bend, Indiana by Mayor Pete Buttigieg. “This isn’t about politics, this is about our lives, our livelihoods, and our well being,” said Mayor Pete Buttigieg. “This is our opportunity to raise our voices and say enough is enough when it comes to baseless attempts to take away the protection of our health care.”
(Photo by C.S. Hagen, High Plains Reader)
(Photo by C.S. Hagen, High Plains Reader)
After stops in Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, week three brought Care Force One to Fargo, North Dakota, where the bus was joined by State Sen. Jim Dotzenrod, former State Sen. Mac Schneider, former State Rep. Ben Hanson, and North Dakotan Jennifer Restemeyer, who shared the story of her daughter, Allison, who suffers from a genetic disorder. As the High Plains Reader reported, Allison “wouldn’t be alive today if the Affordable Care Act hadn’t been passed.”
From there, Care Force One headed west to Montana, for a series of health care roundtables at health centers in Billings, Butte, and Missoula with local elected officials, health care professionals, representatives from the office of Sen. Jon Tester, and Montanans who have gained coverage under the ACA. After enactment of the law, the states has seen its uninsured rate cut in half.
Week four of the tour found Care Force One in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado with a number of elected officials, including U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Tom Udall, U.S. Representatives Jacky Rosen and Dina Titus, and former U.S. Representatives Ann Kirkpatrick and Steven Horsford.
“The Trump Administration’s repeated efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act threaten to put the cost of health care out of reach for too many families and once again allow insurance companies to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in Las Vegas. “I’ll continue fighting to improve the ACA, make premiums more affordable, and ensure that every Nevadan is able to access quality, affordable health care.”
“Right now, our health care system is under attack from the Trump Administration and Republicans in Washington,” said Congresswoman Jacky Rosen. “I’m fighting in Congress to stabilize the markets, bring down the cost of premiums and prescription drugs, and ensure hardworking Nevadans with pre-existing medical conditions are protected. It’s time for Republicans to work with Democrats to protect and improve our health care system instead of sabotaging and dismantling it.”
“Washington should protect our health care – overwhelmingly, New Mexicans want us to protect people with pre-existing conditions from being gauged by insurance companies or thrown off their insurance altogether,” Senator Tom Udall said. “Overwhelmingly, they want to keep the Medicaid expansion. And the American people don’t want the Trump administration or the Republicans in Congress dismantling Medicare.”
Care Force One kicked off week five in Kansas City, Missouri at a lively event with former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Sharice Davids.
“Instead of protecting people with pre-existing conditions, politicians like Attorney General Josh Hawley and Congressman Kevin Yoder have joined the assault against them – forcing millions of families across Missouri and Kansas to live in fear of their coverage being taken away,” said Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “These Republicans have tried every trick in the book to let insurance companies go back to discriminating against people based on their medical histories. I’ve seen first-hand the lifesaving impact these protections have had, and today people across the heartland are standing up, speaking out and calling on Republicans to stop this harmful war on health care once and for all.”
After stops in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee, Richmond, Virginia, and Raleigh, North Carolina, Care Force one visited Atlanta, Georgia, for a star-studded event with Stacey Abrams, former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, former U.S. Representative Donna Edwards, and Georgians of all backgrounds concerned over GOP attempts to take away Americans’ health care.
“I know what it’s like to lose everything and to not necessarily have children or family members to step up and help,” said Stacey Abrams. “800,000 people in Georgia live in a household where there’s a full-time worker and yet they do not have coverage. This is a solvable problem in the state of Georgia, and that’s why I’m fighting so hard for Medicaid expansion.”
“The most important work that we did was creating an alliance with folks all across the country to pass the Affordable Care Act,” said formerPlanned Parenthood President Cecile Richards. “Because of the Affordable Care Act that women no longer have to pay more for the same health care coverage that men recieve. It’s because of the Affordable Care Act women can’t be denied coverage because they’ve been pregnant or had breast cancer… Because of the ACA, being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition in the United States of America.”
“When I was in Congress, I presided over the debate and passage of the Affordable Care Act. At the time, I thought it was about everybody else’s health care coverage, but when I was set to depart congress I was diagnosed with ms. It was a shock to me,” said former Congresswoman Donna Edwards. “Today, I’m afraid that with the current administration and the moves of Republicans in congress that my pre-existing condition will no longer be protected and I will lose my care altogether.”
And in its final week, Care Force One barnstormed Florida, making stops in Sarasota, Orlando, Miami, Port Saint Lucie, and West Palm Beach, where the bus was joined by an all-star cast of Floridians, including Mary Barzee Flores, Lauren Baer, and David Shapiro, and a special guest who stepped into the fight to protect our care: Montel Williams.
“Less than five months ago, I suffered a major hemorrhagic stroke that would have killed half the people who had it. I’m still standing today because I was blessed enough to have a career that’s given me an opportunity to pay into an insurance policy that covered me. But I’m not just here because of me. In the last three years, I’ve had a daughter who went through two bouts of lymphoma. We’re very blessed that she survived it, but she was only able to survive it because she was covered by the Affordable Care Act,” said Montel Williams. “Had a normal family suffered this kind of catastrophic medical issue, they would be not just poor, but living on the street.”
Although today’s final rally in West Palm Beach marks the end of the bus tour, you can be sure that Protect Our Care and its supporters nationwide will continue to hold Republicans accountable for their attacks on our care.
Shot: Today, five days away from Election Day and a day after Wisconsin received permission from the Trump Administration to restrict access to Medicaid, which is a lifeline for millions with pre-existing conditions, Scott Walker — who for eight years defined himself as a steadfast opponent of the Affordable Care Act — said, “No matter what happens in the courts or in the Congress, in Wisconsin, we’ll codify that, the exact same language that’s in the Affordable Care Act, we’ll make sure that everyone living with pre-existing conditions is covered here in the state.”
Chaser:
Scott Walker authorized the very same lawsuit that would eliminate the protections in the Affordable Care Act preventing discrimination based on pre-existing conditions if it succeeds. At risk:
2,435,700 Wisconsinites Living With A Pre-Existing Condition. About one in two Wisconsinites, 51 percent, lives with a pre-existing condition. [CAP, 4/5/17]
1,187,000 Wisconsin Women And Girls With A Pre-Existing Condition. Approximately 1,187,000 women and girls in Wisconsin live with a pre-existing condition. [CAP & National Partnership For Women and Families,June 2018]
308,100 Wisconsin Children Living With A Pre-Existing Condition. Roughly 308,000 Wisconsinites below age 18 live with a pre-existing condition. [CAP, 4/5/17]
616,900 Older Wisconsinites Living With A Pre-Existing Condition. 616,900 Wisconsin adults between the ages of 55 and 64 live with at least one pre-existing condition, meaning attacks on these protections significantly threaten Wisconsinites approaching Medicare age. [CAP, 4/5/17]
The Republican leader of the Wisconsin state Senate said just sixteen days ago that he doesn’t have the votes to pass a bill that would require insurance coverage of pre-existing conditions if Walker’s lawsuit is successful.
A new poll out yesterday shows 82 percent of Wisconsinites say the Affordable Care Act’s requirement to protect pre-existing conditions is very important to them, laying Scott Walker’s 11th-hour, craven political posturing bare.
400,000 Virginians Now Eligible to Enroll in Medicaid
Washington DC – Today, hundreds of thousands of Virginians between the ages of 19 and 64 who earn less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level are now able to enroll in Medicaid, with the commonwealth having succeeded in enacting Medicaid Expansion earlier this year after the 2017 election during which health care was the number one issue to voters according to exit polls. Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, issued the following in response to today’s news:
“Today, hundreds of thousands of Virginians will gain access to quality health coverage, something only made possible because voters motivated by health care turned out in droves to elect pro-health care leaders in 2017. With only five days until the midterm elections, Americans across the country are gearing up to make their outrage about the Republican war on health care known because Republicans who still stubbornly oppose Medicaid expansion — be they Scott Walker, Ron DeSantis, Mitt Romney or Donald Trump — are on the wrong side health care, the wrong side of voters, and the wrong side of history.”
MEDICAID EXPANSION IS A DEFINING ISSUE IN GOVERNOR’S RACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
In Georgia, Democratic Candidate Stacy Abrams Has Said The First Thing She Would Do Is Expand Medicaid. “Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams has said the first thing she would do as governor is expand Medicaid. That’s the decision each state can make to give more low-income people access to health care. States receive federal funding for it, though they, too, have to pay into the program. ‘And you’ll hear me talk about this ad nauseam because it’s the only answer to Georgia’s challenges,’ Abrams said at a health care policy press conference Monday. ‘We have an uncompensated care rate of $1.7 billion.’…Republican Gov. Nathan Deal has refused to expand the program in Georgia, and Republican candidate Brian Kemp said he wouldn’t expand it either. ‘Government programs that aren’t working now are not a reason to give them more money,’ Kemp said at an event last week. Kemp said, instead, he favors opening up the private sector market to more competition to lower health care costs.” [WABE, 9/12/18]
In Florida, Andrew Gillum is running on Medicaid Expansion, with polling showing Floridians want to expand Medicaid. “According to new data from the left-leaning think tank Data for Progress, an estimated 65 percent of Florida voters support expanding Medicaid across the state — and, amazingly, voters in every legislative or congressional district from the Keys all the way up to the Panhandle support the idea.” [Miami New Times, 5/25/18]
In Ohio, Cordray Blasts DeWine, Who Flip-Flopped on Medicaid Expansion because it is so Popular. “Cordray also dinged DeWine on Ohio’s Medicaid expansion, which provides health coverage to nearly 700,000 Ohioans. Republican Gov. John Kasich has ‘done some things that are very good for Ohio,’ Cordray said. ‘He had real courage on the Medicaid expansion, bringing that to Ohio and fighting the naysayers in his own party who said, ‘Gee, that’s part of Obamacare.’ And my opponent was part of those naysayers.’ DeWine now says he’ll keep the expansion. But Eck didn’t answer a question asking why, if he favored it, DeWine repeatedly sued to kill the law that made it possible.” [Columbus Dispatch, 9/20/18]
In Wisconsin, Democratic Challenger Tony Evers Targets Scott Walker For Not Taking Federal Medicaid Expansion. “Evers made health care the focus of his only television ad to date, faulting Walker for not taking the federal Medicaid expansion and pointing out that the cost of an average health insurance plan sold on the private market this year in Wisconsin was more expensive than in Minnesota. Walker argues the ad is misleading and health insurance costs will decrease in Wisconsin once a recently approved reinsurance program takes effect.” [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 9/7/18]
In Michigan, Candidates Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Bill Schuette (R) Spar Over Medicaid Expansion. “As attorney general, Schuette joined at least nine lawsuits fighting the Affordable Care Act. In a 2017 fundraising mailer, he said he opposed the law, ‘including the ‘free’ federal Medicaid dollars from Obama that leave Michigan taxpayers on the hook for more!’ ‘He has been the chief advocate against Healthy Michigan in our state ever since we started the bipartisan negotiations on it,” Whitmer told The Detroit News. ‘The biggest threat to health care in Michigan is Bill Schuette.’ But the Medicaid expansion program is threatened by declining federal aid, Schuette notes. The federal government fully funded the Medicaid expansion program the first three years, but the state began paying a share in 2017 and will be required to cover 10 percent of the costs by 2020. By then, it’s estimated to cost the state roughly $380 million a year.” [Detroit News, 9/18/19]
In Tennessee, Karl Dean is Running on Medicaid Expansion, with Polls Showing Voters Support it Strongly. “The poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research in April, showed 63 percent support Medicaid expansion with the use of federal funds to 21 percent against and 16 percent undecided.” [Nashville Tennessean, 5/7/18]
In Idaho, Democratic Candidate Paulette Jordan is a Supporter of Prop 2 (Medicaid Expansion). Her opponent, Lt. Gov. Brad Little has declined to say whether he will vote for the initiative but said if elected governor, he would respect the will of the voters if they pass Medicaid expansion. [KTVB, 10/29/18]
In Alabama, Democratic Challenger Walt Maddox Is Running On Medicaid Expansion. “The Democratic nominee began the tour in Tuscaloosa where he is mayor. Describing himself as the only candidate in the race talking about the state’s “big problems”, Maddox is running on a platform of establishing a state lottery to fund education programs and expanding Medicaid. Standing with his wife, Stephanie and his two children, Maddox said the race is about ensuring the state’s children have opportunities.” [Associated Press, 9/17/18
FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA – This morning, Protect Our Care’s nationwide bus tour arrived in Fort Pierce to call attention to the ongoing Republican war on health care care. Headlined by Lauren Baer, the event highlighted the actions Republicans are taking to harm Floridians’ care and called on Gov. Rick Scott and Rep. Brian Mast to work instead to protect our care.
Local Hobe Sound resident Kyla MacArdle kicked off the event, discussing her own health care experience.
“Two and half years ago, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, the most difficult cancer to treat,” said MacArdle.”Without the ACA, I would now be dead. Without the ACA, I would have no health insurance and be punished for having a pre-existing condition. Rep. Brian Mast has voted to repeal and replace the ACA. It would kick 1.3 million Floridians off of Medicaid . It would also let insurers be able to discriminate against 7.8 million Floridians with pre-existing conditions, including over 270,000 who live in his own district. This is a non-partisan health insurance crisis that we as Americans are going to need to fix. We need to save the ACA, to save me.”
MacArdle’s comments were echoed by Lauren Baer, a former Obama Administration official and attorney.
“Health care is a right, not a privilege for the most fortunate Americans, and no Floridian should have to choose between making ends meet and getting the kind of care they need,” said Baer. “The people of our community have suffered for too long at the hands of Washington politicians like Brian Mast who vote in ways that increase costs and decrease coverage. It’s time for a change.”
The significance of Baer’s and McArdle’s remarks was made clear by national health care advocate Laura Packard.
“I’m alive because of the Affordable Care Act,” said Packard. “I’m a stage four cancer survivor and I’m on this tour to defend our attacks against the GOP. President Trump may have blocked me on Twitter, but he can’t stop me and the American people from fighting to protect our care.”
Baer, MacArdle, and Packard were joined by Delores Hogan Johnson, a two-time cancer survivor and Fort Pierce resident; Tobi Schelin, a local nurse practitioner; and Elena Hung, the co-founder of Little Lobbyists, a group which advocates for children with complex medical needs.
At today’s event, Fort Pierce residents, health care advocates, elected officials, and members of Protect Our Care detailed the numbers ways in which Republicans have attacked health care, and how these actions have cut coverage and increased costs for Floridians. Because of the Republican repeal-and-sabotage agenda:
Floridians will see their premiums increase by an average of more than five percent this year. It’s expected that 40 year old Floridians will face paying an extra $900 for marketplace coverage in 2019 because of Republican sabotage of the health care market.
In Florida, out of pocket costs for older people could have increased by as much as $10,372 by 2026 if the House-passed American Health Care Act had become law.
More than 650,000 Floridians have been denied access to affordable health coverage through Republican state officials’ refusal to expand Medicaid.
Junk insurance plans that charge money for skimpy coverage could return to Florida and 609,000 Floridians could lack comprehensive coverage in 2019 because they will either become uninsured or will be enrolled in junk plans that don’t provide key health benefits.
More than 1.4 million Floridians who have obtained health insurance through the ACA marketplace could lose their coverage if a judge sides with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, President Trump and the GOP in their lawsuit; and protections nearly 7.8 million Floridians living with a pre-existing condition would be in jeopardy.
Hundreds of billions of dollars have been cut from Medicare.
Dozens of hospitals in rural areas, including Campbellton-Graceville Hospital in Florida (2017), have closed, exacerbating the care and coverage gaps that exist for families in America’s rural communities.
Governor Rick Scott has been an opponent of the Affordable Care Act since day one. Scott has blocked Medicaid expansion that could provide care for more than 650,000 Floridians, helped the Trump administration draft bills that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and he refuses to ask Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to remove herself from a lawsuit that threatens access to care for 7.8 million Floridians living with pre-existing conditions.
Rep. Brian Mastvoted for and passed a health care repeal bill that would cause 23 million people to lose coverage and gut protections for people with pre-existing condition; voted for a budget amendment that would cut Medicaid by $700 billion over ten years, $114 billion in a single year alone; voted for a tax scam that doubled as a sneaky repeal of the Affordable Care Act by kicking 13 million people off of their insurance and raising premiums by double digits for millions more.
Bill Cassidy Tries Yet Again To Lie About Pre-existing Condition Protections
After Sen. Cassidy went on a notorious lying streak last fall trying to convince Americans that his health plan protected people with pre-existing conditions (it did not), he is back at it again.
Bloomberg: Republicans Peddle Nonsense to Sell Health-Care Plan
Vox: Cassidy is selling his health plan with misleading numbers
Huffington Post: The Sponsors Of Obamacare Repeal Are Trying To Fool America — And Fellow Republicans
Bloomberg: GOP Health Bill Would End Guarantee That Sick People Won’t Pay More
Vox: Graham-Cassidy’s cuts are confusing. Let’s make them simple.
Washington Post’s Health 202: Moderates would have to swallow deep Medicaid cuts for GOP health-care push to succeed
Forbes: 6 Big Lies About Graham-Cassidy And Healthcare Reform And 1 Truth
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: Republicans Are STILL Trying To End Protections For People WIth Pre-existing Conditions
Republicans Are Arguing In Court That Protections For People With Pre-Existing Conditions Should Be Overturned. The Trump Administration and twenty conservative states are arguing in court that pre-existing conditions be overturned. A hearing is scheduled in a federal district court on September 5.
Senate Republicans Are Trying To Pass A Bill That Would Allow Insurance Companies To Exclude Coverage For Pre-existing Conditions. The bill, sponsored by ten Senate Republicans, would allow insurance companies to refuse to cover services related to a pre-existing condition. For instance, an insurance company could sell someone with cancer health care, but refuse to cover any services related to cancer treatment. Larry Levitt, Vice President of the Kaiser Family Foundation warns that this policy change would make guaranteed access to insurance “something of a mirage.”
Not A Single Republican In Congress Has Signed On To Proposed Resolutions That Would Give Congress The Authority To Defend Protections For People With Pre-Existing Conditions. Democrats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would enable each house’s respective Office of Legal Counsel to intervene to defend protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Not a single Republican has signed on.
Since 2010, House Republicans Have Voted To Repeal Or Substantially Alter The Affordable Care Act Dozens Of Times. House Republicans have voted dozens of times to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Until recently, Republicans bragged about this record. As the Washington Post notes, until this year Rep. Dave Joye’s website read that he had voted more than thirty times to repeal, defund, or delay the ACA.
Last Summer Alone, Senate Republicans Voted On Three Bills That Would Have Meant Meant People With Pre-existing Conditions Pay More. Last Summer, the Senate voted to on three bills that would have weakened protections for people with pre-existing conditions — the Better Care Reconciliation Act, the Obamacare Repeal and Reconciliation Act, and the Health Care Freedom Act, also known as “skinny repeal.” Republicans largely supported each of these efforts.
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