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ashoup
In News, Statement

Protect Our Care Statement On Federal Open Enrollment Numbers

In response to the news that 8.8 million people signed up for health insurance on the federal marketplace, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“A day after Republicans repealed a key provision of the Affordable Care Act and declared the law ‘dead,’ the results of open enrollment made clear the ACA is very much alive and demonstrated just how out of touch the GOP’s priorities are,” said Woodhouse. “More than 2 million new customers signed up for ACA coverage. The Affordable Care Act is working, and people’s lives are improving because of it. Despite widespread sabotage by the Trump Administration, including cutting the open enrollment period in half and dramatically slashing the advertising budget, these numbers prove that people want and need the affordable, quality health coverage the ACA provides, they rely on it for health and financial peace of mind and any further attempts at sabotage will be met with severe resistance. It’s time for the GOP to abandon efforts to take away people’s health care.”

ashoup
In News

Susan Collins Failed to Deliver On Her Health Care Promises

In response to a statement put out by Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:

“After casting a vote for health care repeal in the middle of the night, Susan Collins admitted that she failed to deliver on her promises to Mainers,” said Woodhouse. “First she asserted she wouldn’t vote for repeal without health care stabilization bills being signed into law. Then she claimed she wouldn’t vote for repeal without a concurrent vote on the stabilization bills. Then she said she wouldn’t vote for repeal without a promise of their becoming law in the future. Now, she has basically said she trusts Paul Ryan – who has shown no indication of support for these measures – to make this happen.

“At the end of the day, we’re left with 13 million Americans who will lose their health insurance, millions more who will see their premiums increase and assurances which are getting weaker and weaker with each subsequent press release. Millions of Americans – and hundreds of thousands of Mainers, who just one month ago overwhelmingly voted to expand Medicaid – will suffer because of it.”

ashoup
In News, Statement

Protect Our Care Statement on Senate Passage of GOP Tax Scam, Sneaky Health Care Repeal

In response to the Senate passing the GOP tax scam containing sneaky repeal, which will kick 13 million Americans off of their insurance, raise premiums double digits for millions more and slash Medicare by $25 billion, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“After rejecting health repeal over the summer, today, in the early hours of the morning, Senate Republicans voted to kick 13 million people off of their health insurance, raise premiums double digits for millions more and trigger a $25 billion cut in Medicare – all so the wealthiest and large corporations can get a tax break,” Woodhouse said.

“One of the primary reasons this tax bill passed with sneaky repeal was because Senator Susan Collins was assured Congress would pass two bills to stabilize the marketplace. Make no mistake: none of these bills will mitigate the damage done by this repeal vote the Senate just took.

“And to the shock of no one, before the bill even passed, Sens. Lindsey Graham, Bill Cassidy and others were plotting to bring back the GOP’s full health repeal legislation. Apparently kicking 13 million Americans off of their health insurance and raising premiums double digits wasn’t enough – the Republicans want to dump 32 million, raise premiums 20 percent and cut Medicaid by $4.1 trillion. Those who have previously opposed such measures, like Sens. Collins and Lisa Murkowski, must pledge to oppose any further repeal efforts – the health care system has already been harmed enough.”

ashoup
In News, Statement

Protect Our Care Statement on House Passage of GOP Tax Scam, Sneaky Health Care Repeal

In response to the House passing the GOP tax scam containing sneaky repeal, which will kick 13 million Americans off of their insurance, raise premiums double digits for millions more and slash Medicare by $25 billion, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“Today, Republicans made clear their claims about expanding health care access, lowering the deficit and evening the playing field for the middle class were complete lies,” Woodhouse said. “This legislation will kick 13 million people off of their health insurance, raise premiums double digits for millions more and trigger a $25 billion cut in Medicare – all so the wealthiest and large corporations can get a tax break.

“This bill is atrocious in all aspects. It was written in a dark room without outside analysis or bipartisan input. When nonpartisan analyses found that GOP claims were severely misleading, Speaker Paul Ryan just said they were wrong. When asked to make the conference report public, Chairman Kevin Brady responded by releasing its text at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon. When experts warned about rushing the bill through, Republicans ignored them, to the point that GOP Members literally cannot name the tax brackets in the bill they voted in favor of. And all of this was done to pass a massively unpopular bill that guts health care for the middle-class and makes the one-percent even richer.

“The Republican war on health care has not gone unnoticed by the American people. Health care has dominated every Congressional recess, it’s the number one issue on the minds of voters, it powered Democrats in last month’s elections in Virginia, Maine and New Jersey and the GOP’s efforts to repeal and sabotage the law have contributed to historically-low approval ratings for President Trump and congressional Republicans. Republicans are going to get their tax scam – but at great cost to American health care and to the GOP’s own political standing.”

ashoup
In News, Statement

Protect Our Care Statement On Potential Inclusion Of Alexander-Murray In Senate Spending Bill

In response to the news that the Senate plans to include the Alexander-Murray legislation in its must-pass spending bill this week, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“This is not nearly enough to offset the damage caused by this tax bill, and for senators to pretend otherwise is wrong and short-sighted” said Woodhouse. “13 million people will lose health insurance due to sneaky repeal and millions more will see their premiums rise double digits, and Alexander-Murray will do virtually nothing for these people even it is able to pass the House, far from a sure thing.

“Perhaps Senators Collins and Murkowski think this legislation will allow them to justify supporting a tax scam benefiting the wealthiest and big corporations at the expense of everyone else, but it provides little comfort to the American people losing sleep over their health care being put in jeopardy by the GOP tax scam.”

ashoup
In News

Tell Bob to Put a Cork In the Tax Bill

Sen. Bob Corker wins from the tax bill, while Tennesseans lose

SEN. CORKER COULD SEE MORE THAN $1 MILLION WINDFALL FROM THIS TAX BILL …

Economist Dean Baker estimates that Sen. Bob Corker could see a more than $1 million windfall from a provision in the latest tax bill Corker is now supporting.

WHAT AVERAGE TENNESSEANS GET …

  • $1.46 trillion added to the debt
  • 262,000 Tennesseans will lose health coverage
  • $2,970 higher premiums for a typical middle class family in Tennessee
  • $2,189 age tax for people over 50 in Tennessee because of higher premiums
  • $25 billion in Medicare cuts, including $539 million in Tennessee alone – and laying the groundwork for even more
ashoup
In News

She Did What?! Susan Collins’ Position on the Tax Bill Hurts the Middle Class, the Environment and Health Care, Undermining Her Claims to Leadership on All of These Issues

For years, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) has claimed to support the middle-class, favored the expansion of health care coverage and pledged to protect the environment. The GOP tax scam hammers the middle class, guts health care coverage and will irreparably hurt the environment. Who is harmed under this bill, and why does Sen. Collins continue to support it?

Mainers’ Health Because Premiums Will Rise and Medicare Cuts Are on the Horizon. Analysis from the Center for American Progress found that Mainers will see their premiums increase $2,350 under this tax bill. 50,000 Mainers will lose their insurance, and Medicare funding will see a $120 million cut in 2018. The immediate cuts are not the only cuts facing health care, either. In a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), CBO Director Keith Hall made clear what Republicans have long said won’t be the case: Medicaid cuts are coming, to the tune of $18 billion. And Republicans, from Paul Ryan to Marco Rubio, are now admitting these cuts will be the next step. Sen. Collins previously highlighted Medicaid cuts as one of her primary concerns with GOP health care legislation and told CBS, “I don’t want seniors to have the anxiety of wondering whether the tax bill somehow is going to trigger a cut in Medicare.”

Middle Class Mainers’ Pocketbooks. The tax scam benefits the wealthiest earners at the expense of the middle class Per JCT analysis, “high-income households would get the largest tax cuts as a share of after-tax income, on average, while households with incomes below $30,000 would on average face a tax increase.” Sen. Collins previously criticized tax cuts for the highest earners.

Saddling Future Generations with More Debt. The tax bill would raise the budget deficit by nearly $1.5 trillion according to every independent analysis which has been conducted. The Joint Committee on Taxation found that the bill would cost $1.63 trillion, the Penn Wharton Budget Model found that it would cost $1.64 trillion and the Tax Foundation found that it would cost $1.78 trillion. Sen. Collins previously said she didn’t want the tax bill to “blow a hole in the deficit.”

Allowing More Drilling in Alaska. Buried in the bill is a provision allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). ANWR drilling is a clear giveaway to the country’s largest oil companies at the expense of the planet, and is unpopular on both sides of the aisle. Twelve GOP Members of Congress recently urged its removal from the bill, and poll found wide opposition across eight key GOP Congressional districts. Sen. Collins previously was the only Republican to vote against ANWR drilling in a budget proposal.

Sen. Collins, it’s clear that the vast majority of this country will be harmed under this bill. It’s massively unpopular, with the opposition nearly doubling those who favor it. And Mainers are already furious about it. It’s not too late to change your vote – come out against this appalling piece of legislation, and instead return to the principles you’ve claimed to want to advance.

ashoup
In News, Statement

Protect Our Care Statement In Response to GOP Finally Releasing Tax Scam Text

In response to the text of the GOP tax scam – which kicks 13 million people off of their insurance, raises premiums double digits for millions more and cuts Medicare by $25 billion – finally being released, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“This GOP tax plan was negotiated behind closed doors, and now they’re releasing it as a Friday night news dump on the weekend before the vote because they want this hidden from the American people and only shared with their donors,” said Woodhouse. “They know the American people reject giving tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations at the expense of health care for middle class families. The more people learn about this plan, the worse things will get for its supporters. Thirteen million Americans will lose their insurance, tens of millions more will see their premiums increase by double digits and Medicare will be slashed by $25 billion, all to give a tax break to the wealthiest and corporations..

“After being written in a back room, without hearings, expert input or a bipartisan debate, and passing the Senate in the middle of the night, this bill went through conference in complete secrecy, with Democratic amendments refused and Democratic Members being given just two hours to examine it. And of course, this comes just days after a special election in Alabama where the Trump/GOP agenda was soundly rejected and just a month after GOP electoral losses across the country where healthcare played the dominant role.

“This bill is a mockery of the democratic process  This bill gives the top 0.1% a $200,000 tax break while raising health care premiums for people by 10%. That is indefensible. Any GOP Member of Congress who cares about their constituents’ health care should vote against it.”

Sean England
In News

Voters Unaware of Changes to ACA Open Enrollment, Think Cuts Will Lead to More Uninsured   

From: Jim Williams, Public Policy Polling®

To: Interested Parties

Subject: Voters Unaware of Changes to ACA Open Enrollment, Think Cuts Will Lead to More Uninsured

Date: December 14, 2017

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that many voters are unaware of the shortened open enrollment time period under the Affordable Care Act – 57% of voters are either not sure when the deadline is, or they think it’s later than it actually is. This is also true for 50% of voters who buy their own health insurance. Further, when informed of the Trump Administration’s decision to cut the open enrollment period in half from 90 days to 45 days, 61% of voters believe that this will results in less people having health care coverage, including 49% of those who buy their own insurance.

Key findings from the survey include:

  • Voters are largely in the dark about when the open enrollment period ends. Just 43% of them think it ends on December 15th, while 57% aren’t sure or say they think it’s later in the future than it actually is. Crucially, 50% of voters who buy their own insurance either aren’t sure of the closing date or get the date wrong.
  • The Trump Administration’s moves to curb advertising to raise awareness of open enrollment seem to be having an effect – just 36% of voters say they’ve seen any advertising about HealthCare.gov this year, 55% say they have not. Just 29% say they’ve heard “a lot” about the open enrollment period for signing up for healthcare in 2018; over 40% say they’ve heard “just a little” or “not much at all.” Only 41% of voters who buy their own insurance say they’ve heard “a lot” about open enrollment this year.
  • 61% of voters say they think that the Trump administration cutting the open enrollment period in half so that this year it only lasts 45 days compared to previous Open Enrollment periods that lasted 90 days will have the result of less people having health care coverage, including 49% of those who buy their own insurance.PPP surveyed 585 registered voters nationally from December 12-13, 2017. The margin of error is +/- 4.1%. This poll was conducted using automated telephone interviews for Protect Our Care.

The full results of the national survey can be found here.

ashoup
In News

The Facts Are In: Despite ACA Popularity, The Trump Administration’s Sabotage Will Deny Affordable Health Coverage to Large Numbers of Americans

This is what health care sabotage looks like.

As open enrollment ends tomorrow, people are starting to notice that the Trump Administration’s extensive sabotage – shortening the enrollment period, eliminating outreach and TV  advertising, cutting funding for navigators – means less people will get health care coverage than would have otherwise.

See for yourself …

Washington Post: ACA Enrollment “Almost Sure To Fall Short In The End Because Of A Compressed Enrollment Season.”  

Kaiser Family Foundation: ‘If not for the pronouncements of its death, and steps taken to hobble it, the ACA marketplace would actually seem, well, alive,’ Larry Levitt, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation said.

NBC News: “The Total Number Is Likely To Fall Short Of Last Year, Which Featured Both A Longer Enrollment Period And A Far More Robust Outreach Campaign.”

Huffington Post: “Another Reason Experts Expect An Enrollment Decline Is The Trump Administration’s Management Of The Program, Which Has Included Neglect And Outright Sabotage.”

Reuters: “The Trump Administration Has Worked Hard To Undercut” Enrollment.

The Hill: “The Trump administration’s abbreviated enrollment period has left advocates acknowledging the numbers are almost surely going to be lower than the 9.2 million who signed up on HealthCare.gov at the end of the last open enrollment season.”

Bloomberg BNA: “Major Changes Made By The Trump Administration – Such As Cutting Funding For Outreach – Are Making It Challenging To Get As Many People Signed Up This Year.”

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