***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 AT 12:30 PM ET***
New York – On Wednesday, September 11th at 12:30 PM, U.S. Representative Tim Kennedy (D-NY-26) and New York advocates will join Protect Our Care for a virtual press conference to call out MAGA Republicans’ threats to health care and their efforts to eliminate and rollback policies championed by the Biden-Harris administration and Congressional Democrats that have lowered prescription drug costs and increased access to quality, affordable health care in the state. The event will focus on the need to protect the Affordable Care Act and provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress, more Americans than ever before have health insurance, the cost of insulin is capped at $35 dollars, seniors are protected from drug company price hikes, and seniors’ prescription drug costs will be capped at $2,000 dollars per year starting next year. Last month, for the first time in history, Medicare negotiated prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies to lower costs for seniors who take certain drugs. Already, more than 110,000 eligible New Yorkers are saving an average of $361 on monthly health insurance premiums thanks to the IRA. Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which have strengthened health care and lowered costs. Project 2025, the dangerous GOP plan for a second Trump presidency, promises to slash funding for Medicare and Medicaid, expand junk health insurance plans, ban Medicare from negotiating for lower drug prices, and strip away remaining reproductive rights.
WHO: U.S. Representative Tim Kennedy (D-NY-26) Dr. Dara Kass, former regional Director at the US Department of Health and Human Services Christina Otera, Promesa Inc, entitlements coordinator and 1199SEIU advocate
Washington, D.C. — On the debate stage tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump laid out starkly different visions for the future of health care. While Trump doubled down on his lies and dangerous health care agenda, Harris made her priorities clear: “Access to health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it.”
Vice President Harris wants to build on the success of the Inflation Reduction Act and extend its prescription drug savings to everyone, including capping insulin costs at $35 per month and limiting total out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 per year. Her plan also includes accelerating Medicare negotiations to lower costs for even more drugs and make the tax credits that are helping people afford their coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) permanent, canceling medical debt for millions of families, and building on her work to combat the nation’s maternal mortality crisis. In contrast, Trump is once again pushing to gut the ACA and its protections for pre-existing conditions, slash tens of billions of dollars from Medicaid and Medicare, and hike prescription drug prices while funneling more tax breaks for big drug companies and wealthy executives.
In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“Donald Trump put his health care lies on full display on the debate stage. No matter what comes out of his mouth, Trump’s record on health care stays the same. During Trump’s time in office, drug prices skyrocketed, millions of Americans lost their health coverage, and big drug and insurance companies and their CEOs were rewarded with billions in tax breaks. Trump’s first goal as president was to repeal the ACA, and even when he failed, he spent his presidency sabotaging it until the bitter end. The American people demand lower costs and better care – while Donald Trump is fighting for executives on Wall Street, Kamala Harris is fighting for hardworking families.”
The Biden-Harris Administration’s Accomplishments vs. the MAGA Republican Agenda
Later tonight, Vice President Harris and Donald Trump will take the stage for a presidential debate of the 2024 election.
From day one, the Biden-Harris administration has fought tooth and nail to lower costs and make affordable health care a reality for seniors and families across the nation. Vice President Harris has fought to expand affordable coverage, lower prescription drug costs, strengthen Medicaid for moms and kids, and reduce inequities in care. On the other hand, Donald Trump and his MAGA allies have vowed to repeal the ACA and Inflation Reduction Act, slash Medicaid and Medicare funding, take away protections for pre-existing conditions, and raise prescription drug and premium costs. Under the MAGA agenda, millions of Americans will lose coverage and costs will skyrocket. The contrast could not be more clear:
The Biden-Harris Administration
Donald Trump
The Affordable Care Act
Enrolled a record-breaking 21.4 million Americans in ACA Marketplace plans
Allowed four out of five enrollees to find a plan costing $10 or less per month
Saved families an average of $2,400 on their premium costs
Safeguarded the ACA and expanded protections against junk plans
Made historic investments in enrollment outreach through Navigators
Harris fought in court to protect the ACA as California Attorney General and a Senator
Harris champions the ACA and its requirement that people with pre-existing conditions can’t be denied care or charged more
Tried to repeal the ACA repeatedly
Wants to end premium tax credits that make health insurance affordable for 80 percent of people who purchase coverage on their own
Tried to sabotage ACA enrollment, making it harder for people to access affordable coverage
Would throw 40+ million people off their coverage
Wants to end protections for the more than 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions
Would end coverage for adult children who want to stay on their family’s plan until age 26
Wants to raise costs for hospitalizations, prescription drugs, maternity care, and more
Wants to take away free preventive care
Slashed funding for enrollment outreach and Navigators
Drug Pricing
Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to cap insulin costs at $35/month
Harris voted to protect seniors from outrageous prescription drug price increases
Harris voted to cap seniors’ drug costs at $2,000/year beginning in 2025, saving 19 million people an average of $400
Harris voted to give Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices for 80 drugs by 2030
Harris took on big drug companies as California Attorney General, recovering nearly $7.2 billion for inflating drug prices and illegal marketing practices
Claimed insulin was as “cheap as water” when it still retailed for $300 a vial
Wants to rip away Medicare’s power to negotiate lower drug prices
Signed a $1.5 trillion tax bill benefiting big drug companies by reducing the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent
Medicare
Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, enacting policies that help 67.3 million people on Medicare have lower costs and better medical care.
Harris voted to provide free vaccines for seniors
Harris voted to expand eligibility for cost assistance for lower-income seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D Extra Help program
Tried to cut hundreds of billions in Medicare funding during his presidency
Wants to roll back cost assistance for 400,000 lower-income seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D Extra Help program
Medicaid
Incentivized states to offer a full 12 months of Medicaid postpartum coverage
Incentivized Medicaid expansion to improve health outcomes, support state economies and boost funding for rural hospitals
Harris voted to require free vaccines for nearly 81 million Americans on Medicaid
Wants to slash funding by nearly $2 trillion
Wants to impose burdensome paperwork requirements on working families designed to throw them off their coverage
Wants to eliminate Medicaid expansion, which covers about 24 million people.
Wants to throw people with disabilities and children off coverage
Other Priorities
Strengthened health care for LGBTQI+ individuals, women, children, people of color, rural Americans, and people with disabilities
Pressured big drug companies to cap insulin costs at $35 per month, lowering costs for around 90 percent of insulin on the market
As Senator and Vice President, Harris has fought to protect reproductive freedom and expand access to contraception, IVF, and abortion care
Wants to strip abortion access and end reproductive freedom
Wants to expand junk plans providing inadequate health coverage
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Treasury Department released a new report showing that nearly 50 million Americans have relied on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for coverage since its passage. This represents one in seven Americans. This year alone, a record 21.4 million Americans enrolled in ACA coverage, with the average family saving $2,400 a year thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. At the same time, another report from the Census Bureau shows the nation’s uninsured rate remains at a historic low of 8 percent. This comes as MAGA Republicans fight to undermine protections for pre-existing conditions, hike premium costs, and gut the ACA. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:
“The ACA is a bedrock of our health care system. Affordable health insurance means people can go to the doctor when they’re sick and get the screenings and treatments they need to stay healthy. We know what the ACA has done for the American people — not only have 50 million Americans been able to enroll in coverage under the law, but millions more benefit from its protections. Every day, the ACA ensures people with pre-existing conditions can stay covered, it protects women and LGBTQ+ Americans from discrimination in health care, it stops insurance companies from charging older Americans an ‘age tax’, and it helps hardworking families obtain affordable health care without sacrificing other basic needs like food or rent. However, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans have promised to repeal the ACA and rip away all of its protections and coverage.
“After defending the ACA from years of Republican attacks, Democrats have strengthened the ACA, making coverage more affordable and, in turn, a record number of families have enrolled. We’ve seen the ACA from both sides now: under Donald Trump’s deliberate sabotage campaign, fewer people were able to enroll and millions were left uninsured. Now, with the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to invest in outreach, lower costs, and increase protections, the ACA is working better than ever.”
When Donald Trump was president, he showed us who he is. His record is defined by one act of sabotage after another that ended in high drug costs, tax breaks for billionaires, and millions of Americans losing their health care coverage. Now, Trump is lying about his record as he hopes Americans believe his outrageous deceptions like how he “saved” protections for pre-existing conditions. In reality, Trump’s agenda has been all about ripping health care away and putting insurance and drug companies back in charge to hike costs on Americans. A second Trump term will have devastating consequences such as eliminating protections for pre-existing conditions, gutting funding for Medicaid, and putting the profits of big drug companies over patients. Here are the top five lies about health care that you will hear from former President Trump at Tuesday’s debate:
LIE: Trump Lowered Drug Prices. Trump has claimed that “Low INSULIN PRICING was gotten for millions of Americans by me, and the Trump Administration” or that he “lowered drug costs by “80 or 90 percent” and that insulin was “as cheap as water.” REALITY: The former president had four years to take action on drug prices, but instead, he did nothing, and now he’ll lie and say anything to cover up his failures. In reality, drug prices soared under Trump. During his first year in office, the list prices of 20 of the top 25 drugs covered by Medicare Part D increased between three and nine times the rate of inflation, according to KFF. AARP found that annual drug costs for the drugs most commonly used by seniors rose 5.8 percent in 2018, more than twice the rate of inflation. Likewise, drug prices increased an average of 21 percent in 2019 and grew faster than inflation in 2020. Further, Trump gave billions in tax breaks to drug and health insurance companies and executives, signing a $1.5 trillion tax bill disproportionately benefiting the wealthy and reducing the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.
LIE: Trump has a “phenomenal” health care plan. Trump has said that he’s going to be introducing a “terrific,” “phenomenal” and “fantastic” new health care plan to replace the Affordable Care Act – and it will be ready in “two weeks.” REALITY: The former president has been promising this “phenomenal” new health plan in “two weeks” for nearly eight years, but his record on ripping away Americans’ health care is clear. Census data revealed the uninsured rate rose during Trump’s tenure for the first time since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The rate increased from 7.9 percent in 2017 to 8.5 percent in 2018, or by approximately 2 million people. During his first term, Trump notoriously tried and failed multiple times to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). All of the repeal bills that went through Congress would have caused millions of Americans to lose their health coverage and raised premiums for millions more. Trump’s repeal efforts would have ended Medicaid as we know it, putting the health care of children, seniors, working families, and people with disabilities at risk. Since the end of his first term in office, Trump has repeatedlyreignited his calls to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act, which he claims is a “disaster,” and his MAGA allies in Congress are seeking to dismantle the Inflation Reduction Act and its provisions making prescription drugs and health care premiums more affordable for tens of millions of Americans. Even if he doesn’t succeed at fully repealing the ACA, Trump will stop at nothing to gut it and other critical protections that the American people rely on. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that gutting the ACA would result in “higher costs for health coverage, loss of protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and an increase in the number of people without insurance.”
LIE: Trump will protect Medicaid. For years Trump has lied and promised that he will “protect your Medicare and your Medicaid.” REALITY: During the Trump administration, more than one million children lost Medicaid coverage between 2017 and 2019. The “Project 2025” agenda released by Trump’s allies at the Heritage Foundation includes onerous paperwork requirements and block grants that would force radical cuts to Medicaid. As Georgetown University found, “The RSC budget would slash Medicaid, CHIP and the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace subsidies by $4.5 trillion over ten years and the House GOP budget resolution would cut Medicaid by $2.2. trillion over the next decade.” These tried and failed policies are designed to throw people off of their coverage. After Arkansas imposed the nation’s first so-called “work requirements” program, more than 18,000 residents lost Medicaid coverage. Although state efforts were blocked by a federal judge several times, the Trump administration fought relentlessly to impose work reporting requirements in Medicaid. Between encouraging states to impose red tape and paperwork requirements masquerading as work requirements, the Trump administration worked tirelessly to dismantle Medicaid. Now, red state governors are already preparing a renewed wave of draconian cuts and onerous requirements for Medicaid recipients.
LIE: Trump will never cut a single penny from Medicare. Trump has vowed dozens of times never to cut Medicare and last year posted a video claiming that “Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security.” REALITY: Trump’s budgets included cuts to Medicare and Social Security every single year that he was in office and as recently as March of 2024 he proposed “entitlements” reform that could put the health and financial security of millions of American seniors at risk. For example, Trump’s proposed federal budget in 2019 alone would have cut funding for Medicare by more than $800 billion and repealed the ACA. MAGA Republicans have also pushed for raising the retirement age, which would cut benefits for millions of American seniors.
LIE: Everyone is happy with overturning Roe v. Wadeand the GOP is the “party of fertilization.” Trump will tie himself in knots on abortion rights and reproductive care, claiming that “all legal scholars, both sides” wanted Roe v. Wade overturned and now “we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint.” He’ll lie and say that abortion is “not that big of an issue” and even that the GOP is the “party of fertilization.” He has recently made bogus promises that the federal government will cover IVF. REALITY: Don’t believe Donald Trump’s lies on IVF and abortion. The GOP platform includes policies that would effectively ban IVF and abortion nationwide. He is responsible for the repeal of Roe v. Wade and the devastating consequences for reproductive health. Trump boasts that his appointees to the Supreme Court “broke Roe v. Wade” and the consequences for women’s health have been catastrophic, from cruel and archaic abortion bans to devastating uncertainty about access to IVF and other essential reproductive care. The MAGA agenda would see more extreme judicial appointments and an all-out push to use the Comstock Act to create a de facto national ban on abortions and sharply limit access to abortion medications like mifepristone.
Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Kamala Harris outlined her priorities to lower health care costs and improve care for American families. Specifically, Kamala Harris wants to build on the success of the Inflation Reduction Act and extend its prescription drug savings to everyone, including capping insulin costs at $35 per month and limiting total out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 per year. Harris wants to accelerate Medicare negotiations to lower costs for even more drugs and make the tax credits that are helping people afford their coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) permanent. Her plan also includes canceling medical debt for millions of families and building on her work to combat the nation’s maternal mortality crisis. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“The proposals laid out by Kamala Harris are commonsense measures to lower costs and give the middle class more room to breathe. These policies are widely popular and they will make a real difference for people across America. Vice President Harris is fighting to make sure that working families have access to affordable health care, but Donald Trump wants to go backwards and hike costs on the middle class to pay for more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Donald Trump and his MAGA allies have vowed to repeal the ACA and Inflation Reduction Act, slash Medicaid and Medicare funding, take away protections for pre-existing conditions, and raise prescription drug and premium costs. The MAGA agenda will strip millions of their health care and raise costs across the board.
“It’s plain and simple, while Kamala Harris is fighting for hardworking families, Donald Trump is fighting for executives on Wall Street. When it comes to the future of health care, the stakes could not be higher.”
Care Force One to Travel Across 17+ States, Make Over 50 Stops, and Cover Nearly 12,000 Miles in Six Weeks Starting in September
Washington, D.C. — Protect Our Care is announcing its sixth nationwide Lower Costs, Better Care bus tour, which will kick off September 23. From New Hampshire to California, elected officials, storytellers, and health care advocates will sound the alarm about the threat Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to American health care. As they fight to raise costs on working families and repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and Affordable Care Act, the Biden-Harris administration continues to improve access to quality and affordable health care. Over six weeks, Care Force One will travel to more than 17 states, make more than 50 stops, and travel nearly 12,000 miles.
Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, Americans are saving more than ever on health costs: the cost of insulin is capped at $35 dollars per month, seniors are protected from drug company price hikes, seniors’ prescription drug costs will be capped at $2,000 dollars annually starting in January, and Medicare finally has the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
At the same time, Donald Trump and his Republican allies are working overtime, escalating their attacks on American health care and doubling down on their plan to raise costs on hardworking families. If Republicans get their way, they will raise costs, deny coverage to millions of people with pre-existing conditions, slash funding for Medicare and Medicaid, and makeit even harder to access reproductive health care. The contrast between the Biden-Harris administration and Trump’s Republican Party couldn’t be clearer.
“Care Force One will crisscross the nation this fall to highlight how the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress have delivered on their promise to drive down health care costs and the threats that remain from Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “During this tour, Protect Our Care will make sure everyone understands how they continue to benefit from legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Affordable Care Act – while also making it clear the stakes for American health care have never been higher. While the Biden-Harris administration and Democrats in Congress stood up to big drug companies and lowered the price of prescription drugs and the cost of health insurance, Donald Trump and Republicans have threatened to roll it all back. Throughout the tour, elected officials, providers, and advocates will share their stories and show how we cannot go backwards in the fight to make sure everyone has the health care they need.”
Protect Our Care’s Care Force One will make stops in:
Twin Cities, Minnesota on Monday, September 23, 2024 St. Cloud, Minnesota on Monday, September 23, 2024 Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 Green Bay,Wisconsin on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 Grand Rapids, Michigan on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 Lansing, Michigan on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 Toledo, Ohio on Thursday, September 26, 2024 Youngstown, Ohio on Thursday, September 26, 2024 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday, September 27, 2024 Long Island, New York on Monday, September 30, 2024 Kingston, New York on Monday, September 30, 2024 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Manchester, New Hampshire on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Syracuse, New York on Thursday, October 3, 2024 Binghamton, New York on Thursday, October 3, 2024 Charlottesville, Virginia on Friday, October 4, 2024 Richmond, Virginia on Monday, October 7, 2024 Norfolk, Virginia on Monday, October 7, 2024 Durham, North Carolina on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 Asheville, North Carolina on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 Dalton, Georgia on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 Augusta, Georgia on Thursday, October 10, 2024 Savannah, Georgia on Thursday, October 10, 2024 Tampa, Florida on Friday, October 11, 2024 Orlando, Florida on Friday, October 11, 2024 Santa Fe, New Mexico on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 Albuquerque, New Mexico on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Tempe, Arizona on Thursday, October 17, 2024 Palm Springs, California on Thursday, October 17, 2024 Orange County, California on Friday, October 18, 2024 Santa Clarita, California on Monday, October 21, 2024 Bakersfield, California on Monday, October 21, 2024 Reno, Nevada on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 Grand Junction, Colorado on Thursday, October 24, 2024 Denver, Colorado on Friday, October 25, 2024 Minneapolis, Minnesota on Monday, October 28, 2024 Mankato, Minnesota on Monday, October 28, 2024 La Crosse, Wisconsin on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Detroit, Michigan on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 Wayne, Michigan on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday, October 31, 2024 Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday, October 31, 2024 Allentown, Pennsylvania on Friday, November 1, 2024 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Friday, November 1, 2024
For more information on Protect Our Care’s “Lower Cost, Better Care” tour, click here.
Vice President Harris Is a Health Care Champion, Delivering Lower Costs and Better Care For Black Families
On this historic day 61 years ago, over 250,000 people from all over the country gathered in our nation’s capital to advocate for Black Americans’ civil and economic rights. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech, “I Have A Dream,” stating, “Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning,” and he was right, the March on Washington proved to be a catalyst for landmark civil rights protections like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Still, more than half a century later, severe inequities persist – particularly in health care. Black Americans face higher infant and maternal mortality rates and shorter life expectancies than their white counterparts. Despite huge gains in coverage following the passage of the Affordable Care Act and Inflation Reduction Act, racial and ethnic disparities remain.
Vice President Kamala Harris has always worked towards making sure Americans have quality health care no matter where they live or the color of their skin. While serving in the Senate, Harris made Black maternal health a key part of her legislative agenda, and as Vice President, she has worked to urgently address the Black maternal health crisis, successfully pushing to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year in 48 states and Washington D.C. The Biden-Harris administration has also awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to community-based organizations dedicated to addressing the underlying causes of poor maternal health outcomes, and established a maternal mental health hotline to help mothers and their families. Additionally, Harris has fought tirelessly to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities by increasing access to preventive care. Since 2010, Black Americans’ uninsured rates have dropped by half. Since the Biden-Harris administration took office, enrollment in ACA plans through HealthCare.gov among Black Americans has roughly doubled to more than 1.7 million.
As Republicans in Congress make their priorities clear by turning their backs on affordable health care, working to roll back some of these lifesaving and affordable programs and pushing for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, President Biden and Vice President Harris are doing everything in their power to reduce health disparities and improve access to quality health care for all Americans.
Vice President Harris Has Prioritized Health Equity and Black Maternal Health. As Vice President, Harris has made health equity, particularly maternal mortality, a key part of her policy agenda. Maternal mortality in the U.S. is highest in the industrialized world, with around one-third of maternal deaths occurring during the postpartum period. Studies show that at least a factor of the incredibly high rate of perinatal maternal mortality is due to coverage disruptions during the first year after pregnancy, something that disproportionately affects people of color. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women in the United States and maternal mortality rates — already higher than any other developed country — are still dramatically increasing. Even so, an estimated 80 percent of these deaths are preventable, making the passage of legislation addressing this crisis even more critical. The Biden-Harris administration has taken several critical steps to address the maternal mortality crisis:
Vice President Harris Released A Blueprint For Addressing The Maternal Health Crisis Recommending 50 Actions For Over A Dozen Agencies To Take. The Biden-Harris administration released a Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis in June 2022 leading with a letter from Vice President Harris stating, “[F]ar too many women experience pain, neglect, and loss during what should be one of the most joyous times of their lives. For certain women, the risk is much higher. Regardless of income or education level, Black women are three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications. […] The White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis contains 50 actions that over a dozen agencies will undertake to help improve maternal care. My hope is that the steps outlined in this Blueprint will move us closer to a future where every woman and every mother has the care she needs to thrive.”
Vice President Harris Pushed For Expanded Postpartum Medicaid Coverage. The Vice President challenged states to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from only two months to a full year, allowing for over 720,000 people annually to see expanded coverage who wouldn’t have been able to access it otherwise. Thanks to these efforts, the Biden-Harris administration has successfully expanded the number of states offering or planning to offer a full year of postpartum Medicaid coverage from 13 states in 2021 to 48 states and the District of Columbia.
Expanded Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Saves The Lives of Black Mothers. Over half of pregnancy-related deaths – the vast majority of which are preventable – occur between 7 days and 12 months after pregnancy, making postpartum health care coverage an essential tool in addressing maternal mortality. About 40 percent of births are covered by Medicaid nationwide, and states that have expanded Medicaid had lower maternal mortality rates than others for all racial and ethnic groups.
HHS Awarded More Than $103 Million For A New Maternal Mental Health Task Force and Nearly $90 Million To Expand Maternal Health Resources. In September 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded $103 million in public funding for a new maternal mental health and substance use disorder talk force to improve prevention, screening, diagnosis, intervention, treatment, community practices, communication, and community engagement surrounding mental health equity and trauma. A portion of the funding is also earmarked for a national public education campaign to increase awareness of postpartum depression symptoms and demonstrate the many ways for new mothers to access care. HHS also announced that it would be awarding nearly $90 million in additional funding for Health Resources and Services Administration programs focused on improving access to maternal health services.
While Serving In The Senate, Harris Made Black Maternal Health A Key Part of Her Legislative Agenda. As a Senator, Harris was involved with the creation and proposal of the first Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to address this crisis in maternal health. The “Momnibus” would direct HHS to establish task forces to address social determinants of health and award grants to innovations in maternity care and maternal mortality tracking. It also would expand federal nutrition programs by increasing the postpartum and breastfeeding periods and reduce specific state funding to jurisdictions that have no laws restricting constraints on incarcerated pregnant people. Every year since 2020, the Momnibus Act has been reintroduced in the Senate. It is perhaps the most essential central piece of legislation existing to address maternal mortality rates and health equity.
As Senator and California Attorney General, Harris Fought To Defend The Affordable Care Act (ACA). Harris filed 10 amicus briefs defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as California Attorney General, and as Senator co-sponsored 14 pieces of legislation protecting and expanding on the ACA, including legislation expanding preventive care requirements for private and public health insurance. Kamala Harris has a long and consistent history of fighting to defend and expand the ACA.
The ACA Has Improved Infant and Maternal Health Outcomes For Black Americans. Whether coverage comes from Medicaid expansion or increased access to affordable coverage on the ACA Marketplace, coverage improves infant and maternal mortality outcomes. One study found that reductions in maternal mortality in expansion states were concentrated among Black mothers, “suggesting that expansion could be contributing to decreasing racial disparities in maternal mortality.” Expansion has also been tied to improving health outcomes for Black babies, significantly reducing racial disparities in low birth weight and premature birth.
Access To Preventive Care Through ACA Medicaid Expansion Has Reduced Health Disparities. A 2017 study called preventive care “one of the most important health care strategies to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment, improve quality of life, and prevent premature death.” Access to preventive care through Medicaid expansion reduced racial disparities in cancer care and resulted in earlier diagnosis and treatment for Black patients. According to the Center for American Progress, Black women were more likely to receive care because of the ACA.
The Biden-Harris Administration Announced $100 Million Grant to Boost ACA Outreach In Underserved Communities. Earlier this week, the Biden-Harris administration announced a new $100 million investment in the Navigators program, a network of organizations vital to helping underserved communities, consumers, and small businesses find and enroll in quality, affordable health coverage through ACA Marketplaces. Navigators have focused their outreach on the 20 percent of marketplace enrollees from underserved communities, including racial and ethnic minorities. Navigators offer free signup assistance and played a key role in the record-shattering 2024 enrollment of 21.4 million Americans, including an estimated 1.7 million Black Americans.
As Vice President, Harris Cast Tie-Breaking Votes For The American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act. In 2021 and 2022, Vice President Harris cast the tie-breaking votes which allowed both the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act to pass the Senate and become law.
The American Rescue Plan Improved Coverage For Black Americans. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan’s enhanced and expanded premium tax credits, Black Americans were 59.2 percent more likely to have gained health coverage in states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA. From 2020 to 2022 there was an increase of 49 percent in the number of Black Americans enrolled in ACA coverage.
The Inflation Reduction Act Lowers Drug Costs and Premiums For Black Americans. Two years after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, around 19.7 million Americans are saving on average $700 a month on health insurance, nearly 82 million Americans have access to no-cost vaccines and preventive care through Medicaid and CHIP, 10 million seniors received free vaccinations in 2023 alone, and Medicare negotiated down the prices of 10 drugs taken by over 9 million seniors. On top of this, the Inflation Reduction Act capped monthly insulin costs at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare Part D and will continue to negotiate lower drug prices for 80 drugs by 2030. Without Vice President Harris’ deciding vote, millions of Black Americans would be paying more for health care, with some not having any access at all. Black seniors on Medicare are roughly 1.5 times as likely as their white counterparts to have trouble affording medications, and about 2 times as likely to not fill needed prescriptions due to cost.
Historic Boost in Funding Will Help Secure Affordable Coverage for Millions of Americans
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Biden-Harris administration announced the 44 organizations in the 28 states using HealthCare.gov that will receive the first five-year investment in Navigator funding in history. The $500 million investment will increase the number of people with affordable coverage by supporting outreach, education, and enrollment efforts to make sure people know how to enroll in a plan and stay covered. This is another investment made by the Biden-Harris administration to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and ensure people have the health care they need.
Navigators help connect people in underserved communities to health care, ensuring that language barriers or confusing paperwork doesn’t stand in the way of families getting covered. This year, a record 21.4 million Americans enrolled in ACA coverage, with the average family saving $2,400 a year thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are health care champions. The Biden-Harris administration is working around the clock to ensure everyone can get the health care they need for years to come. When Donald Trump was in the White House, he tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and when he failed, his administration deliberately sabotaged the ACA, drastically reducing enrollment. As a result, President Biden inherited a broken system that left Navigators underfunded and millions of people uninsured. Now, thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to expanding access to affordable health care, more people are covered than ever before. Millions more have the peace of mind knowing they can go to the doctor when they get sick without worrying about affording other necessities like food or rent. This long-term investment not only gives Navigators the resources they need to help families enroll in coverage, but it also protects them from the MAGA agenda to cut funding and sabotage the ACA. The Biden-Harris administration has delivered another health care win for the American people.”
Background
Trump’s Navigator Funding Cuts Contributed To People Losing Their Coverage. Trump cut the ACA Navigator program by over 80 percent while he was in office, from $63 million in the final year of the Obama administration to just $10 million per year from 2018 to 2020. During the Trump administration, enrollment in ACA coverage dropped by over 1.27 million people and a KFF consumer assistance survey found that there was a significant need for enrollment help while navigating the complex application and enrollment process..
Project 2025 Will Raise Health Care Costs Under The ACA. Repealing the Inflation Reduction Act, as proposed in Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership, will eliminate premium tax credits that make health care more accessible and less expensive. Getting rid of tax credits threatens coverage for the over 20 million who buy their own coverage through the Marketplace and receive tax credits to lower their health care premiums. Ending the tax credits would mean a typical 60-year-old couplemaking $80,000 per year would see their premiums triple to over $24,000 per year and premiums for a family of four making $125,000 would increase by $7,676.
Biden-Harris Administration Has Made Historic Investments In The Navigator Program. In addition to today’s announcement, ahead of the 2022 open enrollment cycle, the Biden-Harris Administration invested $80 million to the Navigator program, quadrupling the Navigator budget at that time and helping increase enrollment that year from just over 12 million to 14.5 million people. For the 2023 open enrollment cycle, the administration invested a historic near $100 million into the Navigator program to help consumers navigate the application and enrollment process for the ACA Marketplace, Medicaid, and CHIP to make health care more affordable and accessible to everyone.
Vice President Kamala Harris has proven to be a health care champion throughout her career in public service. She has fought tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of people across the country. Harris voted time and time again to protect Americans’ health care, to ensure those with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable health care, and to lower costs for American families. Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:
“Thanks to Kamala Harris, millions of people no longer have to decide between their health care or prescription drugs and putting food on the table. She is a champion for lowering health care costs, expanding access to affordable coverage, improving maternal health, and protecting reproductive rights. Her health care agenda is a win for middle-class families and a win for our nation’s future — a stark contrast to MAGA Republicans who want to go backwards and try once again to repeal the ACA, rip away protections for pre-existing conditions, and raise prescription drug costs for seniors.”
Kamala Harris’s 100-day agenda prioritizes delivering lower prices for middle class families. As Democratic nominee, Harris has announced some of her plans for the first 100 days in office, including actions to further lower drug costs and provide relief for medical debt. Harris has called for:
Capping The Cost Of Insulin At $35 Per Month For Everyone, Not Just Seniors. The Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin costs at $35 per month for seniors, and now Harris wants to pass these savings on to everyone.
Accelerating The Speed Of Medicare Drug Price Negotiation. Building on the accomplishments of the Inflation Reduction Act, Harris would allow Medicare to negotiate the price of drugs faster, so prices can come down faster for seniors.
Increase Competition And Demand Transparency. Harris plans to hold accountable pharmaceutical companies that block competition and promote abusive practices that hurt small pharmacies and raise prices on Americans.
Cancel Medical Debt For Millions Of Americans. Harris’s plan builds on her accomplishments as vice president in removing medical debt from nearly all Americans’ credit reports and securing American Rescue Plan funds to cancel $7 billion of medical debt for up to 3 million Americans by the end of 2026.
As Vice President, Harris casted the deciding vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. She is responsible for lowering prescription drug prices, making tax credits available to lower premium costs for families, and capping insulin copays at $35 per month.
Gave Medicare The Power To Negotiate Prescription Drug Prices. Medicare drug price negotiation will save taxpayers billions of dollars and lower costs for the most popular and expensive prescription drugs. By 2030, 80 of the most expensive prescription drugs will have lower prices because of these negotiations. In the first year alone, these newly lowered prices will save seniors $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs and will save taxpayers $6 billion.
Lowered Costs Of Health Care Premiums For Millions Of Families. The Inflation Reduction Act lowered premium costsfor millions of Americans through 2025 by increasing financial assistance for people who buy coverage on their own and making tax credit subsidies more widely available to middle-class families, ensuring people purchasing coverage through the ACA marketplaces will not pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for coverage. Families save an average of $2,400 a year on their health insurance premiums thanks to this provision.
Capped Insulin Copays At $35 Per Month. The Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin prices at no more than $35 starting January 2023 — saving seniors up to $1,500 annually. In response to calls from President Biden, the three largest insulin manufacturers announced $35 monthly out-of-pocket cost caps, lowering costs of about 90% of the insulin on the market.
As a senator from California, Harris has repeatedly helped defeat Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and remove protections for people with pre-existing conditions. She also supported lowering prescription drug prices, which became a reality with Harris casting the deciding vote as vice president and passing the Inflation Reduction Act.
Harris Took A Stand For People With Pre-Existing Conditions. Harris authored an op-ed with CNN in 2017 that illustrated how getting rid of protections for pre-existing conditions would have devastating effects on communities of color. People of color are more than twice as likely to die from diabetes as their white counterparts and Black people experience higher rates of heart disease than white people. Getting rid of pre-existing condition protections, as proposed by Republicans, would disproportionately impact communities of color’s access to affordable health care.
Harris Blocked The MAGA Plan To Expand Junk Plans That Don’t Cover Pre-Existing Conditions. Harris cosponsored tworesolutions to overturn Trump administration health care policies that allow the expansion of short term health care plans that do not have to guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions or cover essential health benefits.
As a senator from California, Harris protected women’s rights. Maternal and reproductive health freedoms were a key pillar of her work in Congress. Harris continued to fight for women as vice president and pledges to as the Democratic nominee.
Harris Fought For Maternal Health Protections. Harris was involved with creation and proposing of the first Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to address this crisis in maternal health. The “Momnibus” would direct HHS to establish task forces to address social determinants of health and award grants to innovations in maternity care and maternal mortality tracking. It also would expand federal nutrition programs through increasing the postpartum and breastfeeding periods and reduce specific state funding to jurisdictions which have no laws restricting constraints on incarcerated pregnant people. Every year since 2020, the Momnibus Act has been reintroduced in the Senate. It is perhaps the most essential central piece of legislation existing to address maternal mortality rates and health equity.
Harris Protected Reproductive Freedoms And Abortion Access. Harris co-sponsored 14 pieces of legislation that would expand and protect the reproductive rights of Americans. From supporting the Women’s Health Protection Act to protecting access to birth control to fighting for the expansion and protection of insurance coverage for abortions, Harris has a remarkably consistent record when it comes to ensuring Americans have access to quality and affordable reproductive health care.
As Attorney General of California, Harris protected the ACA and stood up to big drug companies. Since the beginning of her career, Harris played a key role in making the ACA what it is today and ensuring pharmaceutical companies are held responsible for exploitative practices.
Harris Filed 10 Amicus Briefs Defending The ACA As California Attorney General. As Attorney General of California, Harris defended the constitutionality of the ACA in court by arguing the ACA regulates interstate commerce. In the 2011 press release of one of these filings, Harris stated, “Health care reform saves lives, and that is why I am determined to protect this law.” Harris also argued for the protection of contraception mandates, stating, “The right to healthcare services is justly protected under federal law, and the Supreme Court should uphold the ACA’s common-sense accommodation for religious organizations and protect women’s access to essential health care.”
Harris Held Pharmaceutical Companies Accountable Through Nearly $7.2 Billion in Fines. Then-Attorney General Harris broke records throughout her term when it came to settlements holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for deceptive and illegal practices. She was involved in the second largest recovery from a pharmaceutical company and the largest consumer protection settlement reached with a pharmaceutical company. Of the billions she was able to recover due to inflated drug prices and illegal marketing practices, $2.2 billion came from Johnson and Johnson, whose drugs Xarelto, Stelara, Imbruvica are currently up for Medicare price negotiation, $71 million came from Amgen, whose drug Enbrel is currently up for Medicare price negotiation, $68.5 million came from AstraZeneca, whose drug Farxiga is currently up for Medicare price negotiation, and $19.5 million came from Bristol-Myers Squibb, whose drug Eliquis is currently up for Medicare price negotiation.
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