Press Call

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, JAN. 22 AT 9:30 AM PT // 12:30 PM ET***

Rep. Levin’s Health Insurance Premium Fairness Act would close loophole to save aging couples thousands of dollars. 

Legislation is latest effort to expand affordable health coverage.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, January 22 at 9:30 AM PT // 12:30 PM ET, Congressman Mike Levin (CA-49) will join Protect Our Care California and health care advocate Ted DeBont to discuss their latest efforts to make health care premiums more affordable. This week, Rep. Levin and Rep. Linda Sanchez introduced the Health Insurance Premium Fairness Act, which closes a loophole in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credit that penalizes households where one member ages into Medicare. The bill would adjust the ACA premium tax credit formula to account for any Medicare premiums paid by the household, saving dually enrolled American households thousands of dollars per year on healthcare premium costs and bills.

The Health Insurance Premium Fairness Act is the latest effort by Rep. Levin and Congressional Democrats to make health care more affordable for consumers. Thanks to the new measures in the Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Biden, 80 percent of Californians can find coverage for $10 or less per month on the ACA marketplace. California residents can apply for coverage on Covered California, the state’s ACA marketplace, through the open enrollment period ending January 31. With Donald Trump and other Republican leaders promising to repeal the ACA, there has never been a more urgent time to make sure Californians can secure the best coverage for them. 

PRESS CALL

WHO:
Rep. Mike Levin
Ted and Carla DeBont, health care advocates
Matthew Herdman, Protect Our Care California state lead

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference

WHEN: Monday, January 22, 2024 at 9:30 AM PT // 12:30 PM ET

WHERE: Register for the Zoom here

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 AT 12:00 PM ET***

The Report Comes During the Last Days of the Open Enrollment Period, Which Is Set to Close on January 16

Washington, DC — On Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 12:00 PM ET, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) will join Protect Our Care and Young Invincibles to discuss how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is benefiting young people across the nation by providing access to more affordable health coverage. During the call, speakers will discuss how the ACA is working to benefit young Americans, and how President Biden and Democrats in Congress are protecting and expanding these benefits. Right now, four out of five ACA enrollees can find coverage for $10 or less per month. 

According to the report, the ACA has lowered costs and made coverage more available to young people through policies including: Medicaid expansion, affordable Marketplace coverage, and the requirement that insurers must allow people up to age 26 to stay on their parents’ health plan. This has expanded young people’s access to essential services like mental health care. In 2023, enrollment in the ACA Marketplaces reached an all-time high, with 15.7 million Americans receiving coverage. More than one in four, or 4.1 million of those enrolled in Marketplace coverage were between the ages of 18 and 34.

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Mina Schultz, Young Invincibles
Alex Soltany, advocate
Chandra Chouhan, advocate
Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 12:00 PM ET

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13 AT 4:15 PM ET***

Washington, DC — On Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 4:15 PM ET, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair (CAPAC) Judy Chu (CA-28) and CAPAC Healthcare Task Force Co-Chair Barbara Lee (CA-12) will join Protect Our Care and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum to discuss how the Inflation Reduction Act is benefiting Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPIs) communities across the nation. By lowering health care premiums and prescription drug prices, the Inflation Reduction Act is making care more affordable for AA and NHPIs, and addressing longstanding disparities in access to care and health outcomes. 

Efforts to make health care more affordable and accessible are particularly important for AA and NHPIs, who have historically faced greater barriers to achieving and maintaining optimal health. The 25.2 million Asian Americans and 1.5 million Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders living in the U.S. have long been more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions like kidney failure, heart disease, and hypertension, and Asian American seniors are more likely than their white counterparts to report difficulty affording prescription medications. During the call, speakers will discuss how the Inflation Reduction Act is working to benefit AA and NHPIs, and other actions President Biden is taking to ensure everyone has the health care they need to thrive. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
U.S. Representative Judy Chu (CA-28), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair
U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (CA-12), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Healthcare Task Force Co-Chair
Juliet K. Choi, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 4:15 PM ET

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 06 AT 11 AM PT // 2 PM ET***

Open Enrollment for 2024 Medicare Plans Ends December 7th and Brings New Savings for Seniors

Los Angeles, CA – Today, December 06, 2023, at 11 AM PT // 2 PM ET, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Long Beach Commission on Aging Chair Naida Tushnet will join Protect Our Care California to discuss Medicare open enrollment and to educate seniors about new benefits thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation signed into law last year by President Biden. As seniors enroll in their 2024 Medicare plans, during the open enrollment period that ends December 7th, they could save thousands of dollars on their prescription drug costs, with even more savings down the road. New benefits for Medicare beneficiaries include Medicare negotiation for lower drug prices, a $35 monthly copay cap on insulin, free shingles and other essential vaccinations, and $2,000 out-of-pocket caps on prescription drugs beginning in 2025.

Right now, the Biden administration is in the process of lowering prices for the first round of high-cost prescription drugs under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, and those prices will take effect in 2026. The first ten drugs selected for negotiation are taken by nearly 9 million people on Medicare, who spent $3.4 billion in out-of-pocket costs last year alone. This new program will lower prices for some of the highest-priced prescription drugs on the market used to treat conditions like diabetes, heart failure, blood clots, and autoimmune disorders.

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
Attorney General Rob Bonta
Naida Tushnet, Chair, Long Beach Commission on Aging

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference

WHEN: Wednesday, December 06, 2023, at 11 AM PT // 2 PM ET

WHERE: Register for the Zoom here

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 AT 4:00 PM ET***

Washington, DC — On Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 4:00 PM ET, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and U.S. Representative Colin Allred (TX-32) will join Protect Our Care to discuss how Donald Trump’s mission to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act (ACA) jeopardizes the health and well-being of millions of people across the nation. Over the weekend, Donald Trump renewed calls to repeal the ACA, claiming his administration’s failure to repeal the ACA was “a low point for the Republican party.” His comments echo the words of other MAGA-Republican lawmakers who are actively working to slash the ACA and Medicaid, raise prescription drug costs for seniors, and put drug and insurance companies back in charge at the expense of American families.

Repealing the ACA means ripping away protections for the over 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, hiking premium costs for millions of working families, and allowing insurance companies to deny basic care like hospital visits and prescription drugs. In total, 20 million Americans would lose coverage and 15 million would see higher health care costs. Read more here. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR)
U.S. Representative Colin Allred (TX-32)
Laura Packard,  storyteller
Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 4:00 PM ET

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8 AT 10:30 AM ET***

Under Speaker Johnson’s Leadership, Republicans Will Continue Their Agenda of Hiking Drug and Health Insurance Costs, and Eliminating Crucial Protections for the American People

Washington, DC — On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 10:30 AM ET, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06) will join Protect Our Care to discuss how the Republican party is working to rip away Americans’ access to affordable health care. From pushing health care plans that hike costs to trying to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s measures to lower prescription drug costs, Republicans have returned to some of their oldest schemes to put drug and insurance companies back in charge at the expense of American families. Recently, Republicans in the House of Representatives elected Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. Johnson has a long history of fighting to raise health care costs and rip away critical protections from the American people. During the call, Protect Our Care will unveil a new report outlining Republicans’ mission to raise costs and undermine critical protections through legislation and the courts. Hart Research President Geoff Garin will also present recent polling showing how unpopular the Republican war on health care is with the American people. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06)
Geoff Garin, President of Hart Research
Brad Woodhouse, Executive Director of Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 10:30 AM ET

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 AT 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT***

New Report Finds That If All States Did as Well as the 10 Best States, Millions of People Would Not Have Been Terminated from Medicaid Because of Missing Paperwork

Washington, DC – On Monday, November 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT, U.S. Representatives Steven Horsford (D-NV-04) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), will join civil rights leaders and Protect Our Care for a press conference to call on state leaders to halt procedural disenrollments from Medicaid until they have reduced such terminations to the lowest achievable level. Over 70% of those disenrolled were terminated because of nothing more than missing paperwork. The groups will release a new report detailing how, only six months into the unwinding of the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous eligibility requirements, more people have lost Medicaid than during any two-year period in history, more than have of whom are from communities of color. The report will provide the country’s first documentation of several things: (1) the size of current coverage losses, compared to past losses; (2) the racial and ethnic composition of people terminated from Medicaid; and (3) the central importance of state variation in driving Medicaid terminations. 

Congress passed legislation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect access to Medicaid by ensuring no one could be disenrolled during the public health emergency. This provision, which has helped secure the lowest level of uninsured Americans ever, expired on April 1. 

The report is co-authored by 10 leading civil rights and health equity organizations: the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Urban League, the National Council of Urban Indian Health, the Southern Poverty Law Center, UnidosUS, the Coalition on Human Needs, and Protect Our Care. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
U.S. Representative Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), Member, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and CEO, National Council of Negro Women
Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
Eric Rodriguez, Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS
Leslie Dach, Chair, Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Nov 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 AT 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT***

New Report Finds That If All States Did as Well as the 10 Best States, Millions of People Would Not Have Been Terminated from Medicaid Because of Missing Paperwork

Washington, DC – On Monday, November 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT, civil rights leaders will join Protect Our Care for a press conference to call on state leaders to halt procedural disenrollments from Medicaid until they have reduced such terminations to the lowest achievable level. Over 70% of those disenrolled were terminated because of nothing more than missing paperwork. The groups will release a new report detailing how, only six months into the unwinding of the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous eligibility requirements, more people have lost Medicaid than during any two-year period in history, more than have of whom are from communities of color. The report will provide the country’s first documentation of several things: (1) the size of current coverage losses, compared to past losses; (2) the racial and ethnic composition of people terminated from Medicaid; and (3) the central importance of state variation in driving Medicaid terminations. 

Congress passed legislation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect access to Medicaid by ensuring no one could be disenrolled during the public health emergency. This provision, which has helped secure the lowest level of uninsured Americans ever, expired on April 1. 

The report is co-authored by 10 leading civil rights and health equity organizations: the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Urban League, the National Council of Urban Indian Health, the Southern Poverty Law Center, UnidosUS, the Coalition on Human Needs, and Protect Our Care. 

PRESS CALL:

WHO:

Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and CEO, National Council of Negro Women
Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
Eric Rodriguez, Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS
Leslie Dach, Chair, Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Nov 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET // 12:00 PM PT

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17 AT 3:30 PM ET***

Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, October 17, at 3:30 PM ET, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) will join Protect Our Care to discuss how the 2024 open enrollment period will bring new benefits to 65 million people on Medicare. Over the next several weeks, 65 million people will go to select their Medicare plans, and they will see new benefits that could save them thousands of dollars on their prescription drug costs. Signed into law by President Biden last year, the Inflation Reduction Act introduced $35 caps on monthly insulin copays, free shingles and other recommended vaccinations, protections from drug company price hikes, and $2,000 out-of-pocket caps on prescription drugs beginning in 2025. 

Critically, the law also gives Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. Right now, the Biden administration is in the process of lowering prices for the first round of prescription drugs under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, and those prices will take effect in 2026. This new program will lower prices for some of the highest-priced prescription drugs on the market used to treat conditions like diabetes, heart failure, blood clots, and autoimmune disorders.

PRESS CALL

WHO:
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09)
Linda Hamacher, patient storyteller (MI)
Dawn LaGuerre, patient storyteller (NY)
Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHERE: Register for the Event Here

WHEN: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 3:30 PM