Tag: health care

To Rally Voters, Democrats Focus on Health Care as Their Closing Argument

Credit: Getty/Sebastian Rose

Senator Claire McCaskill isn’t subtle in reminding voters what her campaign is all about. She’s rechristened it the “Your Health Care, Your Vote” tour.

The turnaround could not be more startling. After years of running as far as they could from President Barack Obama’s health care law, Ms. McCaskill and vulnerable Senate Democrats in Florida, West Virginia and other political battlegrounds have increasingly focused their closing argument on a single issue: saving the Affordable Care Act.

Now, with Republicans desperate to reposition themselves and come up with their own health care pitch, and with the elections roiled by gale-force winds on immigration and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, the question is whether health care will be enough to save her and Democrats in other key Senate races. Most recently, the mail bombs sent from Florida and the fatal synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh on Saturday have added jagged new pieces with the potential to further disrupt both parties’ strategies.

View the complete October 29 article by Trip Gabriel on the New York Times website here.

Health Care Advocates and Experts Support an Attorney General Who Will Fight to Lower Prescription Drug Costs

Last week, Attorney General Lori Swanson launched a lawsuit against insulin manufacturers who more than doubled the cost of life-saving medications

A mother who lost her son due to the high cost of insulin joined Ellison and experts to speak out today for an AG who will lower health care costs

As AG, Ellison will advance lawsuits to lower prescription drug costs; Wardlow has repeatedly refused to support lawsuits to hold opioid manufacturers accountable

Minnesota – Health care experts and advocates joined Congressman Keith Ellison today to stress the need to elect an Attorney General who will take massive pharmaceutical corporations to court for price-gouging practices which are pushing health care costs higher for Minnesota families.

“When I led policy in the Attorney General’s office under Skip Humphrey, I saw firsthand the power of a People’s Lawyer to take on issues on behalf of Minnesota families,” said State Representative Erin Murphy. “As a nurse and legislator who has spent the last decade engaged with Minnesotans across the state, I know well the need for affordable, high quality health care. I know a lawyer like Keith will hold pharmaceutical companies accountable and lower health care costs for our families.” Continue reading “Health Care Advocates and Experts Support an Attorney General Who Will Fight to Lower Prescription Drug Costs”

Three Times Karin Housley Would Have Gutted Protections For People With Pre-Existing Conditions

St. Paul – Karin Housley has repeatedly supported health care plans that would not protect people with pre-existing conditions.

Here are three times when Housley would have gutted protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

1. Housley supported the 2017 Republican Health Care Plan (That Would Have Gutted Protections For Pre-Existing Conditions)

Housley supported the Republican health care plan that failed in Congress last year by one vote that would have gutted protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Republican plan also would have increased people’s health care costs and imposed an age tax which would have allowed insurance companies to charge older Americans up to five times more. Continue reading “Three Times Karin Housley Would Have Gutted Protections For People With Pre-Existing Conditions”

Republicans Run On Fear, Democrats Run On Protecting Health Care, Medicare & Social Security

Democrats have a clear message for Election Day: they are running to protect health care, Social Security and Medicare from Republican attempts to gut these vital programs. Republicans, on the other hand, have turned to a campaign strategy of fear and outright lies in order to get votes. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.

Democrats are running on protecting health care, Medicare, and Social Security from Republican attacks.

Yahoo News: “Democrats 2018: It’s the health care, stupid”

NBC News: “Democrats find new ways to talk about entitlement cuts in campaign’s closing days”

Washington Post: “As midterms near, Democrats accuse GOP of plotting to cut Medicare, Social Security”

Washington Examiner: “Democrats warn voters: The GOP is coming for your Social Security, healthcare”

Vox: “Half of 2018’s Democratic campaign ads are about health care”

Trump and Republicans are using fearmongering and lies to get votes.

CNN: “Trump’s midterm campaign of fear”

Washington Post: “Trump and Republicans settle on fear — and falsehoods — as a midterm strategy”

New York Times: “Trump and G.O.P. Candidates Escalate Race and Fear as Election Ploys”

MSNBC: “Trump, GOP look to stoke fear in base to goose election turnout”

Toronto Star: “Donald Trump’s strategy as midterms approach: lies and fear-mongering”

House Candidate Phillips Says We Can Do Better on Health Care

Housley and Health Care: A Casual Disregard for Doing the Work for Minnesotans

Karin Housley has demonstrated a casual disregard for doing the work to learn about the issues that affect Minnesota families. Let’s now look at her inability to explain what she would do on health care.

Earlier this year, Housley was asked at a local event how she would save the health care system. Unable to name a single policy or idea, Housley said, “First, we have to get more Republican senators in the United States Senate. That’s number one.” Then, still unable to name a specific policy or idea, she said again, “So what we really need is to get Republicans in power across the board and get more Republican senators so we can change the health care system.”

That is not a solution. It’s the answer a person gives when they have not done the work to solve problems. The result? Housley is led by powerful special interests and party leaders who do not have Minnesota’s best interest at heart.  Continue reading “Housley and Health Care: A Casual Disregard for Doing the Work for Minnesotans”

New Poll: Voters Trust Democrats More Than Republicans On Health Care, By 15 Points

Health care is a top issue for voters and it’s clear why they trust Democrats more than Republicans to better handle the issue: Democrats want to expand access to care while Republicans only want to continue their health care sabotage.

Health care is a top issue for voters. They trust Democrats more than Republicans to better handle health care issues.

  • Voters believe Democrats can better handle health care issues by a 15-point margin.

  • 55 percent of Americans say a congressional candidates positions on health care will be extremely important to their vote.

Continue reading “New Poll: Voters Trust Democrats More Than Republicans On Health Care, By 15 Points”

More Information About: Washington Policy This Week

Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings are already underway, kicking off a busy week and month on the Hill. Both the House and Senate are back in session today.

Appropriations — Congress has 11 legislative days to agree on how to fund the government in FY 2019. They’ve made progress, passing individual spending bills through the House and Senate, though they still need to agree on final language that can pass both chambers. Much of the government will probably be funded by September 30th via this process, thus averting a complete government shutdown. (The first “minibus” package of Energy-Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-VA funding will make it to the president’s desk as soon as this week.) But significant sticking points remain, particularly on health care and on the DHS bill, which Trump has threatened to use to force a shutdown over wall funding. Reportedly, some immigration hardliners are encouraging Trump to do so.

Supreme Court — Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing started today in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and it could continue all week. The committee is on track to approve his nomination on a party-line vote, even though Republicans are hiding millions of pages of Kavanaugh’s records from the American people. The Trump administration itself is withholding 100,000 pages, a Republican lawyer who used to work for Kavanaugh pre-screened and dumped 42,000 pages of records last night, and Republican Senators are refusing to allow Democratic Senators to use many of Kavanaugh’s records at his hearing.

Health Care — Hearings begin on Wednesday in Texas v. United States, a case Republican Attorneys General are using to try, once again, to gut the Affordable Care Act. Republicans’ argument is legally dubious at best, but if the case makes its way up to the Supreme Court, ACA-skeptic Brett Kavanaugh could be the deciding vote in eliminating protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Meanwhile, some Republican Senators have put up a bill they claim would proactively protect people with pre-existing conditions if the ACA is struck down. But the bill actually allows insurance companies to sell junk plans to people with pre-existing conditions instead, offering no real protections at all. And the Trump Administration is backing the Republican AGs in their efforts to attack the ACA.

Other Floor Activity — Congress is also going to conference on the Farm Bill this week, with members of the House and Senate meeting for the first time on Wednesday to try hash out the significant differences between their two versions of the bills. Republicans say they want a final bill finished by the end of the month; if they do not meet that ambitious target, Congress will need to extend the current farm bill by Oct. 1st. Continue reading “More Information About: Washington Policy This Week”

After Years of Quiet, Democratic Candidates Can’t Stop Talking About Health Care

The following article by Margot Sanger-Katz was posted on the New York Times website August 1, 2018:

Sen. Joe Donnelly, center, with members of the United Mine Workers of America at a campaign event in Boonville, Ind. Credit: Aaron Borton for The New York Times

In June, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri asked voters at a big political dinner to stand up if they had a pre-existing health condition.

She’d been hearing from voters at town hall meetings that they were worried about health care. “I just thought of it frankly at the podium,” she said. “I was just betting this is not that different from my town halls.”

The room was suddenly filled with standing voters. “Even I was stunned just how few people kept their seats,” she said.

View the complete post here.

DNC on Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid

DNC Chair Tom Perez and DNC Seniors Council Chair Steve Regenstreif released the following statement celebrating the anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare:

“For over five decades, Medicaid and Medicare have been critical pillars of economic security for millions of American families. That’s why President Obama and Democrats strengthened these programs and expanded coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

“Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have tried to roll back all of the progress we’ve made, pushing policies that would gut Medicaid, send premiums skyrocketing, strip health care from millions, and take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions. And they’re using the Trump tax bill, which adds nearly $2 trillion to the deficit, as an excuse to make deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other vital programs.

“Democrats believe health care is a right for all, not a privilege for a wealthy few. That’s why our party led the fight to establish Medicaid and Medicare more than a half century ago. And we will continue to do everything in our power to protect these programs from Republican attacks, and strengthen them so every American has access to quality, affordable health care.”