The “Care Force One” tour bus traveled nearly 8,000 miles in October from coast to coast, to protest funding cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act and to demand the restoration of enhanced ACA tax credits. (Protect Our Care) By Mark Richardson Oct 30, 2026 Listen to this story HERE. A national bus tour demanding lower healthcare costs wraps […]
The “Care Force One” tour bus traveled nearly 8,000 miles in October from coast to coast, to protest funding cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act and to demand the restoration of enhanced ACA tax credits. (Protect Our Care)
By Mark Richardson
Oct 30, 2026
Listen to this story HERE.
A national bus tour demanding lower healthcare costs wraps up Friday after trekking across the country.
Protect Our Care’s “Sick of It! Fix Health Care Now” tour made October stops in Scranton and Bethlehem, putting Pennsylvania families’ struggles with insurance bills and access to care in the spotlight.
The advocacy group Protect Our Care spent four weeks gathering stories from patients, providers and families. Organizers said rising premiums, coverage losses and prescription costs mean difficult choices.
April Niver, a self-employed consultant from Easton, Penn., said coverage gaps often leave patients gambling on how much care they need.
“We’re left with trade-offs. We make trade-offs for a plan that might not offer us as much coverage for certain things, because we’re rolling the dice here,” Niver said.
The “Care Force One” tour bus traveled to more than 36 stops in 15 states to protest cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
The group wants lawmakers to restore Affordable Care Act premium tax credits and reverse Medicaid cuts. It also wants Medicare to negotiate prices for more prescription drugs and extend those savings to people with private insurance.
Cesar Nieves, a Pittsburgh-based medical technologist who cites 25 years of healthcare experience, attended the rally in Lebanon, Penn. Nieves said high healthcare costs are forcing his family to make hard choices.
“We’re going to be hurting,” Nieves remarked. “Right now, my insurance is $1,800 that I have to pay upfront, every time, before I get covered. I tell my wife, ‘You can’t go to the doctor till after mid-April.'”
The group’s other demands include penalties for drug makers that raise prices faster than inflation. Advocates also want a $2,000 annual prescription spending cap and $35 insulin copays for people with private coverage.
The tour’s final events take place Friday in Arizona, following stops in California.
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