Hands Off Our Health Care Bus Tour Travels 1,370 Miles Across North Carolina Making 30 Stops in Six Days

Contact: Dallas Woodhouse, (919) 839-1011, ext.15 or cell (919) 671-1050 Or email dwoodhouse@afphq.org

Tour Just the beginning of Grassroots Fire Storm Against Government Takeover of Health Care
Bus met activists in cities and towns all over North Carolina as Patients First tour urged constituent action against a government takeover of health care

RALEIGH─ Over 12 thousand people from North Carolina signed the Americans for Prosperity Patients First petition during a six-day bus tour across the tar heel state that had thousands of people chanting “Hands Off My Health Care.”

Over the course of six days, 30 hometown rallies were held, 1,370 miles were traveled and an estimated 25,000 to 50,000 calls were generated to the offices of Senator Kay Hagan asking her to oppose any public option and/or higher taxes in any health care bill.

The tour urged grassroots activists to speak out on behalf of patients and against a government takeover of health care.

“The bill before Congress is not a bill about health care, it is about health control,” said Dallas Woodhouse, state director of Americans for Prosperity and Patients First effort.

“Thousands of hard working tax paying citizens showed up at our events to voice their opposition to the plans in Congress that puts health care in the hands of government bureaucrats. At every stop people had horror stories about their day-to-day interactions with government bureaucracies and they do not want to deal with that when it comes time to go to the doctor.”

The tour was conducted Sunday, August 2nd through Saturday, August 8th, the first full week that members of the U.S. House were home for the August recess. The tour included grassroots activists, medical professionals, local officials, doctors and patients.

At each event, citizens were urged to call their senators, visit their district offices, and sign the Patients First petition. The petition asks all members of Congress to oppose any legislation that imposes greater government control over health care and results in fewer choices for patients and their families.

View the petition at http://www.JoinPatientsFirst.com/petition

Americans for Prosperity State Director Dallas Woodhouse specifically asked rally participants to call Senator Kay Hagan and ask her to oppose a public option in any health care reform bill.

“These proposals would change everything about health care as we know it. Instead of patients and doctors making decisions, it would be government bureaucrats,” said Woodhouse. “We’ve got to let lawmakers know that the American people simply don’t want a government takeover of their health care.”

Brian Balfour of the Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based government watchdog group, spoke about the group’s new poll that shows North Carolina voters are concerned about the billions in new taxes that are under consideration by Congress to pay for President Obama’s health care reform plan.

According to the poll of 600 North Carolina voters, 61% selected keeping cost affordable as their highest priority in any health care reform. 18 % selected maintaining a high quality system while only 16% preferred universal coverage for all.

“While political leaders cite all kinds of reasons federal action is needed, at the end of the day, North Carolina voters are most interested in keeping health care costs affordable,” said Balfour. “Politicians would be wise to listen to what voters are saying.”

When specifically queried on whether they would personally be willing to pay higher taxes to provide health insurance for all Americans, only 36% of respondents said yes while 56% said no, and 9% were not sure.

The Civitas Poll can be viewed at http://www.nccivitas.org/.